[HARRISON | HAIDA GRAMMAR 129 
The other vowel sounds are : 
Ai as in Aisle. Kwai-a-lung, Elders. 
AUS Cause: Aung, Father. 
OT 01: Kwoi-tum-bla, Twine. 
Ovum Mouse. Tou, Food. 
B. CoNSONANTS. 
The consonants are d, g, h, j, k, ch, K, KH (Greek y, German th), l, m, 
n, S, t, w, y, 2; in borrowed words, p, b. 
The letter B is very difficult for the Haidas to pronounce. If they 
wish to say “big,” they invariably say “ pig.” 
The Indians are unable to pronounce F and V correctly. When 
they wish to say Victoria, vinegar, flute, flour, found,” they distinctly 
pronounce “ Bictoria, binegar, plute, plour and pound.” 
The letters B, F, P, Q, R and V are used only when any English 
word beginning with one of the above letters is inserted in the Haida 
language. Thus buttergé, France tligé, Princegas, Queengas, Vinegar and 
rabbitge. 
The old people always pronounce the letter Ras Z. Thus they say 
““Yabbit, liver, lice, lum, lifle,” for. “rabbit, river, rice, rum and rifle.” 
The young people who attend school are correct in the pronunciation of 
our English words commencing with R. 
The letter Kis of frequent occurrence in the Haida language, yet 
when reading the English class books they frequently pronounce K as G, 
and thus they say “gelp” for “ kelp;” “geep” for “keep,” and .“ gind ” 
fom ind. 
When Æ and Kh are underlined thus K, KA, they correspond to the 
deep guttural y in the Greek language, or to the rh of the German. 
Il SYLLABIFICATION,. ETC. 
When two vowels come together they are divided into two syllables, 
unless they form a diphthong. Da-ung-a, wickedness; Tla-ou-tla-le, 
creator ; Lth-ha-a-da, people. 
Generally the syllable begins with a consonant, and it is advisable, 
as far as the pronunciation will allow, to always begin with a consonant, 
as: Lth-ken-kwas-tan, frog ; Lth-kwuns-nung-ki-shou ho-té, handkerchief- 
box. 
The letter G either begins or ends the syllable. When it follows N 
it must always be pronounced with that letter, and not with the follow- 
ing syllable, as: Ging-gang-an, worthless. Whenever the G has a stroke 
above it, it begins a syllable, as Tung a Ith killagung, Z thank you; 
Dalungie, yours ; Talung kwundungun, we heard. 
Prefixes and affixes are generally divided from the root, as: Sha- 
nung-itlagidas. Sha and nung are the prefixes of itlagidas -~ “the chief 
Sec. II, 1895. 9. 
