Appendix:Sangheili pronunciation
The Sangheili language is characterized by a large consonant inventory, ejectives and velarized consonants. Affixation frequently causes exceptions to the rules below.
Standard Romanization
Long vowels are marked by doubling letters. They have the same quality as the short ones but are held for slightly longer.
Letter | IPA | English example | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
a | a | father | |
b | b | bad | |
ch | tʃ | match | |
ch' | tʃʼ | No English equivalent | Pronounced just like ch, but with one's breath held. |
chkh | tʃˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing ch, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
d | d | die | |
dz | dz | kids | |
e | e | gate | |
g | g | goat | |
gh | ɣ | Spanish fuego | |
h | h | hop | |
i | i | machine | |
j | dʒ | jam | |
k | k | sky | |
k' | kʼ | No English equivalent | Pronounced just like k, but with one's breath held. |
kh | x | Blech! | |
kkh | kˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing k, but releasing it very slowly with strong frication. |
l | l | love | |
m | m | matter | |
n | n | never | [ɲ] before a palatal consonant, [ɴ] before a uvular consonant. |
ng | ŋ | sing | |
o | o | tote | |
p | p | spike | |
p' | pʼ | No English equivalent | Pronounced just like p, but with one's breath held. |
pkh | pˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing p, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
q | q | No English equivalent | Like a k, but pronounced further back in the throat, with the back of the tongue contacting the uvula. |
q' | qʼ | No English equivalent | Pronounced just like q, but with one's breath held. |
qkh | qˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing q, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
r | ɾ | matador | |
s | s | sad | |
sh | ʃ | shack | |
shkh | ʃˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing sh, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
skh | sˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing s, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
t | t | stake | |
t' | tʼ | No English equivalent | Pronounced just like t, but with one's breath held. |
tkh | tˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing t, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
ts | ts | cuts | |
ts' | tsʼ | No English equivalent | Pronounced just like ts, but with one's breath held. |
tskh | tsˣ | No English equivalent | Like pronouncing ts, but with the back of one’s tongue contacting the soft palate. |
u | u | ruminate | |
w | ɰ | No English equivalent | Almost like wet, but with one's lips unrounded. |
y | j | young | |
z | z | zebra | |
zh | ʒ | azure | |
‘ | ʔ | uh-oh |
Phonetics
Consonants
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m /m/ | n /n/ | (n [ɲ]) | n /ŋ/ | (n [ɴ]) | ||
Plosive | voiceless | p /p/ | t /t/ | k /k/ | q /q/ | ' /ʔ/ | |
ejective | p' /pʼ/ | t' /tʼ/ | k' /kʼ/ | q' /qʼ/ | |||
velarized | pkh /pˣ/ | tkh /tˣ/ | kkh /kˣ/ | qkh /qˣ/ | |||
voiced | b /b/ | d /d/ | g /g/ | ||||
Affricate | voiceless | ts /ts/ | ch /tʃ/ | ||||
ejective | ts' /tsʼ/ | ch' /tʃʼ/ | |||||
velarized | tskh /tsˣ/ | chkh /tʃˣ/ | |||||
voiced | dz /dz/ | j /dʒ/ | |||||
Fricative | voiceless | s /s/ | sh /ʃ/ | kh /x/ | h /h/ | ||
velarized | skh /sˣ/ | shkh /ʃˣ/ | |||||
voiced | z /z/ | zh /ʒ/ | gh /ɣ/ | ||||
Approximant | l /l/ | y /j/ | w /ɰ/ | ||||
Tap | r /ɾ/ |
Proto-Sangheili also had a phonemic /ɢ/, but it merged with /ɣ/.
Sequences of ejectives are not allowed, when one occurs, the second ejective is deglottalized.
Vowels
/e/ and /o/ are always short, but the other vowels may be short or long.
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i /i/, i /iː/ | u /u/, u /uː/ | |
Mid | e /e/ | o /o/ | |
Open | a /a/, a /aː/ |
Phonotactics
Most of Sangheili's syllables are open, only three codas are allowed: /n/, /ŋ/ and /s/. /n/ has the allophones [ɲ] before palatals and [ɴ] before uvulars. Syllables may never start with consonant clusters.
Stress
Stress falls on the penultimate syllable if it is heavier than the antepenultimate, otherwise it falls on the antepenultimate. Secondary stress is placed on every other syllable radiating outward from the syllable with main stress. The final syllable never attracts stress, regardless of length.