Help:IPA/Inupiaq
The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Alaskan Inuit pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see {{IPA-ik}} and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.
See Inuit phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds of Inupiaq and other Inuit languages.
| IPA | Examples | nearest English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| h | savił̣haq[b] | ahead |
| ɣ | agiaq | Spanish fuego, roughly like ugh |
| j | qayaq | yes |
| k | kataktuq | ski |
| l | alapittuq | land |
| ɬ | iłuaqtuq | By getting the tongue up to the roof and giving a quick breath out; Welsh llwyd. |
| ʎ | iḷaga | like, but more of a y-like sound |
| ʎ̥ | sikł̣aq | Above, but whispered. |
| m | mannik | man |
| n | nuna | now |
| ŋ | iġñiiŋ | sing |
| ɲ | iñuk | onion, Spanish ñ |
| p | putu | spoil |
| q | qupak | like k but further down the throat |
| ʁ | niġiruq | French rester |
| s | sisuruq | soon |
| ʂ | iqsraq | shrub, but retroflex |
| t | talu | stop |
| tʃ | iñuich, tikiṭkaa | rich |
| v | kiviruq[c] | love |
| ʐ | iri | pleasure but retroflex |
| Marginal sounds | ||
| f | tavsi[c] | after |
| ɴ | iġñiq | like n but further down the throat |
| x | akłaq,[d] siñikhuni | loch (Scottish English) |
| χ | mayuqłuŋa,[d] anniqhuni[b] | like above but deepened |
| IPA | Examples | nearest English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| aː | aapa | spa |
| ɑ | nuqaqti[f] | father |
| ɐ | amiq | nut |
| e | qiquayak[f] | bed (Australian English) |
| iː | kiigaa | knee |
| i | iki | really |
| o | mitquq[f] | yawn (Australian English) |
| uː | kuuk | coo |
| u | niġirugut | roof |
| Diphthongs | ||
| ai | aivig | irate |
| au | auk | how |
| ia | qiaruq | fiat |
| iu | kiugaa | cute |
| ua | uamittuq | quality |
| ui | uiga | gooey |
Notes
- ^ Between vowels, Inupiaq consonants can occur either short or long. In IPA, long consonants may be written doubled or be followed by the length sign: /nn/ or /nː/.
- ^ a b [χ] exists as a separate sound in some dialects, but is merged into /h/ in others.
- ^ a b The labial fricative /v/ and its voiceless allophone are labiodental [v, f] in some dialects and bilabial [β, ɸ] in others.
- ^ a b /k, q/ can have fricative allophones [x, χ], respectively, before consonants.
- ^ Inupiaq has three vowel phonemes /a, i, u/, which combine in every permutation to form three short vowels, three long vowels, and six diphthongs.
- ^ a b c The short vowels /ɐ, i, u/ are lowered to [ɑ, e, o], respectively, when adjacent to uvular consonants /q, ʁ/.