Yakima practical alphabet

The Yakima practical alphabet is an orthography used to write Sahaptin languages of the Pacific Northwest of North America.

History

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The Yakima practical alphabet is based on the Americanist phonetic notation as well as the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

Uses

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The Yakima practical alphabet is currently used in research, language teaching, and language revitalization efforts. According to Jansen (2010),[1] Sahaptian languages

[do] not have a long written tradition and the alphabet systems for writing the language are still fairly new. Words and sounds have been written by different individuals in a number of different ways. The system is not completely standardized, and, given the differences between dialects and speakers, many words have more than one “correct” spelling and pronunciation. In addition, pronunciations change depending on how carefully a person is speaking, how quickly they are speaking, and whether they are in a formal setting or at home. In telling legends or relating something that happened, words can be drawn out for emphasis, or said quickly to emphasize an abrupt or sudden event. Not every word is said the same way every time, and the variations are important to maintain.

Comparison with other orthographies

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Orthography Comparison [1][2][3][4][5]
IPA Yakima practical alphabet Warm Springs alphabet CTUIR technical alphabet Melville Jacob's technical alphabet
a a a a a
aa aa aa a⋅, ω⋅
t͡ʃ ch č, ch č tc
t͡ʃʼ chʼ čʼ, chʼ č̓ tʼc
h h h h h
i i i i i
ii ii ii i⋅, ei, ɛ⋅
ə ɨ omitted ɨ ə
k k k k k, ɢ
kw kw kw, ɢw
kʼʷ kwʼ kwʼ k̓ʷ kʼw
q q q q
ḵʼ
ḵw qw qw
qʼʷ ḵwʼ qwʼ q̓ʷ qʼw
l l l l l
ɬ ɬ
m m m m m
n n n n n
p p p p p, b
s s s s s
ʃ sh š, sh š c
t t t t t, d
tʼ, t́θ
t͡ɬ tl̴ tl̴ ƛ tl̴
t͡ɬʼ tl̴ʼ tl̴ʼ ƛ̓ t́ɫ
t͡s ts c c ts
t͡sʼ tsʼ t́s
u u u u u
uu uu uu u⋅, ω⋅
w w w w w
x x x x
χ x χ
xw x̂w χʷ xw
χʷ x̱w xw χʷ x̣w, xᶸ
j y y y y
ʔ ʼ ʼ ʔ ʼ

References

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  1. ^ a b Jansen, Joana Worth (June 2010). A grammar of Yakima Ichishkiin/Sahaptin (PhD thesis). University of Oregon.
  2. ^ Jansen, J.W. (2020) Manuscript.
  3. ^ Hargus, S. & Beavert, V. (2014) Northwest Sahaptin. Journal of the International Phonetic Association 44 (3), 311-342.
  4. ^ Rigsby, B. & Rude, N. (1996) Sketch of Sahaptin, a Sahaptian language. In Goddard, Ives (ed.), Languages (Handbook of North American Indians 17), 666–692. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.
  5. ^ "Umatilla Language Online Dictionary". Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Retrieved 2021-05-22.