5
The letters c, i, r, and v are especially difficult. Here are more examples of these letters.
More examples of c, i, r, v
c The letter c was used instead of ch to make words shorter.
- culv ‘fox’ (CHOO‑LUH) [ʧʊli]
- cvmhcakv ‘bell’ (CHUMH‑CHA‑GUH) [ʧəm̥ʧɑːgə]
- cuko ‘house’ (CHOO‑GO) [ʧʊgo]
- catē ‘red’ (CHA‑DEE) [ʧɑːdiː]
- fuco ‘duck’ (FOO‑JO) [fʊʤo]
- pvce ‘pigeon’ (PUH‑JE) [pəʤi]
- ecke ‘mother’ (ICH‑KE) [ɪʧki]
i Why is i used for the “ay” sound? When the alphabet was created in the 1800s, this sound was described as sounding like the i in English pine. Today it’s pronounced as “ay”, but the spelling stayed the same.
- ekisse ‘hair’ (I‑GAYS‑SE) [igejssi]
- ehiwv ‘his/her wife’ (I‑HAY‑WUH) [ihejwə]
- liketv ‘to sit’ (LAY‑GI‑DUH) [lejgidə]
- wikvs! ‘quit!’ (WAY‑GUS) [wejgəs]
- yvhiketv ‘to sing’ (YUH‑HAY‑GI‑DUH) [jəhejgidə]
r How to make the r sound: 1. Put your tongue in the position to make an l sound. 2. Instead of saying l, say h.
- rakko, ’cerakko ‘horse’ (THLAK‑KO, CHI‑THLAK‑KO) [ɬəkko, ʧiɬəkko]
- rono ‘horsefly’ (THLO‑NO) [ɬoːno]
- Rvfo‑Rakko ‘December’ (THLAF‑FO‑THLAK‑KO) [ɬəffo ɬəkko]
- merretv ‘compassion’ (MITHL‑THLI‑DUH) [mɪɬɬidə]
v Why is v used for this sound? In the 1830s, the Greek letter upsilon (υ) was used for this sound. That was hard to print, so v was used instead.
- svtv ‘persimmon’ (SUH‑DUH) [sədə]
- yvnvsv ‘buffalo’ (YUH‑NUH‑ZUH) [jənəzə]
- hvlpvtv ‘alligator’ (HUL‑BUH‑DUH) [həlbədə]
- vpvtvkv ‘cowboy bread’ (UH‑BUH‑DUH‑GUH) [əbədəgə]
