BYINGTON] 



A DICTIONAKY OF THE CHOCTAW LANGUAGE 



XI 



A n a n 



Jn in 



O n O n 



U n U n 



NASALIZED VOWELS 



These are pure nasals, and retain the vowel sounds, except 

 before the letter k, in which case they are like the long 

 ang, ing, ong, ung. The usual sound is softer than ang, and 

 like that of the French vowel followed by n in the same 

 syllable. 



CONSONANTS AND VOWELS 



Let it be remembered that each consonant has but one sound and that the sounds 

 ascribed to the vowels are such as they have, respectively, in accented syllables; 

 in unaccented syllables they have the sound of short vowels. English readers 

 should remember not to give the English sound to the vowels, except as noted in 

 the alphabet. 



a n , i n , o n , and u n , or some of them, are used as separate words or final syllables. 

 They are used also before the consonants and semivowels b, f, h, k, m, n, s, sh, w, 

 and y. Before the consonant p, sometimes before b and the vowels, for the sake of 

 euphony the letter m is added, or the nasal sound becomes m of necessity from the 

 position of the organs of speech at that time, as am, im, om, um. 



Before ch, I, t, and I the letter n is added, as an, in, on, un, and before the vowels 

 in many words the letter n is added to the nasal. q n is never used; a n is used in 

 its place. The vowel e is never used as a nasal, in being used in its place. 



In making these remarks general rules are stated. It is not to be supposed that 

 each and all of the nasals are thus used. There are exceptions, which the student 

 must be ready to notice. An unwritten language has its anomalies and irregularities. 



