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Spelling & Pronunciation
with some audio samples

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Vowels  ||  Pronunciation guides for vowels  ||  Consonants  ||  Pronunciation guides for consonants
Voiced and unvoiced stops
 ||  Sound symbolism

 

Interested in learning Lakota directly?

David Little Elk, certified Lakota Language & Culture Teacher, author of the Lakota Language book & CD method Cante Etanhan Owoglake (Speaking From The Heart) and the Lakota Culture book Wicoh'an Otehike (The Difficult Path), has just announced the inauguration of his Wakinyan Kiza Lakota Online Academy, where he offers direct one-to-one instruction. Highly recommended!

www.elkdreamer.com

 

In the Lakota language it is essential to understand pronunciation in order to fully express emotions and to make a statement with feeling. Feelings are important in language. We can say a thousand words and not mean a single one if our feelings are not in it. Whether listening to English or Lakota speakers, you can tell when they effectively use their language because you can feel their feelings.

In addition to emotions and feelings, language reflects environment. It expresses philosophy. It affirms spirituality. It supports music, dances, good times, sad times. All those feelings are held within it. It is the life-force of the culture.

Albert White Hat Sr., "Reading and Writing the Lakota Language"

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In this section:

Vowels  ||  Pronunciation guides for vowels
Consonants
 ||  Pronunciation guides for consonants
Voiced and unvoiced stops
 ||  Sound symbolism

Language Section Index:

Spelling & Pronunciation  ||  Vocabulary  ||  Verbs
Interrogative words  ||  Commands  ||  Audio samples
A reservation conversation
 ||  Main page  ||  Español

Site index  ||  Main page  ||  Español

Underlined words have links to audio samples in mp3 format.
You will need an mp3 player, such as
WinAmp.

Many thanks to Konstantin Hmelnitski for his kind collaboration.

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Overall pronunciation guide:

The stress or accent in Lakhota words is:

  • usually on the second syllable
  • sometimes on the first syllable (in 20-30% of the words)
  • never elsewhere (with the exception of the word tuktená)

Some words have the same spelling, but different intonations change the word's meaning, and therefore accents are important. Here, a stressed syllable will be marked with an acute accent. For example: pa (hills),ku (what, something). Words without a visible accent are stressed on the second syllable.

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Vowels

There are eight vowels in Lakhota, of which five are basic:

Vowel
English example
Lakhota example
a
father
luhá (you have)
e
step
he (that, horn)
i
me
hi (tooth, he came)
o
hawk
istó (arm)
u
book
hu (bone)

And three are nasal:

Vowel
Lakhota example
an
han (yes)
in
pehin (hair)
un
kun (covet)

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Pronunciation guides for vowels:

  • When a vowel begins a word, be it basic or nasal, the sound is articulated clearly.
  • When two or more basic vowels are written together, each vowel is pronounced separately.
  • When a basic vowel and a nasal vowel are written together, each vowel is pronounced separately.
  • Lakhota words have the same number of syllables as they have vowels. Therefore, by counting the total vowel sounds (basic and nasal) one can identify the number of syllables.
  • When any basic vowel follows the letters m or n, the vowel is pronounced with a nasal sound (except for e, as me and ne are never nasalised). However, despite the pronunciation, one does not write the nasal vowel.
  • Nasal vowels that precede the letters b or p naturally create the sound of the letter m when pronounced together (as in wanbli). However, the word is still spelled with the Lakhota nasal vowel.
  • When nasal vowels precede the letter k the ng by-sound is added (as in thathanka).
  • Nasal vowels are absent in English. The only hint for their pronunciation is the "nasal twang" that you can hear in the words "twang", "man". Actually, you utter nasalized vowels "through the nose", like French "encore" or "bon ton". It is not two sounds (vowel + ng, as in "meeting"); it is one nasalized vowel. We will spell these vowels with two letters (vowel + n)

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Consonants

There are 32 Lakhota consonants:

Consonant
English
Lakhota
Meaning
b
back
bluhá
I have
c
latch
can
tree
ch
cherry
chanté
heart
c'
omic'iye
I help myself to something
g
girl
shungmánitu
wolf
gh
ghi
brown, rusty
h
hat
he
that, horn
h^
h^e
mountain
h^'
ih^'e
stones, rocks
j
pleasure
janján
jar, bottle, glass
k
kite
hánska
long, tall
kh
kholá
male friend of a male
k
skill
ka
that over there
k'
k'u
he/she gives
l
love
luhá
you have
m
moon
mázaska
money
n
nice
nachéce
maybe
p
peace
pehin
hair
ph
phejúta
medicine
p
spend
pilámayaye
thank you
p'
p'o
foggy
s
step
sápa
black
s'
as'in
he/she wishes for something
sh
shoe
sha
red
sh'
wash'ake
he/she is strong
t
tell
tanyán
well
t'
t'e
she/he/it is dead
t
stay
típi
house
th
thaló
meat
w
wonder
wanblí
eagle
y
you
yámni
three
z
zoo
zi
yellow

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Pronunciation guides for consonants:

  • The consonant j is a voiced sh, as in pleasure. There are other spellings for this letter, for instance, z^ or zh in NetSiouan. We will use the letter j, as in janján (jar, glass).
  • The consonant gh is a voiced h^ ("voiced velar fricative") which also occurs in Greek ("gamma") and some Slavic languages. Another similar sound is the Spanish j, as in the word "jalea" (jelly). Yet gh is by far more tense and back than greek and slavic analogs: gh is more back (uvular) and gamma is velar fricative. In fact, gh before i is pronounced almost as the French r, but with more aspiration. Examples: Sichánghu (Rosebud Lakhota tribe), ghi (brown, rusty, gray), maghá (goose).
  • The h^ sound is another unheard-of Lakhota consonant. The closest sound is the Mexican x in Mexico, the German ch in Achtung! (attention!), and the Russian x in xorosho! (good!).

    You may hear the difference between h and h^ here.

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Voiced and unvoiced stops
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Unvoiced stops

p, t, c, k are like English p in spit, t in stack, ch in latch, k in ski. They are never aspirated (accompanied with a puff of air), as in pity, tack, chew, and keep. For example: Pahá Sápa (Black Hills), he táku he? (what's this?), he wicáwala shni! (I don't believe him/that!), shíca (bad), kilákhota kte h^cin (a "wannabe").

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Aspirated stops

These are the consonants p, t, c, and k plus aspiration. Rood&Taylor (authors of "Colorado University Lakhota Project") transcribe these consonants as ph, th, ch, and kh. Native speakers use either an apostrophe resembling the little c ( p, t‘, c‘, k‘) or do not show aspiration at all. They write Wakan Tanka instead of WakhaN' ThaN'ka or Wakan Tanka.

Aspiration is heavy (h^-like) before a, an, o, and un. For example: pha (head), thánka (big), Lakhóta, thunkáshila (grandfather). It is soft (h-like) before i, in, and u. For example: pilámayaye (thank you), nuphín (both), khúje (sick). Aspiration is always soft after c. For example: chatká (left-hand(ed)), chetán (hawk), machúwita (I feel cold).

There are many words in Lakhota whose meaning depends on the aspiration and accent. For instance:
thóka (enemy) — thoká (first) — tókha shni (that's alright, nothing's the matter)
makhá (the earth) — maká (skunk)
pahá (hill(s)) — phahá (scalp).

You may hear the difference between c and ch in this example, and between p and ph here and here.

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Glottal stops

The consonants c, h^, k, p, s, sh, and t can be uttered with a glottal stop, which is a pause in breathing, a consonant pronounced alone without the aid of a vowel, and accompanied with an intense outburst of air. Here it is depicted with an apostrophe ('). For example: p'o (fog), t'e (he/she is dead), chic'ú (I gave you that), mak'ú wo (give me that, man speaking), wash'áka (strong).

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Sound symbolism
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Some words differ only in one consonant, namely s / sh /
h^ or z / j / gh. This is called sound symbolism. It occurs when some quality is expressed by a word, with s/z to the least extent, x/gx to the greatest, and sh/zh as intermediate. Examples:

sóta (not fully transparent)
shóta (smoke)
h^óta (grey)

zi (yellow)
ji (reddish)
ghi (brown)

 

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