Dhaalan
» Pronunciation
The
following is a brief introduction to pronunciation rules
in Yuwaalaraay and Gamilaraay. There is more information in the Garay Guwaala language lessons.
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 |
|