Dena'ina Consonants

Black = sound occurs in both Dena’ina and English
Blue = sound occurs in Dena’ina but not English
Manner the Sound is Made Place the Sound is Made
Bilabial Labio- Dental Alveolar Lateral Alveo-Palatal Palatal Velar, front Velar, back Glottal
Stops Voiced b   d dl dz j g gg '
Voiceless     t tl ts ch k q  
Glotalized     t' tl' ts' ch' k' q'  
Fricatives Voiced   v   l z zh ŷ gh  
Voiceless       ł s sh x h ĥ
Nasals m   n            
Glides Voiced w                
Voiceless           y      


Terms for the Manner in which the Sound is Made

Voiced The vocal cords in the voice box or larynx are tensed.
Voiceless The vocal cords are not tensed and there is an open passage of air as when whispering.
Glottalized The voice box or larynx is momentarily closed creating a slight "popping" sound as when saying uh uh or oh oh.
Stop The air passage is momentarily stopped and then released.
Fricative The tongue, or back of the throat is placed in such a position that the air passes by continuously.
Nasal The air is stopped and forced out the nasal cavity.
Glide The sound is shaped by a slight movement of the lips or tongue.


Terms for the Place the Sound is Made
The numbers refer to the "Speech Apparatus" graphic below.

Bilabial The sound is made with both lips. (4)
Labio-Dental The sound is made with the bottom lip against the top teeth. (4,5)
Alveolar The sound is made with the flat front of the tongue against the alveolar ridge, the bony ridge just behind the teeth. (6)
Lateral The sound is made with the tip of the tongue against the alveolar ridge in such a way that the sound can pass by on either side of the tongue. (6)
Alveo-Palatal The sound is made with the middle of the tongue against the area behind the alveolar ridge as it rises to the roof of the mouth or palate. (6,7)
Palatal The sound is made with the middle of the tongue against the roof of the mouth or palate. (7)
Velar The sound is made with the back of the tongue against the back of the roof of the mouth behind the palate, the velum. (8)
Glottal The sound is made in the area of the voicebox or larynx. (9)


Speech Apparatus Depicting Where the sound is made.

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