Dena'ina Sound System: Part 1, Kenai Dialect
with Audio by Peter Kalifornsky

Part 2    Part 3

Symbol English Example Dena'ina Example English Translation
a father adada uncle
b bib biquduni one person kayak
ch children chada grandfather, old man
ch' similar to "ch" but ending with a slight popping sound ch'u and
d did Dena'ina the people or the language
dl paddling dlut' freshwater algae
dz adze (said with the "dz" as one sound) k'kidza small pelt, piece of fur
e set ena mommy
g get gasht'ana white people
gg similar to "g" but produced further back in the throat ggagga brown bear
gh similar to a French gutteral "r" as in rouge gheli real, true, genuine
h hill henyi you (plural)
ĥ similar to "h" but produced further back in the throat ĥay whew (expressing relief)
Part 2    Part 3
Back to Top
Home