Arapaho Sound System

The Arapaho alphabet, unlike English, is quite straightforward. Each sound in the language basically corresponds to a single letter.

Consonants:

b sounds like English b in some cases, more like p in others

c pronounced as in English ch in "chill"

h pronounced as in English

k pronounced as in English

n pronounced as in English

s pronounced as in English

t sounds like a mix of t and d in English

3 pronounced as in English "three", though sometimes closer to the sound in "the"

w pronounced as in English

x pronounced like ch in German "lach" or like Greek X

y pronouned as in English

' is a stop - it is what you hear in English as you say "oh oh", between the first and second "oh"

Vowels

Arapaho has four vowels, which can be either long or short:

e sounds like the vowel in English "set"

ee sounds like the vowel in English "hat"

i sounds like the vowel in English "sit"

ii sounds like the vowel in English "heat"

o sounds like the vowel in English "hot"

oo sounds like the vowel in English "saw"

u sounds like the vowel in English "put"

uu sounds like the vowel in English "food"

There are several combinations of vowels which are possible in Arapaho. Basic dipthongs are:

ei sounds like the vowel in English "say"

ou sounds like the vowel in English "sow"

ie sounds like the beginning of English "yes"

Arapaho vowels also have a "pitch" system. The vowels have a standard pitch, which is not marked. However, they can also have an elevated pitch, marked by ' , and a falling pitch, marked by ^.

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