A Division of The Ho-Chunk Nation
 Hocąk Wazija Haci Language Division
  N4845 Hwy. 58, P.O. Box 390
  Mauston, WI 53948
 
     
  Lesson 1: Vowels and Consonants  
  This lesson will give you a chance to learn how to pronounce
the vowels and consonants in the Hocąk language.  You will also learn 
the difference (Hocąk and English) between the sounds of the
vowels and consonants in vowels and the sounds.
 		  
 

There are 28 (kerapąną nųp nągą haruwąk) letters (worac) in the Hocąk alphabet.
There are 8 (haruwąk) vowels and 19 (hižąkicųšgųnįsąną) consonants.

  
  Languages are built around a certain number of sounds.  This number varies with each language.  Hocąk has more basic sounds than English, 84 in Hocąk verses 46 in English.  
   

VOWELS SOUNDS

  
 

Some of the basic Hocąk sounds you will learn are the vowel sounds. 
There are eight vowel sounds:  a  ą  e  i  į  o  u  ų. 
Notice the ą į ų have diacritical marks underneath the letter, we call a hook.  These are nasalized sound.

Here are examples of the Hocąk vowel sounds and English word and sound equivalent:

  
 
a sounds like the o in the English word hot ca (deer)
pa (nose)
ha (skin)
ska (white)
ą sounds like the o in the English word pond pą  (bag)
hą k (wookchuck)
hą p (day)
 wą k (man)
e sounds like the a in the English word bay pe ( forehead)
he (antler, horn)
pec (fire)
sep (black)
i sounds like the ee in the English word seen si (foot)
wi (sun)
wic (island)
xi (smoke)
į sounds like the i in the English word machine pį (good)
sį (rice, tail)
wįx (duck)
cįwį (ring)
o sounds like the o in the English word show ho (fish, voice)
to (potato)
ro (body)
tos (loon)
u sounds like the oe in the English word shoe hu (leg)
sku (sweet)
tuc (cook)
waxu (tough)
ų sounds like the u in the English word tune nųp (two)
šųk (dog)
nųx (ice)
xų (pour)
ai this combination of vowels sounds like the ey sound in the English word eye gaire (said, they)
waicˈge (older brother to younger sister)
 
 

 

CONSONANT SOUNDS

  
 

The consonant sounds as similar to the English language sounds with the exception of the letters
c  ğ  r  š  t   tˈ  x  and ž

  
 
c sounds like the ch in the English word churn ci (house)
co (blue)
cek (new)
coka (grandfather)
ğ sounds similar to clearing your throat ğak (cry)
ğep (shallow)
ğe (roar)
wağiği (ball)
r sounds similar to a rolling "r r" or an "ld" reš (name)
rap (beaver)
rok (inside)
š sounds like the sh in the English word show šuc (red)
šak (old)
šo (spit)
šį (fat)
t sounds like the d in the English word dot tanį (three, tobacco)
tok (summer)
Tega (uncle)
takac (hot)
tˈ sounds like the t in the English but only when
the ˈ (hiyuša jikere or glottal stop) is behind the letter		 hoikitˈe (talk to)
tˈa (fly)
tˈąp (get off)
tˈųp (put away)
x sounds like the ch in the German word ach tung xe (hill)
xu (skin)
xąwį (grass)
xąje (moss)
ž sounds like the zh in the English word azure žip (short)
žige (again)
žura (money
žažap (slippery)
ˈ hiyuša jikere is a special mark that is a sudden stop or glottal stop kaˈo! (no!)
waˈį (blanket)
hiˈąc (father)
hiˈųnį (mother)
 

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