Help:IPA/Squamish
This page explains the IPA notation used for Squamish language pronunciations in Wikipedia articles.
For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see {{Template:IPA }} and Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.
For a more thorough account of the sounds of Squamish, see Squamish language § Phonology.
Consonants
[edit ]Based on the comprehensive linguistic documentation of Aert H. Kuipers, Squamish contains no voiced stops, a feature typical of other Salishan languages. The language is characterized by ejectives, uvular consonants—a major feature of the broader Salish language family—and labialized consonants as phonemically significant elements.
| Labial | Alveolar | Alveopalatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops | Plain | /p/ — ⟨p⟩ | /t/ — ⟨t⟩ | /k/ — ⟨k⟩ | /q/ — ⟨ḵ⟩ | /ʔ/ — ⟨7⟩ |
| Ejective | /pʼ/ — ⟨p'⟩ | /tʼ/ — ⟨t'⟩ | /kʼ/ — ⟨k'⟩ | /qʼ/ — ⟨ḵ'⟩ | ||
| Fricatives | Plain | /s/ — ⟨s⟩ | /ʃ/ — ⟨sh⟩ | /x/ — ⟨x⟩ | /χ/ — ⟨χ⟩ | /h/ — ⟨h⟩ |
| Ejective | /tʃʼ/ — ⟨ch'⟩ | /xʼ/ — ⟨x'⟩ | /χʼ/ — ⟨χ'⟩ | |||
| Affricates | /tsʼ/ — ⟨ts'⟩ | /tʃʼ/ — ⟨ch'⟩ | ||||
| Nasals | /m/ — ⟨m⟩ | /n/ — ⟨n⟩ | ||||
| Laterals | /l/ — ⟨l⟩ | /ɬ/ — ⟨lh⟩ | ||||
| Approximants | /w/ — ⟨w⟩ | /j/ — ⟨y⟩ | ||||
Many consonants can be labialized (rounded), indicated by superscript w (w). This is a phonemically distinctive feature: /k/ versus /kw/, /q/ versus /qw/, and /χ/ versus /χw/. Labialized forms use the orthography ⟨kw⟩, ⟨ḵw⟩, ⟨χw⟩, and similarly for ejective variants.
Sonorants can undergo glottalization, represented with a combining accent above the symbol (/m̕/, /n̕/, /l̕/, /w̕/, /j̕/). This feature distinguishes them from ejectives, which use an apostrophe after the symbol (e.g., ⟨p'⟩, ⟨t'⟩). Glottalization can occur on /w/, /j/, /l/, /m/, and /n/, contributing to the rich consonantal inventory characteristic of Squamish.
Vowels
[edit ]Squamish has a four-vowel system: /i/, /a/, /u/, and /ə/. Each vowel exhibits conditioned phonetic variation based on stress and adjacency to particular consonants, especially uvular consonants, labial consonants, and palatal consonants.
| IPA | Allophones | Squamish orthography | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| /i/ | [e], [ɛ], [ɛj], [i] | ⟨i⟩ · ⟨ii⟩ (long) | [ɛ] before uvulars; [ɛj] after uvulars before non-uvulars; [e] in stressed non-uvular position; [i] elsewhere |
| /a/ | [ɛ], [æ], [ɔ], [a] | ⟨a⟩ · ⟨aa⟩ (long) | [ɛ]/[æ] before palatals (except /j/); [ɔ] before labials (except /w/); [a] elsewhere |
| /u/ | [o], [u] | ⟨u⟩ · ⟨uu⟩ (long) | [o] in stressed syllables; [u] elsewhere |
| /ə/ | [ə] | ⟨e⟩ | Schwa; relatively stable across all environments |
Primary stress is marked with an acute accent over the vowel ( ́). Stressed vowels are pronounced with greater loudness and slightly greater duration. In Squamish orthography: ⟨á⟩, ⟨é⟩, ⟨í⟩, ⟨ú⟩.
Length is phonemically contrastive. Long vowels are indicated with the length mark (ː) in IPA. In Squamish orthography, long vowels are represented by doubling the vowel letter (⟨aa⟩, ⟨ii⟩, ⟨uu⟩, ⟨ee⟩).
The distinction between stressed and unstressed /a/ is phonemically significant but remains practically difficult to distinguish. This distinction is crucial for lexical differentiation in some cases (e.g., /tauʔaˈn/ 'tilt' versus /tauʔaˈn/ 'illuminate').
Other symbols
[edit ]| Symbol | IPA | Squamish orthography | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glottal stop | /ʔ/ | ⟨7⟩ | The glottal stop is represented with the number 7 in Squamish orthography, as the IPA character /ʔ/ was not available on typewriters and did not exist in most fonts until the adoption of Unicode. The orthography used in modern Squamish documentation employs a modified Latin script with underlining and diacritical marks to represent sounds not found in standard English. The orthographic system documented in contemporary usage derives from field work conducted with native speakers, particularly Louis Miranda of Mission Indian Reserve. |
| Primary stress | ˈ | ́ (accent mark) | Marks the stressed vowel in a word |
| Vowel length | ː | doubled vowel letter | Indicates a long vowel (e.g., ⟨aa⟩, ⟨ii⟩, ⟨uu⟩, ⟨ee⟩) |
Example words
[edit ]| Squamish orthography | IPA | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sḵwx̱wú7mesh | /sḵwx̱wúʔməʃ/ | Squamish (language, people, or place) |
| chésha7 | /tʃéʃaʔ/ | mother |
| al̓íl̓a7 | /aɬʼíɬʼaʔ/ | raspberry; raspberries |
| áyalhḵw | /ájaɬχw/ | beach |
| aḵáy | /aqájχ/ | mischievous; rude |
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- Kuipers, A. H. (1969). The Squamish Language: Part II, Grammar, Texts, Dictionary. Mouton & Co., The Hague.
- Kuipers, A. H. (1967). The Squamish Language: Part I, Phonology, Morphology, Syntax. Mouton & Co., The Hague.