The sound system of the Tlingit language, traditionally spoken in the southeastern panhandle of Alaska, is highly complex, at least in comparison to European languages. However, Tlingit lacks sounds such as m, l and p, which are generally substituted with w, n and kʷ (written gw) respectively.
Tlingit-language vocabulary from https://tlingitlanguage.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/tlingit-dictionary.pdf.
Consonants
| IPA symbol | Tlingit spelling | English approximation | Tlingit example |
|---|---|---|---|
| h | h | hat | hít "house" |
| hʷ* | hw* | what (certain dialects) | oohwaan "we (independent)" (in certain dialects) |
| j | y | yes | yán "shore" |
| k | g | scan | gan "fire" |
| kʰ | k | can | káast "barrel" |
| kʼ | kʼ | pack (in some speech with "hard attack") | kʼeit "salmonberry" |
| kʷ | gw | somewhat like squid | gwátgeen "when" (in the future) |
| kʷʰ | kw | somewhat like quick | kwéiy "mark, sign" |
| kʷʼ | kʼw | somewhat like glottalized squid | kʼwátʼ "bird's egg" |
| l* | ll* | leg | -- |
| ɬ | l | somewhat like filth, Welsh llwyd | lingít "human being, a Tlingit" |
| ɬʼ | lʼ | Welsh llwyd but glottalized | lʼéiw "sand" |
| m* | m* | man | -- |
| n | n | nut | násʼk "three" |
| q | g̱ or gh | something like Scot (Australian and multi-cultural London) | g̱aat "sockeye salmon" |
| qʰ | ḵ or kh | cot (Australian and multi-cultural London English) | ḵákw "basket" |
| qʼ | ḵ' or kh' | something like sock ("hard attack") | ḵʼalkátsk "razor clam" |
| qʷ | g̱w or ghw | somewhat like squad | g̱wéinaa "towel, rag" |
| qʷʰ | ḵw or khw | somewhat like quality | ḵwa "although, however" |
| qʷʼ | ḵ'w or kh'w | somewhat like sock, with rounded lips and "hard attack" | ḵʼwátl "cooking pot" |
| s | s | sack | sgóon "school" |
| sʼ | sʼ | glottalized sack | sʼeenáa "lamp, light" |
| ʃ | sh | shell | shaa "mountain" |
| t | d | stack | dáanaa "dollar, money" |
| tʰ | t | tack | té "stone" |
| tʼ | tʼ | cat (in some speech with "hard attack") | tʼaay "hot springs" |
| t͡ɬ | dl | No English equivalent, Icelandic bolli, Spanish Xóchitl | dleit "snow, white" |
| t͡ɬʰ | tl | No English equivalent, Icelandic bolli but aspirated | tlaax̱ "mold" |
| t͡ɬʼ | tlʼ | No English equivalent, Icelandic bolli but glottalized | tlʼátk "earth, land" |
| t͡s | dz | antsy | dzánti "flounder" |
| t͡sʰ | ts | No English equivalent (?), Danish to | tséek "skewer, roasting spit" |
| t͡sʼ | tsʼ | cats (in some speech with "hard attack") | tsʼootaat "morning" |
| t͡ʃ | j | Ketchikan (?) | jinkaat "ten" |
| t͡ʃʰ | ch | chicken | cháashgaa "cup, can" |
| t͡ʃʼ | chʼ | catch (in some speech with "hard attack") | chʼáakw "long ago" |
| w | w | walk | wínk "milk" |
| x | x | loch | xáanaa "evening" |
| x’ | x’ | loch but glottalized | xʼáatʼ "island" |
| xʷ | xw | similar to what (certain dialects) | xweitl "fatigue" |
| xʷ’ | x’w | what but glottalized (certain dialects) | xʼwán "boots" |
| χ | x̱ or xh | loch but in the back of the mouth | x̱at "me" |
| χ’ | x̱’ or xh’ | loch but in the back of the mouth and glottalized | x̱ʼaháat "door" |
| χʷ | x̱w or xhw | what (certain dialects) but in the back of the mouth | ??? |
| χʷ’ | x̱’w or xh’w | what but in the back of the mouth and glottalized | x̱ʼwáatʼ "trout" |
| ɰ* | ÿ* | no English equivalent, Spanish fuego | (old-fashioned pronunciation) ÿan ÿulihashi hit "house that drifted ashore" |
| ʔ | . | uh-oh | ??? |
| ʔʷ* | .w* | uh-oh with rounded lips | -- |
Vowels
Tlingit has eight vowels, which can have high or low tones. The high tone is shown in the spelling using an accent mark.
| IPA symbol | Tlingit spelling | English approximation | Tlingit example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ʌ | a | suck | gan "fire" |
| aː | aa | father | shaa "mountain" |
| ɛ | e | net | kwshé "probably" |
| eː | ei | made | xweitl "fatigue" |
| ɪ | i | lick | wínk "milk" |
| iː | ee | seed | sʼeenáa "lamp, light" |
| ʊ | u | book | ḵutlʼídaa "shovel" |
| uː | oo | mood | sgóon "school" |
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