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Language Resources
Tlingit Alphabet
Tlingit Phrase of the Week

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Sealaska Heritage Institute

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Tlingit Alphabet

a, aa, e, ei  +  i, ee, u, oo  +  t, t', d  +  ts, ts', dz, tl, tl', dl  +  s, s', n, l, l'  +  ch, ch', j, sh  +  k, k', g, kw, k'w, gw  +  x, x', xw, x'w  +  k, k', g, kw, k'w, gw  +  x, x', xw, x'w  +  w, y, h, .

Consonants (con't)
 The apostrophe (‘) after a letter means that the sound is ‘pinched’.  This means that the airflow is cut off in the throat, and the sound is made with the air in the mouth only. The underline (kw) in the writing system represents sounds that are made deep in the throat. The period in the alphabet (.) represents a sound called a “glottal stop”.  This sound is like the catch in your throat between the two syllables in “Uh-Oh”.
These sounds are made with your tongue right behind your teeth:

ts

tsaa
(seal)

U

U

ts’

ts’axweil
(crow)

 U

U

dz

dzeit
 (ladder)

 

U

U

tl

keitl
 (dog)

 

 U

U

tl’

tl’eik
 (fingers)
 

U

U

dl

dleit
 (snow, white)

 U

U

a, aa, e, ei  +  i, ee, u, oo  +  t, t', d  +  ts, ts', dz, tl, tl', dl  +  s, s', n, l, l'  +  ch, ch', j, sh  +  k, k', g, kw, k'w, gw  +  x, x', xw, x'w  +  k, k', g, kw, k'w, gw  +  x, x', xw, x'w  +  w, y, h, .

 

 

 

 

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