Pronunciation Guide
This is where things can get interesting. You'll probably have noticed by now that certain sounds are absent in shinoarnii. Due to their physical structure the Shinoar cannot properly produce labial sounds such as m, b, p, and v.
The Vowels:
Shinoarnii vowels are pronounced in a fashion similar to the vowels in Spanish and Japanese.
A- ah
E- eh
I- ih
O- oh
U- oo
Doubled vowels just show that the vowel sound is dragged out for twice the ordinary length. The only vowel that changes sounds in this process is I.
I- ee
Caught vowels are marked with an apostraphe. These show a catch in the vowel sound which separates it into a different syllable. When pronounced there should be a stop, or catch, in the sound. This same applies for consonants with a catch mark.
ex: La'a'ssarras (La-a-ssarr-as)
ex: Vrrk'k (vrr-k-k)
The Consonants:
One of the most commons sounds in all of shinoarnii is the doubled r. This sound can either be a trill or a deep, breathy rumble depending on the sound in front of it. If the sound made before the rr is created in the front half of the mouth, the pitch of the rr is dropped low. If the sound before the rr is made in the back half of the mouth then the rr is trilled.
ex: Suukrri- the rr is trilled
ex: Hahrr- the rr is rumbled
This consonant also acts as a vowel which is one of the reasons why it appears so much.
When ever any other consonant is doubled it follows the same rules as doubled vowels. The sound is held for an extra beat. However, the doubled ss in ssh is used to show that the sh sound is drawn out.
Ch in shinoarnii is completely unlike that of english. It is pronounced like it is in Scottish or German.
Ch in shinoarnii equals the ch in loch
[Word List] [Basic Grammar]