Enkidukai Language/Pronunciation

Vowels

The vowels that exist in Enkien are as follows: A, E, I, O, U, RR, Y, and W

'A' has several English counterparts, none directly linked to American English. The most common appearance of the vowel in English is in the Bostonian Accent, in words ending in -ar like 'star' [IPA: stäː] It also occurs in Australian and New Zealand English in words like "cart" [IPA: käːt] In Northern Accents of British English, it occurs in words such as "bat" and "trap". It also occurs in Scottish in such words. It is equivalent to a Spanish, French, or Italian 'a', and is technically an open front unrounded vowel.

'E' is generally pronounced similar to the English long A, although closer to British Accents than American. It is considered a close-mid front unrounded vowel or mid front unrounded vowel, but does not matter much.

'I' is pronounced like an English long 'E', as in 'teeth'. It is considered a close front unrounded vowel.

'O' is pronounced like an English long 'O'. It is considered a close-mid back rounded vowel.

'U' is pronounced like an English long 'U'. It is considered a close back rounded vowel.

'RR' is the equivalent of a cat's purr. Since this is unpronounceable by a human, a combination of a schwa sound as in the English 'about' and an alveolar trill is like the Spanish 'perro' - or if you can, try doing it with an Uvular trill, as in the French pronunciation of 'Paris'.

'Y' is a combination of 'O' and 'I'

'W' is a combination of 'I' and 'U', as in the English "you"

Consonants

The consonants that exist in Enkien are as follows: B, C/K, D, F/PH, G, H/J, JH, L, M, N, P, S, SH, T, TH, V, and ZH

Most of these are like their English counterparts. Here are a few that are not like their English counterpart, do not have an English counterpart, or are a disambiguation of an English counterpart.

'H/J' - These are both pronounced like the English 'H', a glottal fricative. The 'H' can sometimes be unpronounced when preceding another consonant.

'JH' - This is like the English hard 'J', although a little softer.

'ZH' - This is a voiced 'SH', like mixing a 'Z' with a 'SH'

'RR' can also serve as a consonant in certain cases, where a human would simply use an alveolar trill.

Niche

The Niche ['] character represents a glottal stop in most cases - a period where the vocal cords will close up very quickly to stop all sounds - or the niche can just be used to separate vowels.