ā as in fate ī as in pie oo as in moon
â as in father ô as in pole ee as in feel
ou as in loud
It is frequently difficult to distinguish between the short or unmarked sound of a and that of u. A thick or dull sound of i is occasionally met with, which closely approaches the short sound of u or a.
G is hard in every instance.
R has a rough trilled sound, as in hurrah!
Ng at the beginning of a word, as ngee=yes, has a peculiar sound, which can be got very closely by putting oo before it, as oong-ee′, and articulating it quickly as ony syllable. At the end of a word or syllable it has substantially the sound of ng in our word sing.
The sound of the Spanish ñ is frequent, both at the beginning or end of a syllable.
Y, followed by a vowel, is attached to several consonants, as in dya, dyee, tyoo, etc., and is pronounced therewith in one syllable, the initial sound of the d or other consonant being retained. Y at the beginning of a word or syllable has its usual consonant value.
Dh is pronounced nearly as th in “that” with a slight sound of the d preceding it.
Nh has nearly the sound of th in “that” with an initial sound of the n.
The final h is guttural, resembling ch in the German word “joch.”