Vowels in Koasati may be short (held for only a short time) or long (drawn out). There are three short vowels:
| a |
As in English sofa: |
aha, sweet potato |
| |
|
ano, I, me |
| |
|
awo, grandfather |
| i |
As in English knit: |
ifa, dog |
| |
|
icho, deer |
| |
|
itto, tree |
| o |
As in English coat: |
oki, water |
| |
|
opa, owl |
| |
|
ochona, metal |
Long vowels are spelled by doubling the letter:
| aa |
As in English father: |
aati, person |
| |
|
aapo, grandmother |
| |
|
aanipo, meat |
| ii |
As in English need: |
iisa, house |
| |
|
iipa, eater |
| oo |
As in English code: |
oola, town |
| |
|
oolachi, cloud |
The difference between short and long vowels is hard to hear, but it’s very important. Here are a few words to practice:
| a vs. aa |
palana, bean |
palaana, plate |
| o vs. oo |
choba, big |
chooba, horse |
Some vowels are nasal, meaning that the air goes through the nose. Nasal vowels are underlined.
| a |
As in English want. |
| i |
As in English queen. |
| o |
As in English bone. |
The consonants are easier. The following letters are almost the same in Koasati and English:
| b |
As in English box: |
bakba, woodpecker |
| |
|
bakcho, blackberry |
| |
|
bathka, grape |
| ch |
As in English church: |
chokfi, rabbit |
| |
|
chokshi, pumpkin, squash |
| |
|
chawahka, corn soup |
| f |
As in English fox: |
fiito, turkey |
| |
|
fooshi, bird |
| |
|
folo, spoon |
| h |
As in English hello: |
hasi, sun |
| |
|
hachi, tail |
| |
|
hini, road |
| l |
As in English lamp: |
lambi, caterpillar |
| |
|
lakcha, crow |
| |
|
locha, black |
| m |
As in English man: |
mobiila, car |
| |
|
mikko, chief, king |
| |
|
malmahka, lightning |
| n |
As in English neck: |
nita, bear |
| |
|
naani, male |
| |
|
nokko, beaver |
| s |
As in English son: |
satta, turtle |
| |
|
sakcho, crawfish |
| |
|
sawa, raccoon |
| w |
As in English wax: |
waaka, cow |
| |
|
wilo, shoe |
| |
|
waksina, cypress |
| y |
As in English yellow: |
yanasa, buffalo |
| |
|
yalaaha, orange |
| |
|
yahka, cry |
The letters k, p, and t are almost the same in Koasati and English, but in Koasati they never have the puff of air that English speakers use.
| k |
Between English k and g, as in English skin: |
kati, cat |
| |
|
kapcho, earthworm |
| |
|
kono, skunk |
| p |
Between English p and b, as in English spoon: |
pakaali, flower |
| |
|
patka, bed |
| |
|
pokko, ball |
| t |
Between English t and d, as in English stick: |
tali, rock |
| |
|
taata, daddy |
| |
|
talakchi, watermelon |
There is one sound in Koasati that doesn’t exist at all in English. We spell it th, but it’s not the same as English th:
| th |
thatho, fish |
| |
thafi, winter |
| |
thaana, horsefly |
The Koasati sound th is pronounced by saying l while making the air go over the sides of the tongue. This sound takes lots of practice for English speakers. It sounds a little like th or thl in English, but it really isn’t the same as those sounds.
Koasati sometimes has h at the ends of syllables. See if you can hear the difference between these words:
| nita, bear |
nihta, day |
| hachi, tail |
hahchi, river |
© 2008 The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana. All Rights Reserved.
