Appendix:Chakobsa pronunciation
Standard Romanization
| Letter | IPA | English approximation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | a | US bot, UK bath | Pronounced like the "a" in "father", but further forward in the mouth. |
| aa | aː | — | Pronounced like a but held for a longer duration. |
| b | b | bother | |
| ch | ʧ | each | Unlike the sound "ch" in English "chair", there is no discernible puff of air that accompanies this sound. If one holds one's breath while pronouncing the "ch" in English "chair", one will pronounce this sound correctly. |
| d | d | dog | |
| dh | ð | this | Never pronounced like the "th" in "think". |
| e | e | bait | |
| f | f | fog | |
| g | g | good | Never like the "g" in "genius". |
| h | h | ham | This grapheme is always pronounced, even if it comes after another consonant or at the end of a word. The only cases in which it is not pronounced is when it occurs in the digraphs ch, dh, sh, and th. |
| i | i | beet | |
| ii | iː | — | Pronounced like the i but held for a longer duration. |
| j | ʤ | judge | |
| k | k | sky | This sound features no aspiration. Aspiration is the puff of air that occurs in the "k" in "kill". Compare the "k" in "kill" and the "k" in "skill" (try holding your hand in front of your face when pronouncing both). The High Valyrian "k" should always be pronounced like the "k" in "skill"; never like the "k" in "kill". |
| l | l | left | |
| m | m | man | |
| n | n | no | |
| o | o | moat | |
| q | q | — | |
| r | ɾ | — | |
| s | s | see | |
| t | t | stop | This sound features no aspiration. Aspiration is the puff of air that occurs in the "t" in "take". Compare the "t" in "take" and the "t" in "stake" (try holding your hand in front of your face when pronouncing both). The High Valyrian "t" should always be pronounced like the "t" in "stake"; never like the "t" in "take". |
| th | θ | think | Never pronounced like the "th" in "this". |
| u | u | crouton | |
| uu | uː | — | Pronounced like the u but held for a longer duration. |
| v | v | voice | |
| w | w | wave | |
| y | j | yak | |
| z | z | zoo | |
| ' | ʔ | Pronounced just like the catch in one's throat that occurs in between the "uh" and "oh" in English "uh-oh". |
Doubled Consonants
Doubled consonants, or geminates, occur frequently in Chakobsa. To pronounce a doubled consonant, simply pronounce it twice. You might think of it as lingering over the consonant. Think of the "s" sound you pronounce in "Miss Sally". It's a longer "s" than if you pronounce the similar phrase "Miss Ally". The same goes for the doubled consonants of Chakobsa.
One important note about the romanization: If a digraph (e.g. dh, sh, etc.) is doubled, only the first letter will be doubled (hence, ddh not dhdh). The consonant is pronounced like a doubled consonant, though, as actual combinations such as d followed by dh are impossible.