Tirèlhat script and pronunciation

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Download the Vëlika font to see the examples in the Tirèlhat alphabet.

Vëlika

The Tirèlhat script (Vëlika) consists of a 36-character alphabet, numerals, punctuation, and diacritics. A romanized version of Tirèlhat also exists for use in email and other situations where the Vëlika script is unavailable. The introductory Tirèlhat web pages are written in both Vëlika and romanized text. Specialized web pages and the Tirèlhat-English dictionary use only the Vëlika script.

The sounds of Tirèlhat

a (a) A low front unrounded vowel, [a], as in French "chat" (intermediate between English "a" in "father" and "cat"). Examples: aki (áki) "easy", tam (tám) "morning", jurah (jurá) "ginger ale".

i (i) A high front unrounded vowel, [i], as in "keep", in stressed open syllables; [ɪ] as in "kit" in closed syllables or when unstressed. Examples: [i] ima (íma) "shoulder", fila (fíla) "evening primrose", lalih (lalí) "maybe"; [ɪ] idla (ídla) "ship", nik (ník) "mouse", kabi (kábi) "overturned".

r (r) A voiced alveolar trill, [r], as in Spanish "perro". Between vowels, it may be reduced to a tap [ɾ], as in Spanish "pero". Examples: [r] rin (rín) "fish", marga (márga) "starling", lur (lúr) "clause"; [ɾ] piri (píri) "brief".

k (k) An unaspirated voiceless velar stop, [k], as in "skip". Examples: keS (késh) "stuff", baka (báka) "hill", mik (mík) "water".

u (u) A high back rounded vowel, [u], as in "boot", unrounded [ɯ] when unstressed in open syllables (as in Japanese "mizu"). Examples: [u] uka (úka) "hat", duna (dúna) "sound", piruh (pirú) "when?"; [ɯ] laku (láku) "mask".

l (l) A voiced alveolar lateral fricative, [ɮ], as in Zulu "indlovu"; the voiced counterpart of Welsh "ll"; no English equivalent. Between vowels, pronounced as a voiced lateral approximant [l], as in English "leaf". Examples: [ɮ] laS (lásh) "fire", Tilli (thílli) "fragile", gzil (gëzíl) "face"; [l] kyla (kýla) "cherry".

m (m) A voiced bilabial nasal, [m], as in "mark". Examples: moki (móki) "west", ruma (rúma) "bark of a tree", Lom (lhóm) "flower".

n (n) A voiced alveolar nasal, [n], as in "nice". Examples: noK (nókh) "street", binda (bínda) "to own", palahn (palán) "cloud".

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 (téza) "bicycle", kittari (kíttari) "chipmunk", marat (márat) "window".

v (v) A voiced labiodental fricative, [v], as in "vixen". Examples: vajku (vájku) "penguin", novi (nóvi) "old", Siv (shív) "index".

e (e) A mid-low front unrounded vowel, [ɛ], as in "wreck". Examples: edri (édri) "backward", GeLi (ghélhi) "to swim", kateh (katé) "arch"

Z (zh) A voiced post-alveolar fricative, [ʒ], as in "vision". Examples: Zar (zhár) "color", liZa (lízha) "to see", sarihZ (sarízh) "lava".

K (kh) A voiceless velar fricative, [x], as in "loch" or "Bach" (Spanish "baja", German "machen"). Examples: Kiri (khíri) "yellow", miKa (míkha) "bush", SvaK (shëvákh) "cage".

o (o) A mid-low back rounded vowel, [ɔ], as in "core". Examples: omi (ómi) "wheel", kota (kóta) "to carry", iko (íko) "galaxy".

z (z) A voiced alveolar sibilant, [z], as in "zone". Examples: zevna (zévna) "desert", kazi (kázi) "to live", liz (líz) silver.

g (g) A voiced velar stop, [ɡ], as in "glass". Examples: gavi (gávi) "to exist", zagi (zági) "peas", Zeg (zhég) "dog".

E (è) A mid central vowel, [ə], as in "about"; can also be stressed, as in Chinese "Huánghé" (River). Examples: Ellohr (èllór) "wasp", XopEk (xhópèk) "hint", zagE (zágè) "approximately"; tEma (têma) "mole (animal)".

j (j) A voiced palatal approximant, [j], as in "yet" or "onion". Examples: jari (jari) "beyond", vujah (vujá) "goodbye!", laj (láj) "night".

s (s) A voiceless alveolar sibilant, [s], as in "sack". Examples: san (sán) "foot (part of body)", vasa (vása) "lid", tiris (tíris) "towel".

d (d) A voiced dental stop, [d̪], as in "dental", but pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the upper front teeth. Examples: dyzi (dýzi) "soft (not hard)", vedi (védi) "narrow", farahd (farád) "cloth".

p (p) An unaspirated voiceless bilabial stop, [p], as in "spark". Examples: piktu (píktu) "apricot", Xupi (xhúpi) "convex", nasp (násp) "job".

S (sh) A voiceless post-alveolar fricative, [ʃ], as in "share". Examples: SeG (shégh) "wood", seSta (séshta) "winter", loS (lósh) "rice".

R (rh) An unaspirated voiceless alveolar trill, [r̥], somewhat like Welsh "rh" but without aspiration; no English equivalent. Examples: Rafi (rháfi) "marshmallow", KjaRi (khjárhi) "rough, uneven", naR (nárh) "science".

T (th) A voiceless dental fricative, [θ], as in "thick". Examples: TuGa (thúgha) "to go", baTa (bátha) "to release", teliT (télith) "seven".

G (gh) A voiced velar fricative, [ɣ], as in Spanish "lago", Arabic "lugha"; no English equivalent. Examples: Gev (ghév) "wind", laGi (lághi) "bay", maG (mágh) "garden".

b (b) A voiced bilabial stop, [b], as in "bell". Examples: bavi (bávi) "hot", labu (lábu) "document", uzub (uzúb) "petroleum".

y (y) A high front rounded vowel, [y], as in French "sur", German "über"; no English equivalent. Examples: yliZa (ýlizha) "sandwich", Gyv (ghýv) "fog", Kanty (khánty) "hickory".

D (dh) A voiced dental fricative, [ð], as in "weather". Examples: Dazi (dházi) "south", SuDi (shúdhi) "shallow", kiD (kídh) "cave".

f (f) A voiceless labiodental fricative, [f], as in "fork". Examples: finza (fínza) "nostril", tafi (táfi) "lip", Sif (shíf) "axe".

L (lh) A voiceless alveolar lateral fricative, [ɬ], as in Welsh "lliw". Examples: Lat (lhát) "language", niLi (nílhi) "east", kiL (kílh) "ice".

w (w) A voiced labial-velar approximant, [w], as in "warp". Examples: warga (wárga) "hotel", miwa (míwa) "to pretend", nabahw (nabáw) "suddenly"

C (ch) A voiceless post-alveolar affricate, [ʧ], as in "chipmunk". Examples: Cek (chék) "tooth", kiCa (kícha) "to chew", riviC (rívich) "sign, trace".

X (xh) A voiced post-alveolar affricate, [ʤ], as in "jump". Examples: Xarpi (xhárpi) "angry", nuXu (núxhu) "devastation"

c (c) A voiceless alveolar affricate, [ʦ], as in "pizza". Examples: ceLki (célhki) "excellent", kuci (kúci) "next"

x (x) A voiced alveolar affricate, [ʣ], as in "adze". Examples: ximma (xímma) "pocket", juxa (júxa) "self".

Y (ÿ) A voiced labial-palatal affricate, [ɥ], as in French "nuit", Chinese "yuan" (no English equivalent). Examples: Yaki (ÿaki) "by means of", fYoREk (fÿórhèk) "chad".

Tirèlhat has a few consonant clusters that may be difficult for English speakers. Examples: kifC (kífch) "lightning bolt", koRS (kórhsh) "nut", LuKk (lhúkhk) "smoke", niSLa (níshlha) "potato", tkwir (tkwír) "copper".

In a few cases, a schwa [ə] is inserted between two consonants that would otherwise be difficult to pronounce. This sound, written as "ë" in romanized text, is left unwritten in the Vëlika script. In dictionaries, this schwa is indicated with a punctuation mark ('). When prefixes or suffixes are added, this sound is often omitted. Examples: pnav (pënáv) "forehead", lEpnav (lè-pnáv) "my forehead"; zaKn (zákhën) "cellar", zaKnESuru (zákhnè-shúru) "cellar door".

Numbers, punctuation, and other symbols

Tirèlhat uses a duodecimal (base-12) system of numbers. The basic digits in the Vĕlika script are the same as the Roman ("Arabic") numerals with the addition of A (10) and B (11). Digits are divided into groups of three, separated by the ` symbol, and a raised dot (*) is used as a "duodecimal point": 4A`5B6*39 (4A,5B6.3912 = 101,082.312510).

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 ([ ... ]).