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Download the Vlika fonts to see the examples in the Tirelat alphabet.
Tirelat is written in the Vlika script, one of the more widespread scripts of Sangari origin. The name Vlika is derived from the first five letters of the alphabet in the traditional order:
The letters U, C, E, I, and J are not used in writing Tirelat, but may be used for foreign names; C and J are frequently used to represent the English "ch" and "j" sounds, or the Chinese "q" and "j" (but not "ch" or "zh"), and the others represent various vowels that do not exist in Tirelat; for instance, I is used for the Chinese "i" in "Sichuan", and E for the English "short a". Additional letters of the Vlika script may be used for foreign names according to typical Sangari usage.
A romanized version of Tirelat exists for use in email, web pages, and other situations where the Vlika script is unavailable or inconvenient to use. The introductory Tirelat web pages are written in both Vlika and romanized text.
Vowels in Tirelat may be long or short; long vowels are marked by a circle above the vowel letter in the Vlika script (e.g., ah ih uh), or a doubled letter in romanized text (aa ii uu). Syllables ending in a short vowel are considered "short", while other kinds of syllables (ending in a long vowel or a consonant) are "long". Stress is predictably placed on the first long syllable of a word, or on the first syllable if no syllable is long. Long words may also have a secondary stress, on the first syllable if neither of the first two syllables have primary stress, or on the first long syllable after the primary stress. Irregular stress in foreign words and names is marked with a circle under the stressed vowel, or a grave accent in romanized Tirelat (e.g., misisiqpih: misisìpii).
Each letter of the Vlika alphabet has a single-character representation in the Tirelat romanization. Digraphs are required for some Vlika letters in email and other situations where the proper accented letters are unavailable. For instance, the Tirelat word ZaR (in the Vlika alphabet) is transcribed as "žaŕ" in the standard romanization, or "zharh" in the digraph version.
v (v) A voiced labiodental approximant, [ʋ], as in Dutch "water". Examples: vajku (vaĭku) [ˈʋajku] "penguin", mjavi (mĭavi) [ˈmjaʋi] "old", Siv (šiv) [ʃiʋ] "index".
l (l) A voiced alveolar lateral approximant, [l], as "leaf". Examples: lahS (laaš) [ˈlaːʂ] "fire", Lilli (łilli) [ˈɬilli] "fragile", gYzil (gəzil) [ɡəˈzil] "face"; kyhla (kyyla) [ˈkɨːla] "cherry".
i (i) A high front unrounded vowel, [i], as in "keep". Preceding consonants may be more or less palatalized (for instance, /g/ can be pronounced [ɟ] or [ʝ] when followed by /i/). Examples: short: iNa (iña) [ˈiŋa] "shoulder", nik (nik) [ˈnik] "mouse", kabi (kabi) [ˈkabi] "overturned"; long: ihdLa (iidła) [ˈiːdɮa] "ship", fihla (fiila) [ˈfiːla] "evening primrose", lalih (lalii) [laˈliː] "maybe".
k (k) An unaspirated voiceless velar stop, [k], as in "skip". Examples: keS (keš) [ˈkɛʂ] "stuff", bahka (baaka) [ˈbaːka] "hill", mik (mik) [ˈmik] "water".
a (a) A low front unrounded vowel, [a], as in French "chat" (intermediate between English "a" in "father" and "cat"). Examples: short: anavel (anavel) [ˈanaʋɛl] "Spanish moss", takki (takki) [ˈtacci] "distant", zanda (zanda) [ˈzanda] "besides"; long: ahki (aaki) [ˈaːci] "easy", tahm (taam) [ˈtaːm] "morning", jyrah (ĭyraa) [jɨˈɾaː] "ginger ale".
r (r) A voiced alveolar tap, [ɾ], as in Spanish "pero". Initially and finally, and adjacent to consonants other than approximants, it is pronounced as a trilled [r], as in Spanish "perro". Examples: [ɾ] Zihri (žiiri) [ˈʒiːɾi] "pretty", zarvi (zarvi) [ˈzaɾʋi] "bare"; [r] rin (rin) [ˈrin] "fish", marga (marga) [ˈmarɡa] "starling", luhr (luur) [ˈluːr] "clause".
j (ĭ) A voiced palatal approximant, [j], as in "yet" or "onion". Preceding consonants may be more or less palatalized. Examples: jari (ĭari) [ˈjaɾi] "beyond", cjagi (ċĭagi) [ˈtɕjaʝi] "bent", Naj (ñaĭ) [ˈŋaj] "every".
p (p) An unaspirated voiceless bilabial stop, [p], as in "spark". Examples: pjektY (pĭektə) [ˈpjɛktə] "apricot", xuhpi (żuupi) [ˈʣuːpi] "convex", nahsp (naasp) [ˈnaːsp] "job".
c (ċ / ts) A voiceless alveolar affricate, [ʦ], as in "pizza". Examples: ceLki (ċełki) [ˈʦɛɬci] "excellent", kuhci (kuuċi) [ˈkuːʨi] "next", rivic (riviċ) [ˈriʋiʦ] "sign, trace".
t (t) An unaspirated voiceless dental stop, [t̪], as in "stop", but pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the upper front teeth. Examples: teza (teza) [ˈtɛza] "bicycle", kittari (kittari) [ˈcittaɾi] "chipmunk", marat (marat) [ˈmaɾat] "window".
u (u) A high back rounded vowel, [u], as in "boot". Examples: short: uzga (uzga) [ˈuzɡa] "truck", vujah (vuĭaa) [ʋuˈjaː] "goodbye", lahku (laaku) [ˈlaːku] "mask"; long: uhka (uuka) [ˈuːka] "hat", duhna (duuna) [ˈduːna] "sound", piruh (piruu) [piˈɾuː] "when?".
n (n) A voiced alveolar nasal, [n], as in "nice". Examples: noX (nox) [ˈnɔx] "street", binda (binda) [ˈbinda] "to own", palahn (palaan) [paˈlaːn] "cloud".
N (ñ / ng) A voiced velar nasal, [ŋ], as in "sing". Examples: Nurmul (ñurmul) [ˈŋurmul] "thunder", dohN (dooñ) [ˈdɔːwŋ] "ring (of a bell)", mYriN (məriñ) [ˈməɾiŋ] "circle".
m (m) A voiced bilabial nasal, [m], as in "mark". Examples: moki (moki) [ˈmɔci] "west", ruhma (ruuma) [ˈruːma] "bark of a tree", Lohm (łoom) [ˈɬɔːm] "flower".
G (ġ / gh) A voiced velar fricative, [ɣ], as in Spanish "lago". Examples: Guhl (ġuul) [ˈɣuːl] "wolf", ZiGahn (žiġaan) [ʒiˈɣaːn] "in exchange for", SeG (šeġ) [ˈʂɛɣ] "wood".
w (ŭ) A voiced labial-velar approximant, [w], as in "weird". Examples: wyrra (ŭyrra) [ˈwɨrːa] "nightjar", miLwi (miłŭi) [ˈmiɬwi] "soon".
o (o) A mid-low back rounded vowel, [ɔ], as in "core". Examples: short: omi (omi) [ˈɔmi] "wheel", nogli (nogli) [ˈnɔɡli] "big", ihko (iiko) [ˈiːkɔ] "galaxy"; long: ohki (ooki) [ˈɔci] "guinea pig", kohta (koota) [ˈkɔːta] "to carry".
R (ŕ / rh) An unaspirated voiceless alveolar trill, [r̥], somewhat like Welsh "rh" but without aspiration; no English equivalent. Examples: Rahfi (ŕaafi) [ˈr̥aːfi] "marshmallow", XjaRi (xĭaŕi) [ˈçjar̥i] "rough, uneven", naR (naŕ) [ˈnar̥] "science".
e (e) A mid-low front unrounded vowel, [ɛ], as in "wreck". Examples: short: edri (edri) [ˈɛdɾi] "backward", XeLi (xełi) [ˈxɛɬi] "to swim", make (make) [ˈmakɛ] "to give"; long: rehv (reev) [ˈrɛːʋ] "world", kateh (katee) [kaˈtɛː] "arch"
s (s) A voiceless alveolar sibilant, [s], as in "sack". Examples: sahn (saan) [ˈsaːn] "foot (part of body)", vahsa (vaasa) [ˈʋaːsa] "lid", tiris (tiris) [ˈtiɾis] "towel".
S (š / sh) A voiceless retroflex fricative (as in Klingon "S" or Chinese "sh"). Before /i/ or /j/, like [ʃ] as in "share". Examples: Sim (šim) [ˈʂim] "eye", seSta (sešta) [ˈsɛʂta] "winter", LoS (łoš) [ˈɬɔʂ] "rice".
g (g) A voiced velar stop, [ɡ], as in "glass". Examples: gavi (gavi) [ˈɡaʋi] "to exist", tegla (tegla) [ˈtɛɡla] "swallow (bird)", vog (vog) [ˈʋɔɡ] "computer program".
x (ż / dz) A voiced alveolar affricate, [ʣ], as in "adze". Examples: xek (żek) [ˈʣɛk] "edge", juhxa (ĭuuża) [ˈjuːʣa] "self", verahx (veraaż) [ʋɛˈɾaːʣ] "puzzle".
d (d) A voiced dental stop, [d̪], as in "dental", but pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the upper front teeth. Between vowels, pronounced as [ð] in "gather". Examples: [d̪] dyhzi (dyyzi) [ˈdɨːzi] "soft (not hard)", munda (munda) [ˈmunda] "ocean", farahd (farad) [faˈɾaːd] "cloth"; [ð] vedi (vedi) [ˈʋɛði] "narrow", Zahdi (žaadi) [ˈʐaːði] "dream"
z (z) A voiced alveolar sibilant, [z], as in "zone". Examples: zevna (zevna) [ˈzɛʋna] "desert", kazi (kazi) [ˈkazi] "to live", liz (liz) [ˈliz] "silver".
X (x) A voiceless velar fricative, [x], as in "loch" or "Bach" (Spanish "baja", German "machen"). Examples: Xiri (xiri) [ˈçiːɾi] "yellow", XaXt (xaxt) [ˈxaxt] "oak tree" SvaX (švax) [ˈʂʋax] "cage".
L (ł / lh) A voiceless alveolar lateral fricative, [ɬ], as in Welsh "lliw"; voiced [ɮ] when adjacent to a voiced stop. Examples: Lat (łat) [ˈɬat] "language", nihLi (niiłi) [ˈniːɬi] "east", kiL (kił) [ˈciɬ] "ice".
b (b) A voiced bilabial stop, [b], as in "bell". Between vowels, pronounced as [β] (no English equivalent). Examples: bahvi (baavi) [ˈbaːʋi] "hot", labu (labu) [ˈlaβu] "document", uzuhb (uzuub) [uˈzuːb] "petroleum".
y (y) A high central unrounded vowel, [ɨ]. Examples: short: yzira (yzira) [ˈɨziɾa] "brazil nut", xopyk (żopyk) [ˈʣɔpɨk] "hint", Naky (ñaky) [ˈŋakɨ] "geographical pole"; long: pyyri (pyyri) [ˈpɨːɾi] "brief", dlyh (dłyy) [ˈdɮɨː] "ginger".
Y (ə / ë) A mid central unrounded vowel, [ə], as in "along". Examples: short: YvaZ (əvaž) [ˈəʋaʐ] "144", tYr (tər) [ˈtər] "metal", zahgY (zaaġə) [ˈzaːɣə] "approximately"; long: lYhl (ləəl) [ˈləːl] "exterior", tYhma (təəma) [ˈtəːma] "mole (animal)".
f (f) A voiceless labiodental fricative, [f], as in "fork". Examples: finxa (finża) [ˈfinʣa] "nostril", tafi (tafi) [ˈtafi] "lip", Sif (šif) [ˈʃif] "axe".
Z (ž / zh) A voiced retroflex fricative, [ʐ] (no English equivalent, but similar to Chinese "r"). When followed by /i/ or /j/, pronounced [ʒ] as in "vision". Examples: [ʐ] Zar (žar) [ˈʐar] "color", lihZa (liiža) [ˈliːʐa] "to see", sarihZ (sariiž) [saˈɾiːʐ] "lava"; [ʒ] Zim (žim) [ˈʒim] "tree", uhZi (uuži) [ˈuʒi] "near".
Tirelat has a few consonant clusters that may be difficult for English speakers. Examples: kifc (kifċ) [ˈcifʦ] "lightning bolt", koRS (koŕš) [ˈkɔr̥ʂ] "nut", LuXk (łuxk) [ˈɬuxk] "smoke", niSLa (nišła) [ˈniʂɬa] "potato", tkwir (tkŭir) [ˈtkwir] "copper".
Tirelat spelling is, with very few exceptions, phonemic. Each of the contrasting sounds of Tirelat phonology is written with a distinct letter. But the exact sounds represented by these phonemes may vary depending on context. The Tirelat dictionary records a broad phonetic transcription of the sounds of Tirelat words.
Voiceless fricatives are pronounced as voiced when adjacent to voiced stops.
kjeLbu (kĭełbu) [ˈcjɛɮbu]
Before /i/ and /j/ (and finally after /i/), affricates and velar consonants are somewhat palatalized.
cima (ċima) [ˈʨima]
pXahxi (pháżi) [ˈpxaːdʑi]
Before /u/, labiodental sounds are pronounced as bilabial.
kajfu (kaĭfu) [ˈkaːjɸu]
suhvu (suuvu) [ˈsuːwu]
In a few cases, a schwa [ə] is inserted between two consonants that would otherwise be difficult to pronounce. This sound, written as < ' > in romanized text, is left unwritten in the Vlika script. In dictionaries, this schwa is indicated with a punctuation mark ('). When prefixes or suffixes are added, this sound is often omitted. Examples: pnahv (p'naav) [pəˈnaːʋ] "forehead", lepnahv (le-pnaav) [lɛpˈnaːʋ] "my forehead"; zahXn (zaax'n) [ˈzaːxən] "cellar", zahXnSuhru (zaaxn'šuuru) [ˌzaːxnəˈʂuːɾu] "cellar door".
Phrases are separated by a short vertical line (,), analogous to the comma, and the end of an ordinary sentence is marked by a double line (.). The short vertical line is used in combination with a rising diagonal line to mark rising intonation in questions (?), and with a falling diagonal line to mark falling intonation in emphatic statements (!). A horizontal line (-) marks a brief pause. Quotations are set apart by half-brackets ([ ... ]).
