Quapaw (Okáxpa) Language Pronunciation Guide

The most basic, individual sounds used in any given language are referred to as phonemes. Every language has its own specific set of phonemes, and each phoneme has a particular character(s) which represents it.

Some examples of phonemes used in the English language are:

• /ā/ - This is the "long a" sound as heard in the words, "cave" and "lake."
• /æ/ - This is the "short a" sound as heard in the words, "cat" and "apple."

You might notice that the English alphabet doesn't distinguish between the different ways you can pronounce the letter "a" when it's used. It's up to another English speaker to teach you the rules so you don't pronounce the "a" in "apple" like the "a" in "awesome."

Luckily, the way we write Quapaw is not as unclear as written English. As you'll discover in the guide below, we use unique characters for each possible sound (phoneme) used in our language.

The Quapaw language contains a three phonemes which are considered to be aspirated. An aspirated sound is created by releasing a puff of air after the initial sound of the letter. You will know which Quapaw phonemes are aspirated when you see a superscript (miniature) letter "h" following a consonant like so:

• pʰ
• tʰ
• kʰ

For example, the Quapaw phoneme "kʰ" is pronounced like a normal "k" sound, but with a puff of air following it. When you speak this sound, it should sound like "kuh" rather than a shorter, tighter sound. The following video delves into how to create these sounds:

The Quapaw language also utilizes pre-aspirated phonemes, which are indicated by doubled consonants of the same type:

• kk
• tt
• pp

Pre-aspirate sounds are trickier than aspirates. They require you to hold a short "h" sound in your chest before moving to the sound of the consonant. The following video gives an effective reference of what this sounds like for our "pp" phoneme:

It is important to know how to produce the nasal sound when speaking certain Quapaw phonemes. A nasal sound is generated by pushing sound out of your mouth and nose at the same time. This sound is used in many languages around the world, including English, but the modern English alphabet does not have a letter that represents it.

Producing nasal sounds may be difficult to understand without reference. The video below provides an excellent explanation and demonstration for producing all possible nasal vowel sounds:

In Quapaw, a hooked symbol called an ogonek indicates which phonemes make a nasal sound. There are only three nasalized vowels in our language. Notice the ogonek (hook shape) attached to each one:

• ą
• į
• ǫ