VOWELS
The vowels have continental values. They are as follows, the first example being a Navaho word, the second the closest approximation to the sound in an English word:
| a | gad (juniper) | father |
| e | ké (shoe) | met |
| i | sis (belt) or as in dishááh (I'm starting) | sit or as in pique |
| o | doo (not) | note |
Vowels may be either long or short in duration, the long vowel being indicated by a doubling of the letter. This never affects the quality of the vowel, except that long i is always pronounced as in pique.
| sis (belt) is short | siziiz (my belt) is long |
Vowels with a hook beneath the letter are nasalized. That is, some of the breath passes through the nose in their production. After n, all vowels are nasalized and are not marked.
| tsinaabąąs | (wagon) |
| jį́ | (day) |
| kǫ́ǫ́ | (here) |