The letters used for TIAL words are a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p r s t u v w y z; q x and upper-case letters are used only for proper names.
The letters b c d f g h j k l m n p r s t v z are used for consonants, the letters y w are used for semi-vowels, and the letters a e i o u are used for vowels. A semi-vowel is a sound used sometimes as a consonant and sometimes as a vowel.
The approximate pronunciations of each letter or digraph is summarized in the table below.
| Letter | QAPA | IPA | English | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | A\ | ä | a | as in father | |
| ai | A\i | äi | ai | as in aisle | not common |
| au | A\u | äu | ow | as in cow | |
| b | b | b | b | as in about | |
| c | tS) | t͡ʃ | ch | as in chess | see sc tc |
| d | d | d | d | as in wading | |
| e | E | ɛ | e | as in best | |
| ei | Ei | ɛi | ei | as in weight | rare |
| eu | Eu | ɛu | like e plus u | not common | |
| f | f | f | f | as in father | |
| g | g | ɡ | g | as in got | |
| h | h | h | h | as in hot | |
| i | i | i | i | as in machine | see ai ei oi |
| j | dZ) | d͡ʒ | j | as in jump | |
| k | k | k | k | as in baker | |
| l | l | l | l | as in least | |
| m | m | m | m | as in mood | |
| n | n N | n ŋ | n | as in net or finger | |
| o | O | ɔ | aw | as in awful | |
| oi | Oi | ɔi | oi | as in boiling | not common |
| ou | Ou | ɔu | o | as in vote | rare |
| p | p | p | p | as in gaping | |
| r | r | r | rr | as in burro | other rhotic sounds can be used |
| s | s | s | s | as in sad | |
| sc | S: | ʃː | sh | as in wish | |
| t | t | t | t | as in tough | |
| tc | t:S) | tː͡ʃ | tch | as in hatch | |
| u | u | u | oo | as in moon | see au eu ou |
| v | v | v | v | as in very | |
| w | w | w | w | as in war | also like u, but not stressed |
| y | j | j | y | as in yes | also like i, but not stressed |
| z | z | z | z | as in zebra | |
In each stressed word, the stress almost always falls on the next-to-last vowel (not counting the letters y w). The exceptions are mainly proper nouns. One-syllable words aren't frequently stressed.
While one should try to pronounce TIAL as described, one should also note that other speakers will have different ability in doing so, with differences according to their linguistic background. For example, some will pronounce r the same as l or rr, or will pronounce c as [S] (sh) and j as [Z] (zh), or will have no sound similar to h and therefore omit it.
page started: 2010.Jun.26 Sat
current date: 2012.May.07 Mon
content and form originated by qiihoskeh
prev. chapter
Table of Contents
next chapter (2)