6 [3S] TRANS. ST. LOUIS ACAD. SCIENCE. 



THE LIST OF SOUNDS 



occurring in the Maskoki dialects is, according to my scientific 

 alpliabet applied in this volume, as follows : 



The sounds b, d, h, k, I, m, n, p, t are pronounced in the same manner 

 as in European languages. N superior marks nasalizing of the vowel pre- 

 ceding: a", o" as in French ecran, bon. The macron marks the longer 

 sound of vowels, as a in father, e in shade, i in reef, 6 in note^ u in 

 fool. Long sounds are often the result of accentuation. The crescent 

 marks the shortest sound of vowels : Cr. hasi, si/n ; ni'ta, day. A distinct 

 sound is given to c. The diphthongs being adulterine, they can be gener- 

 ally separated into two vowels, and then become hyphenized : 



z'-u, o-i, d-i, a-u. 



a as in alarm, wash. 



a. as \n fall, law., taught; saine sound as 6. 



d as in dash., rat, slab. 



e as in bell, met. 



S as in last syllable of maker, settler. 



g as in gamble, garfish, gutn ; never as in apogee, geology. 



dsh as heard \n judge, dudgeo?i ; alternates with tch, ts, ds. 



h as in hard, hook ; when medial and final, it was written 'h to prevent 

 its being pronounced as a silent letter. 



i as in maritte, French I'ct. 



i the / pronounced deep or hollow, as in brim, filth, still. 



y as in yell, yoke ; never used as a vowel. 



X the aspirate guttural — in German, lachen, sachte, as pronounced in 

 Southern Germany; in Spanish, mujer., dejar ; in Scotch, loch. It 

 alternates in Maskoki with the alveolar g and k, and has nothing 

 in common with the English x. 



'/ the / palatalized, as in 'lako, great ; 'Id'lo, fish. L is pronounced 

 while the tip of the tongue is held against the fore-palate. Tran- 

 scribed in the Creek missionary alphabet by r, in that of the Cha- 

 'hta by hi. This singular sound occurs in all Maskoki dialects, in 

 Yuchi, Naktche and Cheroki (here it alternates with //), in Caddo 

 and many tongues of the Pacific coast; but not in Tonica, Sheti- 

 niasha, Timucua and Kataba. 



o as in most, lost. 



s as in sour, smart ; alternates with sh. 



sh as in shift, mash. 



tch as in catch, church ; alternates with ts, dsh, ds. 



u as in truth, soothe. 



ii the u pronounced deep or hollow, as in gull, sullen. 



TV the i\ before vowels, as in vjater, wolf. 



