THE SOUNDS OF MESCALERO APACHE
In this section the distinctive phonemes of Mescalero Apache are described and exemplified.
For each Mescalero phoneme the following are provided: (1) a symbol (letter) used to represent
it, (2) a description of the phoneme, (3) examples of Mescalero words within which the phoneme
is pronounced, and (4) an example from English of a word containing an approximate,
sometimes similar sound.
The Consonants
1. b - a voiceless, unaspirated bilabial stop found in words such as: bésh (metal, knife),
dibéhé (sheep), bįį' (deer), and bis (riverbank). It is pronounced similarly to the English
“p” in “spit”.
2. d - a voiceless, unaspirated alveolar stop found in words such as: dibéhé (sheep), 'idui
(mountain lion), dił (blood), and sidu (it is hot -a person or thing-). It is pronounced
similarly to the English “t” in “stop”.
3. g - a voiceless, unaspirated velar stop found in words such as: gah (rabbit), gaaye
(crow), gish (walking cane), and gugane (one's arm). It is pronounced similarly to the
English “k” in “skip”.
4. t - a voiceless, aspirated alveolar stop found in words such as: tú (water), taje'
(chicken), shitaa' (my father), tį (ice), and teeł (cattail). It is pronounced in most places
similar to the English “t” in “top”. Aspiration is velar before “a” and “u”; Palatal before “e”
and “i”. Aspiration is not as marked in most words as it is in Navajo.
5. k - a voiceless, aspirated velar stop found in words such as: kį (house), kų (fire,
match), gukee' (one's foot) and, 'ikał (rawhide, cowhide). It is pronounced similarly to the
English “k” in “keep”. Aspiration is similar to a “t”.
Table 1. Mescalero Apache Consonants.
Bilabial
Alveolar
Alveo Palatal
Velar
b
d
g
Aspirated
t
k
Glottalized
t’
k’
Glotal
Stops
Voiceless
Unaspirated
‘
Spirants
Voiced
z
zh
gh
Voiceless
s
sh
x
h
Laterals
Voiced
l
Voiceless
ł
Affricates
Voiceless
Unaspirated
dz dl
j
Aspirated
ts tł
ch
Glottalized
ts’ tł’
ch’
Nasals
m
n
nd
Semi-vowels
w (1)
y
(1) “w” occurs in Spanish loan words and as an alternate pronunciation of gh before u.
6. t' - a glottalized alveolar stop found in words such as: t'á (feather), t'eesh (charcoal, black),
t'iis (cottonwood), and nant'a (boss). It is pronounced by placing the tongue in the position for “t”,
closing the glottis (the opening between the vocal cords in the larynx), compressing the air
between the tongue and the glottis, and releasing the tongue and glottis to create a popping
sound.
7. k' - a glottalized velar stop found in words such as: k'us (cloud), k'a (fat), and 'úk'a' (reed,
rushes). It is produced similarly to “t’”, only the tongue is placed in the position for “k”.
8. ‘ - a glottal stop found in words such as: shi'ede (my clothing), 'i'i'ane (cave), 'áku’ (so, then),
and shiye' (my son). It is produced by closing and then opening the glottis (the opening between
the vocal cords). It is found in English in "huh uh."
9. z - a voiced alveolar spirant or fricative found in words such as: zas (snow), guzide (one's
liver), and 'izee' (medicine). It is pronounced similarly to the English “z” in “zoo”.
10. s - a voiceless alveolar spirant or fricative found in words such as: sis (belt), sade (teepee
pole), and sųųs (star, wart). It is pronounced similarly to the English “s” in “so”.
11. zh - a voiced alveopalatal spirant or fricative found in words such as: 'izháshe (bird), 'izhe'
(yucca root shampoo), and shizhaa' (my child). It is pronounced similarly to the English z in
azure.
12. sh - a voiceless alveopalatal spirant or fricative found in words such as: shu (frost), gish
(cane), chish (firewood), and niishch'i (pinon). It is produced similarly to the English “sh” in
“shot”.
13. gh - a voiced velar spirant or fricative found in words such as: ‘ighał (rattle), kųųghą (home),
tsiighá (hair), 'ighule (marrow), and ka'ighe (one's inlaws). Before “i” and especially “e”, gh is
strongly palatalized –becoming (ghy) or even (y). Before “u”, “gh” is strongly labialized
–becoming (ghw) or even (w).
14. x - a voiceless velar spirant or fricative found in words such as: xa (winter), xe (lard or
grease), xush (cactus), and xis (pus). It is Pronounced by raising the back of the tongue toward
the location where k and g are produced, but without stopping the flow of air through the mouth.
“X” is pronounced as “xy” before “i” and “e”.
15. h - a voiceless glottal fricative found in words such as dibéhé (sheep), ha'déésbį (it is full),
hítuu (it is striped red), and gah (rabbit). It is pronounced similarly to the English “h” in “hot”.
16. l -- a voiced alveolar lateral found in forms such as: gulaa' (one's hand), luustsu (rat), and
águla (he is making it). It is pronounced similarly to the English “l” in “let”.
17. ł - a voiceless alveolar lateral found in words such as: łį (horse), łitu (red), 'ikał (rawhide,
cowhide), and dáłe'é (one). It is pronounced as an “l”, but without vibration of the vocal cords.
18. dz - a voiceless, unaspirated alveolar affricate found in words such as: dził (mountain), dzé
(berry, cherry), ‘isdzą' (woman), and 'ádzaa' (it happened). It is pronounced Similarly to the
English “dz” in “adze” or “ds” in adds.
19. ts - a voiceless, aspirated alveolar affricate found in words such as: tsa (needle), tsé (rock),
and 'itsdatsu (eagle). It is pronounced similarly to the English “ts” in “cats” or “fatso”.
20. dl - a voiceless, unaspirated lateral affricate found in words such as: dlųųye (prairie dog),
dladi (moss, algae), and dluuł (laugh). It is produced by combining “d” and “l” similarly to the
English sound in “cod liver”.
21. tł - a voiceless, aspirated lateral affricate found in words such as: tła (salve, oil, sheep oil),
ditłi (he/she/it is shaking), and 'eełtłaye (brains). It is pronounced by combining “t” and “ł” with
heavy aspiration.
22. j - a voiceless, unaspirated palatal affricate found in words such as: jaa’ (ear, gum, pitch jug),
gujei' (one's heart), and dishjįje (Indian hominy). It is pronounced similarly to the English “j” and
“dg” in “judge”.
23. ch - a voiceless, aspirated palatal affricate found in words such as: chúúné (dog), chąąchu
(house wren), and chiłchine (sumac). It is pronounced similarly to the English “ch” in “church”.
24. ts' - a glottalized alveolar affricate found in words such as: ts'áł (cradle board), ts'aał (sinew
thread), and 'its'ine (bone). It is comparable to “ts” described earlier, only it is produced in the
manner described for other glottalized sounds.
25. tł' - a glottalized alveolar lateral affricate found in words such as: tł'uł (rope, string), tł'ee'
(night), tł'ałtu' (dew), and datzł'ish (blue/green). It is comparable to “tł” described earlier, only it is
produced like the other glottalized sounds.
26. ch' - a glottalized palatal affricate found in words such as: ch'a (cap, hat), guch'uje (one's
calf), guch'eekę' (one's daughter), and gushch'ii' (ashes). It is comparable to ch described above
only it is produced like the other glottalized consonants.
27. m - a bilabial nasal found in words such as: shimá (my mother), maałgaye (hishi beads), and
mbaatsu (wolf). It is pronounced similarly to the English “m” in “mat”. The “mb” in Mescalero’s
wolf is an alternate pronunciation of “b” which occurs in this and a very few other words. Some
people pronounce Mescalero’s wolf without the “m” sound.
28. n - an alveolar nasal found in words such as: naaki (two), ninii' (your face), 'iyáné (cow,
cattle), and gun'a (arroyo). It is pronounced similarly to the English “n” in “no”. The “n” is also
used to represent a syllabic nasal consonant which is described below.
29. nd - a prenasalized, unaspirated alveolar stop found in words such as: nde (people, Native
American), gudnnde' (one's enemies), 'ddishnai (I said it), and 'indaa' (white person). It is found
only in stem syllables and is pronounced as a combination of “n” and “d”. It is pronounced
similarly to the “nd” in “handball”.
30. w - a bilabial semivowel found only in Spanish loan words such as: chiiwa (goat), yéewa
(mare), and sawúuya (onions). The “w” occurs phonetically in the pronunciation of some
speakers of “gh” before “u” as in shiwuu' ( shighuu' - my teeth).
31. y - a palatal semivowel found in words such as: yuu' (bead), dlųųye (prairie dog), 'iyáné
(cow, cattle), and yaa' (louse, lice). It is pronounced similarly to the English “y” in “yet”. As
mentioned above, when “gh” occurs before “i” and “e” it is often pronounced as “ghy” or as “y”.
pg. 10
The Vowels
1. i - a high, front unrounded vowel found in words such as: 'i'i'ane (cave), 'idui (mountain lion),
chiłchine (sumac), and dził (mountain). It is usually pronounced similarly to the English “i” in
“bit”. In some words (usually where “i” is high tone (see below) or when “i” occurs in the vicinity
of a glottal stop ' ) it is pronounced similarly to the English “ea” in “beat”, only slightly shorter in
length.
2. ii - a long, high, front unrounded vowel found in words such as: gunii' (one's face), niishjaa'
(owl), t'iis (cottonwood), and gushch'ii' (ashes). It is pronounced similarly to the English “ea” in
“bead”. Long vowels are pronounced from about one-half longer to twice as long as short
vowels, depending on where they occur.
3. į - a high, front, unrounded nasal vowel found in words such as: tį (ice), gutsį (one's flesh), łį
(horse), tsį- (tree, stick), and ‘ishkįye (young boy). It is produced similarly to “i”, but with a nasal
(n-like) quality.
All vowels in Mescalero are nasalized preceding n; oral vowels do not occur here. Alli nasal
vowels are represented with a nasal hook.
4. įį - a high, front, unrounded, nasal vowel found in words such as: gutsįįłde' (large intestine),
bįį' (deer), and tsįįłkaałí (woodpecker).
Table 2. Mescalero Apache Vowels
Front
Central
Back
Oral
Short
i, e
a
u
Long
ii, ee
aa
uu
Short
į, ę
ą
ų
Long
įį, ęę
ąą
ųų
Nasal
5. e - amid, front, unrounded vowel found in words such as: 'ibe' (milk), dibéhé (sheep), guye'
(one's son), and 'egushkane (pumpkin). It is pronounced similarly to the English “e” in “bet”.
6. ee - a long, mid, front, unrounded vowel found in words such as: guzee' (one's mouth), t'eesh
(charcoal, black), and gukee' (one's foot). It is pronounced similarly to the English “e” in “bed”.
7. ę - a mid, front, unrounded, nasal vowel found in words such as: ch'eekę (young girl),
ch'ełkę'é (doll), and dík'ęhá (is able to, can).
8. ęę - a long, mid, front, unrounded, nasal vowel found in words such as hęę' (OK?, all right?).
9. a - a low, central, unrounded vowel found in words such as: tsa (needle), ‘ádí (fog), 'au (yes),
dalí (bluejay), and łiba (gray/tan). It is pronounced similarly to the English “o” in “pot”.
10. aa - a long, low, central, unrounded vowel found in words such as: mbaatsu (wolf), gaaye
(crow), gutaa' (one's father), and táał (soup). It is pronounced similarly to the English “a” in
“father”.
11. ą - a low, central, unrounded nasal vowel found in words such as: gutsą' (one's rib, one's
womb), ‘inaadą' (corn), and hiiskągu (tomorrow).
12. ąą - a long, low, central, unrounded nasal vowel found in words such as: bąąs (wagon),
guzábąąde (one's lips), chąąchu (housewren), and ‘it'ąą’ (leaves).
13. u - a high, back, rounded vowel found in words such as: tú (water), gugude (one's knee),
shu (frost), 'idui (mountain lion), and mbaatsu (wolf). It is usually pronounced similarly to the
English “oo” in “boot”. However the pronunciation of this phoneme varies, depending on the
sounds around it. It is sometimes heard as a high-mid, back, rounded vowel similar to the
English “u” in “put”.
14. uu - a long, high, back rounded vowel found in words such as: luustsu (rat), guusbį (brush
windbreak), yuu' (bead), and guzuuł (one's neck). It is pronounced similarly to the English “oo” in
“boom”.
15. ų -- a high, back, rounded, nasal vowel found in words such as: nzhų (it is good), tsékų
(coal), and ntų'í (bad things, evil things).
16. ųų - a long, high, back, rounded, nasal vowel found in words such as: łųųye (fish), kųųghą
(camp, home), and łitsųųyé (bright yellow).
Some of the above vowels can occur in combination producing vowel clusters. Some examples
are; 'idui (mountain lion), gujéi’ (one's heart), ‘eutsa (buckskin dress), ‘au (yes), tai' (three), and
túúé (something watery).
Tone
In Mescalero Apache, as other Athapaskan languages, tone or relative pitch is phonemic. Each
syllable carries a tone which functions to differentiate meaning. Ina syllable tone is carried by
the vowel(s) or by a syllabic nasal consonant, “n”. There are two distinctive tones, low and high,
on short vowels with rising and falling tone possible for long vowels and vowel clusters. An
acute accent ‘ is used to indicate high tone. When this mark is absent the syllable or vowel is
low tone. Rising and falling tones are indicated by combining high and low tones. The
importance of tone is illustrated by the following words: tał (cedar), gutáł (a feast), táał (soup),
gútaał (you sing), gutaał (he/she/it is singing), yáa' (what?), yaa' (louse, lice), guulį (one was
born), and gúúlį (one has some).
Syllabic n
As mentioned, tone is also associated with syllabic “n” -- ann which functions by itself as a
syllable. The pronunciation of syllabic “n” varies depending on its position in a word and on the
speed of an utterance. In normal speech it is pronounced (with the appropriate tone) as “hn” at
the beginning of a word and usually as n elsewhere. In slow and careful speech it is sometimes
pronounced as “ni” or “hn” at the beginning of a word and as “ni”, “hn”, or “dn” elsewhere,
depending on morphophonemic processes. All of these, with the exception of “dn”, are
represented in this dictionary as “nh”. For the convenience of pronunciation, for words in which
syllabic “n” is normally pronounced “dn”, the symbol “dn” is employed.
It is possible for two syllabic “n”s to occur together. These are almost always pronounced as two
syllables and are indicated by two “n”s in this dictionary.
Some examples of words containing syllabic “n” are: ba'ń'aa' (lend it to him), bán'aa' (you give a
round object to him), náshn'ą (he picked up a round object), ń'a (a stick-like object is lying.
across), dáłédntu (one hundred), gudnnde' (one's enemies), and gudnndénde (one's People,
one's friends),