Overview
The Quapaw writing system is based upon the International Phonetic Alphabet, a dynamic system used by linguists to document languages across the globe. This system uses Latin alphabet characters that should be familiar to English speakers. The following guide will give you a basic grasp of the sounds (and corresponding letters) used in our Quapaw language.
Table of Contents
Glossary
The terms listed below are additional concepts mentioned in the guide that may not be common knowledge to first-time language learners. Click any of the items below to expand an informational dialog about each term:
Phonemes
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.
Aspirated Sounds
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:
Pre-Aspirated 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:
Nasal Sounds
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
Accented Letters
In the Quapaw writing system, you will often see an accent over all of our vowels like so:
- á / ą́
- é
- í / į́
- ó / ǫ́
This ` symbol indicates that a particular syllable in a word should be stressed. Sometimes, there are multiple accents in one word, indicating that you should draw out the vowel sound where each accent appears. For further clarification on how accented letters work, watch the embedded video below:
To-Do
- Add Audio Examples
Pronunciation Guide
‼️🔈 Audio is not currently available. Check back soon for interactive examples!
| Phoneme | Pronunciation | Quapaw Example & Translation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Like the "au" sound in the English word, "awesome." | a - arm | 🔊 |
| ą | Like pronouncing the long "au" sound in "awesome" but inflected with a nasal sound. This is the same as the French vowel, ã. | mą - arrow | 🔊 |
| b | Like the hard “buh” sound as in the English word, “boy.” | baštá - to smooth, sand, or plane (as wood) | 🔊 |
| bd / bn | Like pronouncing “b” but followed by a smooth transition to a hard “duh” or “nuh” sound; choosing between the sounds is based on speaker preference. | bną / bdą - to smell or emit an odor | 🔊 |
| č | Like hard "ch" sound in the English word, “change.” | įčą́ka - mouse | 🔊 |
| d | Like hard “duh” sound in the English word, “dog.” | dižóde - hull, peel | 🔊 |
| e | Like the short “eh” (also written /ɛ/) sound in the English word, “egg.” | ékikʔą́ - to get even, pay off a wrong | 🔊 |
| i | Like the long /ē/ sound in the English word, “piano.” | íha - mouth | 🔊 |
| į | Like pronouncing “i” but inflected with a nasal sound. | įkdą́ - son, first born | 🔊 |
| k | Like the hard “k” sound in the English word, “king.” Pronounce this quickly and without much air leaving your mouth! | kaniké - thank you | 🔊 |
| kh | A post-aspirated hard ‘k’ sound; said like the breathy “kuh” sound in the English word, “kid.” | įkʰétte - shoulder | 🔊 |
| kk | A pre-aspirated hard ‘k’ sound; you should hold an “h” sound in your chest before pronouncing a hard “k” sound. | níkka - man | 🔊 |
| kd / kn | Like pronouncing “k” but followed by a smooth transition to a hard “duh” or “nuh” sound; choosing between the sounds is based on speaker preference. | kde - to start homeward | 🔊 |
| m | Like the “m” sound in the English word, “mother.” | mikká - raccoon | 🔊 |
| n | Like the “n” sound in the English word, “no.” | nąpé - hand | 🔊 |
| o | Like the long “o” sound in the English word, “only.” | ohǫ - to boil, to cook | 🔊 |
| ǫ | Like pronouncing “o” but inflected with a nasal sound. | ǫkóną - we, only us | 🔊 |
| p | Like the hard “p” sound in the English word, “pat.” | póxpa - red-headed woodpecker | 🔊 |
| ph | An aspirated ‘p’; like the breathy “puh” sound in the English word, “pot.” The puff of air should move a piece of paper if held in front of your mouth! | ophá - to be following along | 🔊 |
| pp | A pre-aspirated ‘p’; you should hold an “h” sound in your chest before pronouncing a hard “p” sound. | ppétte - fire | 🔊 |
| s | Like the short “s” sound in the English word, “sit.” | si - foot | 🔊 |
| š | Like the “sh” sound in the English word, “shop.” | šó̜ke - dog | 🔊 |
| t | Like the hard “t” sound in the English word, “tomato.” | taní - tobacco | 🔊 |
| th | An aspirated ‘t’; like the breathy “tuh” sound in the English word, “top.” The puff of air should move a piece of paper if held in front of your mouth! | thi - to arrive, to have come here | 🔊 |
| tt | A pre-aspirated ‘t’; you should hold an “h” sound in your chest before pronouncing the hard “t” sound. | tte - buffalo | 🔊 |
| w | Like the “w” sound in the English word, “water.” | wahą́ - family relation (relative) | 🔊 |
| x | No English equivalent sound; pronounced like the guttural “ach” sound in the German name, “Bach.” | okáxpa - Quapaw people | 🔊 |
| y | This sound only occurs when “i” precedes another vowel and the two sounds blend together. It works the same as a "y" sound in English. | ádanyo - I swim | 🔊 |
| ɣ | No English equivalent sound; pronounced like the letter ‘g’ in the English word, “go” (in the back of your throat) but without fully closing your lips. | káγe - make, do, cause | 🔊 |
| z | Like the “z” sound in the English word, “zero.” | zaní - all, all of the | 🔊 |
| ž | Like the “zh” sound in the English word, “treasure.” | žą - tree, wood, log | 🔊 |
| ʔ | This symbol is known as a ‘glottal stop’; it indicates a brief pause in a word, much like the space that occurs when saying the English phrase, “uh-oh.” | mikkáxʔe - star | 🔊 |
Download an Offline Copy
Click here to download an offline copy of the Quapaw pronunciation guide in .pdf format.
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