Dhaalan
» Pronunciation
The
following is a brief introduction to pronunciation rules
in Yuwaalaraay. Note well that two letters (such as dh,
ng and dj) can be used to represent one
sound, as in the English 'elephant' or 'think'.
| Yuw spelling | Similar English sound |
| a | short vowel, as in 'cut', but sounds like 'o' in 'got' after w |
| aa | long vowel, as in 'father' |
| i | short vowel, as in 'pin' |
| ii | long vowel, as in 'peel' |
| u | short vowel, as in 'put' |
| uu | long vowel, as in 'cool' |
| ay | as in 'bay' or 'hay' |
| aay | as in 'my' or 'buy' (but sometimes said 'oy', as in 'boy' |
| b | between English 'b' and 'p', or can sound like either |
| d | between English 'd' and 't', or can sound like either |
| g | between English 'g' and 'k', or can sound like either |
| dh | like English 'd'd, but with the tip of your tongue between your teeth |
| m | same as in English |
| n | same as in English |
| ng | a single or 'one' sound, as in 'singer' (not 'two' sounds, as in 'finger' |
| nh | like English 'n' but with the tip of your tongue between your teeth |
| ny | as in onion |
| dj | sometimes sounds like John, or as in budge, and even like 'ch' in 'catcher' |
| l | the same as in English |
| r | like 'r' in English 'run', but with the tongue tip turned back |
| rr | a 'rolled' 'r', as some Scottish or German people say it. Often, at the end of a word, it can sound like the 'd' in 'bed' |
| w | the same as in English, though wu at the start of a word is mostly pronounced like u |
| y | the same as in English, though yi at the start of a word is mostly pronounced like i |