INDEX
Tundrian has the following phonemes:
VOWELS
SIMPLE VOWELS
| Front unrounded | Front rounded | Central unrounded | Back rounded | |
| High | i | y | u | |
| Higher-mid | e | ø | o | |
| Lower-mid | ɛ | ə | ɔ | |
| Low | a | ɑ |
The following table provides a description of each of these phonemes in terms of their closest English, French and German equivalents. For each phoneme, examples are also given to illustrate the different possible spellings. In accordance with IPA usage, the apostrophe shows that the following syllable bears the principal stress in the word.
| Phoneme | English equivalent | French equivalent | German equivalent | Tundrian examples (with phonetic transcription) |
| i | feet1 | machine | viel | seira 'evening' ['sira] fid 'faith' ['fid] hymn 'hymn' ['in] féicat 'liver' ['fikat] xerví 'he served' [ʃɛr'vi] facîa 'I/he was doing' [fa'tʃia] naïvitat 'naivety' [naivi'tat] phýsica 'physics' ['fizika] |
| e | fate1 | été | fehlen | ped 'foot' ['ped] ciel 'sky' ['tʃel] lé 'to her' ['le] sêix 'six' ['seʃ leer 'to read' ['ler] |
| ɛ | met | fête | Geld | tzerra 'earth' ['tsɛra] faer 'to do' ['fɛr] mêrcodzi 'Wednesday' ['mɛrkudzi] êruca 'caterpillar' [ɛ'ryka] joëntut 'youth' [ʒuɛn'tyt] leerá 'he shall read' [lɛ'ra] |
| a | cat2 | chat | Aal | portar 'to carry' [pɔr'tar] dará 'he will give' [da'ra] caixa 'box' ['kaʃa] |
| ɑ | heart3 | pâte | Jahr4 | canto 'I sing' ['kɑntu] ân 'year' ['ɑn] |
| u | boot1 | four | Bruder | soul 'sun' ['sul] mûnd 'world' ['mund] poteir 'to be able to' [pu'tir] rûix 'red' ['ruʃ] |
| o | boat1 | chauve | Sohn | pote 'he can' ['potə] cantó 'he sang' [kɑn'to] coixa 'thigh' ['koʃa] pauvro 'poor' ['povru] |
| ɔ | caught | port | Rock | porta 'door' ['pɔrta] taur 'bull' ['tɔr] côr 'leather' ['kɔr] ôceán 'ocean' [ɔtʃɛ'an] cáustic 'caustic' ['kɔstik] |
| y | [no equivalent] | mur | über | luna 'moon' ['lyna] devú 'he had to' [də'vy] duixi 'I led' ['dyʃi] reünioun 'meeting' [rɛyn'jun] |
| ø | burn | peur | töten | seut 'seven' ['søt] calhéu 'pebble' [ka'ʎø] oesophag 'esophagus' [øzu'fag] amiyci 'friends' [a'møtʃi] |
| ə | among | chevreau | Katze | case 'houses' ['kazə] legë 'he reads' ['ledʒə] |
1 Without diphthongization
2 As pronounced in Northern England or Scotland
3 As pronounced in Southern England
4 As pronounced in Swiss German, but with no lip-rounding
DIPHTHONGS
| Front unrounded | Front rounded | Back rounded | |
| High | iŭ | yĭ | uĭ |
| High-mid | eĭ, eŭ | øĭ | oĭ, oŭ |
| Low | aĭ, aŭ |
The following table provides a description of each of these diphthongs:
| Phoneme | English equivalent | French equivalent | German equivalent | Tundrian examples (with phonetic transcription) |
| iŭ | few | [no equivalent] | [no equivalent] | rîu 'river' ['riŭ] |
| eĭ | pay | payer | [no equivalent] | lêit 'bed' ['leĭt] rey 'king' ['reĭ] |
| eŭ | [no equivalent] | [no equivalent] | [no equivalent] | dzêu 'god' ['dzeŭ] |
| aĭ | pie | taille | weit | lait 'milk' ['laĭt] cantái 'I sang' [kɑn'taĭ] payna 'page' ['paĭna] |
| aŭ | house | [no equivalent] | Haus | clâu 'key' ['klaŭ] |
| yĭ | [no equivalent] | lui | [no equivalent] | buiro 'butter' ['byĭru] devúi 'I had to' [də'vyĭ] ruyna 'ruin' ['ryĭna] |
| øĭ | [no equivalent] | feuille | [no equivalent] | dziyt 'finger' ['dzøĭt] |
| uĭ | [no equivalent] | fouille | pfui | dûita 'doubt' ['duĭta] noi 'to us' [nuĭ] coytat 'care' [kuĭ'tat] |
| oĭ | boy | [no equivalent] | Eule | noit 'night' ['noĭt] ôitanta 'eighty' [oĭ'tɑnta] boya 'buoy' ['boĭa] |
| oŭ | nose | [no equivalent] | [no equivalent] | nôu 'new; nine' ['noŭ] |
CONSONANTS
| Labial / Labiodental | Dental / Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
| Voiceless stops | p | t | k | |
| Voiced stops | b | d | g | |
| Voiceless affricates | ts | tʃ | ||
| Voiced affricates | dz | dʒ | ||
| Voiceless fricatives | f | s | ʃ | |
| Voiced fricatives | v | z | ʒ | |
| Nasal consonants | m | n | ɲ | |
| Lateral consonant | l | ʎ | ||
| Trill consonant | r | |||
| Semivowels | w | j |
The following table provides a description of each of these consonants, as well as providing sample words with different spellings:
| Phoneme | English equivalent | French equivalent | German equivalent | Tundrian examples (with phonetic transcription) |
| p | sport | père | Person | paire 'father' ['paĭrə] apportar 'to bring' [ɑpɔr'tar] absûrd 'absurd' [ɑp'surd] |
| t | stand | terre | tausend | teica 'shop' ['tika] catti 'cats' ['kɑti] theatro 'theatre' [tɛ'ɑtru] |
| k | school | courir | kalt | casa 'house' ['kaza] toccar 'to touch' [tɔ'kar] quatro 'four' ['kwɑtru] quinci 'fifteen' ['kintʃi] acquereir 'to acquire' [ɑkə'rir] chemia 'chemistry' ['kemja] sacchariyna 'saccharine' [sɑka'røĭna] geologs 'geologists [acc.]' [dʒɛu'loks] kilometro 'kilometre' [kilu'mɛtru] taxi 'taxi' ['tɑksi] |
| b | bite | bon | Bank | biveir 'to drink' [bi'vir] sâbbat 'Saturday' ['sɑbat] |
| d | dare | donner | dünn | doy 'I give' ['doĭ] additzoun 'addition' [ɑdi'tsun] |
| g | get | gant | Geist | gûla 'throat' ['gula] guerra 'war' ['gɛra] spaghetti 'spaghetti' [spa'gɛti] |
| ts | cats | tsar | Zeit | tzerra 'earth' ['tsɛra] lats 'sides [acc.]' ['lats] myths 'myths [acc.]' ['mits] niyds 'nests [acc.]' ['nøĭts] |
| tʃ | cherry | tchèque | deutsch | cent 'hundred' ['tʃɛnt] bacciyn 'basin' [bɑ'tʃøĭn] vouç 'voice' ['vutʃ] viatx 'travel' ['vjatʃ] |
| dz | adze | zingaro | [no equivalent] | dzent 'tooth' ['dzɛnt] |
| dʒ | jet | adjoint | Dschungel | gent 'people' ['dʒɛnt] sûggereir 'to suggest' [sudʒə'rir] adjectiyv 'adjective' [adʒɛk'tøĭf] |
| f | foot | foire | fünf | flour 'flower' ['flur] affêitar 'to affect' [ɑfeĭ'tar] phôtographía 'photography' [fɔtugra'fia] adjectiyv 'adjective' [adʒɛk'tøĭf] |
| s | soot | soir | sechs | seira 'evening' ['sira] clâssic 'classic' ['klɑsik] meiz 'month' ['mis] mâxim 'maximum' ['mɑsim] taxi 'taxi' ['tɑksi] |
| ʃ | shoot | chaud | Schuh | xîc 'dry' ['ʃik] rûix 'red' ['ruʃ] cognosceir 'to know' [kunɔ'ʃir] asça 'axe' ['ɑʃa] Chûgna (Tundrian county) ['ʃuɲa] |
| v | vine | voir | Wahl | viyn 'wine' ['vøĭn] ovviar 'to remedy' [ɔvj'ar] wagón 'carriage' [va'gon] |
| z | zero | zéro | Sohn | zebra 'zebra' ['zebra] casa 'house' ['kaza] exemplo 'example' [ɛ'zɛmplu] |
| ʒ | pleasure | jouer | Garage | jo 'I' ['ʒu] beixla 'beetle' ['biʒla] |
| m1 | man | mère | Mahl | man 'hand' ['man] flamma 'flame' ['flɑma] anma 'soul' ['ama] |
| n1 | nest | noir | nehmen | nan
'dwarf'
['nan] pinna 'fin' ['pina] amphitheatro 'amphitheatre' [ɑnfitɛ'ɑtru] homne 'man' ['onə] cognosceir 'to know' [kunɔ'ʃir] |
| ɲ | onion | agneau | [no equivalent] | nhive 'snow' ['ɲivə] agnêil 'lamb' [a'ɲeĭl] |
| l | let | lent | leisten | lait 'milk' ['laĭt] cavalli 'horses' [ka'vɑli] |
| ʎ2 | million | million | Milieu | lhi 'to him' [ʎi] |
| r3 | rest | roi | rot | rosa 'rosa' ['roza] tzerra 'earth' ['tsɛra] rhinocer 'rhinoceros' [rinu'tʃer] diarrheia 'diarrheia' [djɑ'ria] |
| w | wet | oui | [no equivalent] | huest 'west' ['wɛst] quatro 'four' ['kwɑtru] lingüística 'linguistics' [lin'gwistika] toalha 'tablecloth' ['twaʎa] |
| j | yet | pied | Jahr | yera 'I/he was' ['jera] hieri 'yesterday' ['jeri] piano ['pjanu] legïam 'we were reading' [lə'dʒjam] |
1 Pronounced [ɱ], like English m in symphony or comfort, when followed by /f/ or /v/: enfant [ɛɱ'fɑnt], symphonía [siɱfu'nia], invitar [iɱvi'tar]; and [ŋ], like English n in sink or ng in sing, when followed by /g/ or /k/: fûng ['fuŋg], cinq ['tʃiŋk].
2 Like gli in Italian aglio or ll in Spanish llave.
3 In fact, a rolled r as in Italian or Spanish rato.
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