Appendix:Navajo pronunciation
The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Navajo pronunciations in Wiktionary entries.
See Navajo phonology for detailed discussion of the phonology of Navajo.
Consonants | ||
---|---|---|
IPA | Navajo orthography | Approximations in English or another European language |
ʔ | ʼ (not written word-initially) | _uh-_oh |
ɣ | gh | Spanish luego |
ɣʷ | w gh (before o) |
Spanish agua |
j | y | yam |
k | g | scan |
kʰ | k | backhand (Aspirated consonant) |
kʷʰ | kw k (before o) |
back wheel (heavily aspirated) |
kʼ | kʼ | None; see Ejective consonant |
l | l | lamb |
ɬ | ł | Welsh llan |
m | m | man |
n | n | nan |
p | b | span |
pʰ | p | top hand (heavily aspirated) |
s | s | Sam |
ʃ | sh | sham |
t | d | Stan |
tʰ | t | hot hand (heavily aspirated) |
tʼ | tʼ | None; see Ejective consonant |
t͡l | dl | Atlantic |
t͡ɬʰ | tł | Welsh tlws |
t͡ɬʼ | tłʼ | None; see Ejective consonant |
t͡s | dz | hats |
t͡sʰ | ts | hits hard (heavily apirated) |
t͡sʼ | tsʼ | None; see Ejective consonant |
t͡ʃ | j | eschew |
t͡ʃʰ | ch | hitchhiker (heavily apirated) |
t͡ʃʼ | chʼ | None; see Ejective consonant |
x | h x (after g, s, ts, z) |
loch (Scottish English) |
xʷ | hw h (before o) |
Spanish juego |
z | z | zap |
ʒ | zh | measure |
Vowels and syllabic consonant | |||
---|---|---|---|
IPA | Navajo orthography | Approximation in English or another European language | |
ɑ | a | pot (General American) | |
ɑː | aa | father | |
ɑ̃ | ą | French vente (short) | |
ɑ̃ː | ąą | French vent (long) | |
ɛ | e | best | |
eː | ee | pay | |
ɛ̃ | ę | French sainte (short) | |
ẽː | ęę | Portuguese bem (long) | |
ɪ | i | kit | |
iː | ii | bee | |
ɪ̃ | į | lint | |
ĩː | įį | Portuguese vim (long) | |
n̩ | n | button | |
o | o | goat | |
oː | oo | mowed | |
õ | ǫ | Portuguese ponte (short) | |
õː | ǫǫ | Portuguese bom (long) |
Tone | ||
---|---|---|
IPA | Navajo orthography | Explanation |
´ | ´ over the vowel (á, é, í, ó etc.) | High tone |
` | Unmarked (a, e, i, o etc.) | Low tone |