Symbol | Phonetic description | Example |
VOWELS |
a | Low central short vowel | bar talk (n.), dan |
a | Low central long vowel | basr language, dari |
i | High Front Short Vowel | ime his tooth, bik, bis |
i | High Front Long Vowel | dimi he came, bik |
e | Mid-high front short vowel | bes why , men who |
e | Mid-high front long vowel | men, tele there, bezele how |
o | Mid-high Back Round Short Vowel | mos, tol, toq mud, thalo seven |
o | Mid-high Back Round Long Vowel | moq smile, os keep; Imperative |
u | High Back Round Short Vowel | bur hair, urk wolf, ume their teech, jumu gown |
u | High Back Round Long Vowel | bur, mul her belly, YB. ull belly |
Diphthongs |
ai | [ai] *(marginal) | bai he is, SB. hukaints dogs |
au | [au] *(marginal) | SB. baum mare (qau |
CONSONANTS |
Stops: |
p | Voiceless Unaspirated Bilabial Stop | pun jar, paqo (type of) bread |
ph | Voiceless Aspirated Bilabial Stop | phitti (type of) bread; food (Dial. Var.), phallo, phulghu |
b | Voiced Bilabial Stop | bar talk (n.), basr language |
t | Voiceless Unaspirated Dental Stop | tili walnut (YB. telle) |
th | Voiceless Aspirated Dental Stop | tham king |
d | Voiced Dental Stop | dan stone |
tt | Voiceless Unaspirated Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | ttam close, ttingan egg |
tth | Voiceless Aspirated Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | ttham broom, thang push |
dd | Voiced Retroflex/Alveolar Stop | ddauddo (kind of) soup, ddaddang drum |
k | Voiceless Unaspirated Velar Stop | kako brother (honorific), kaman a little |
kh | Voiceless Aspirated Velar Stop | khapun spoon, kharetti basket |
g | Voiced Velar Stop | gar marriage, YB. gamburi flower |
q | Voiceless Unaspirated Uvular Stop | qarqamuts hens, qaw call (n.) |
qh, x | Voiceless Aspirated Uvular Stop *(marginal) | qhurma date (SB. xurma) |
Affricates: |
ch | Voiceless Unaspirated Palatal Affricate | chagha talk (n.) |
chh | Voiceless Aspirated Palatal Affricate | chhap meat |
j | Voiced Palatal Affricate | jott small |
ts | Voiceless Unaspirated Dental Affricate | tsatt hole, tsaka prop supporting a (wooden) beam |
tsh | Voiceless Aspirated Dental Affricate | tshil water (YB. tshell) |
cr | Voiceless Unaspirated Retroflex Affricate | cruk embroidery; act of inserting (a needle) |
crh | Voiceless Aspirated Retroflex Affricate | crhin sparror (YB. crhen) |
Fricatives: |
f | Voiceless Labio-dental fricative *(marginal) | faraq difference ( |
v | Voiced Labio-dental fricative *(marginal) | valto four, varaq page (YB. waraq) |
x | Voiceless Velar Fricative (varies with or in HB) | xurma dates, xurxamas garbage, SB. rax desire (HB. raq), YB. xat mouth |
gh | Voiced Velar Fricative | ghashu onion, haghur horse |
h | Voiceless Glottal Fricative | hun wood, har ox |
s | Voiceless Alveolar Fricative | sar thread, sa sun |
z | Voiced Alveolar Fricative | zizi mother (address term), bezele how |
sr | Voiceless Retroflex Fricative | sri eat (Imperative), busray cultivated land, sraqal bee |
zr | Voiced Retroflex Fricative | zruk kidney, zrakun donkey |
sh | Voiceless Palatal Fricative | shuqa woollen coat (YB. shoqa), bush cat, shughulu friend |
Nasals: |
m | Bilabial Nasal | mamu milk, muk pearl |
n | Alveolar Nasal | SB. nimas story, dan stone, chuuni wood |
ng | Velar Nasal (occurs only in non-initial positions) | shangali (door) chain, thating cold, hing door, ingi in-front |
ny | Palatal Nasal *(marginal) | YB. nyuh ~ nyu elder, YB. minyas story |
Approximants: |
l | Voiced Lateral Liquid/Approximant | leel knowledge, tshil water, baalt apple |
lh | Voiceless Lateral Liquid *(Yasin dialect) | YB. baahlt apple, YB. alhtan two |
ll | Velarized/Pharyngealized l Dark l *(Yasin) | YB. mall field, YB. llamaan hem of shirt, tshell water |
r | Voiced Alveolar Liquid/Approximant | yar early, varts right, SB. rax desire |
rh | Voiceless Alveolar Liquid/Approximant *(Yasin) | YB. sharhphat promptly |
w | Labio-velar Approximant *(marginal; may vary with | waw (etas) shout, walimi (it) fell (down) |
y | Palatal Glide | ya beer, yar early, yaare below |
yr | Retroflex Glide | yrayr fast, YB. crayrayra flying roach |