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Navajo Alphabet
Irvy Goossen
VOWELS
1. There are basically four vowels in the Navajo alphabet. The vowels are as follows, the first example being a Navajo word; the last, the closest approximation in an English word.
| a |
gad - juniper |
art |
| e |
e´e´ahh - west |
met |
| i |
sis - belt |
sit |
| o |
hosh - cactus |
note |
2. Vowels may be either long or short in duration, the long vowels being indicated by a doubling of the letter. Actually, there are three regular vowel lengths, a short, a long and an extra long. The latter occurs regularly in syllables closed by a stop consonant, usually "d" or "´" (glottal stop). The length does not affect the quality of the vowel, except that "ii" is always pronounced as "i" in machine.
| sis - belt |
the vowel is short |
| siziiz - my belt |
the second vowel is long |
3. Vowels with hooks under them are nasalized. Some of the breath passes through the nose in their production.
tsinaabaas - wagon
naadáá´ - corn
bizees - his warts
háádéé´ - from where
ashiih - salt
shilíí´ - my horse
so´ - star
dlóó - prairie dog
4. When there is a tone mark on a letter, raise your voice in pitch on that syllable. Say the first words of the examples given below, and then the one across from it, after hearing a Navajo say them.
| ni - you |
ní - he says |
| azee´ - medicine |
azéé´ mouth |
| nilí - he is |
nílí - you are |
| doo - not |
dóó - and |
Notice the difference in the meanings of the words in the two columns. The tone alone indicates the difference.
5. The diphthongs are as follows: ai; aai; ao; aoo; ei; eii; oi; ooi.
| ai |
hai - winter |
something like kite |
| ei |
éí - that one |
day |
| oi |
deesdoi - it is warm |
buoy |
6. When only the first element of a vowel or a diphthong has a mark above it, the tone is falling. When the last element is marked, the tone is rising.
bilasáana - apple
deídíiltah - we will read it
dóola - bull
litsxooí - orange
CONSONANTS
7. (´) This is the most common consonantal sound in Navajo. It is called a glottal stop and sounds like the break between the two elements of the English expression "oh, oh." The difference between "Johnny yearns" and "Johnny earns" is that the latter has a glottal closure between the two words.
e´e´ahh - west
a´áán - a hole
8. Following are the rest of the consonants and their English equivalents, as much as they can be given.
| b |
bááh |
bread |
like p in spot |
| ch |
chizh |
firewood |
like ch in church |
| ch´ |
ch´ah |
hat |
---- |
| d |
dibé |
sheep |
like t in stop |
| dl |
dlóó´ |
prairie dog |
like dl in paddling |
| dz |
dzil |
mountain |
like dz in adze |
| g |
gah |
rabbit |
something like k in sky |
| gh |
hooghan |
hogan |
---- |
| h |
háadi |
where |
---- |
| hw |
bil hweeshne´ |
I told him |
like wh in when |
| j |
jádí |
antelope |
like j in jug |
| k |
ké |
shoe |
like k in kitten |
| k´ |
k´ad |
now |
---- |
| kw |
kwe´é |
right here |
like qu in quick |
| l |
lájish |
glove |
like l in lazy |
| l |
lid |
smoke |
---- |
| m |
mósí |
cat |
like m in mosquito |
| n |
naadáá´ |
corn |
like n in new |
| s |
sin |
song |
like s in soon |
| sh |
shash |
bear |
like sh in shoe |
| t |
tin |
ice |
---- |
| t´ |
t´eesh |
charcoal |
---- |
| tl |
tlah |
ointment |
---- |
| tl´ |
tl´ízí |
goat |
---- |
| ts |
tash |
needle |
like ts in hats |
| ts´ |
ts´ah |
sagebrush |
---- |
| w |
Wááshindoon |
Washington, D.C. |
like w in wash |
| y |
yá |
sky |
like y in yes |
| z |
zas |
snow |
like z in zero |
| zh |
bízhi´ |
his name |
like z in azure |
As printed in Larry Evers, ed. The South Corner of Time. Tucson, Ariz.: The University of Arizona Press, ©1980, p. 48.
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