Sounds+and+Spelling

= Pronunciation (for words in Trini Patois, click here) =

7 Oral Vowels
m**a**ché (//walk//) Same pronunciation as  in 'b**a**t' || ** é ** b**é**b**é** (//baby//) Same pronunciation as <é> in 'saut**é**' || ** è ** b**è**f (//cow//) Same pronunciation as  in '**e**gg' and <ê> in 'f**ê**te' || ** i ** b**i**b (//Bible//) Same pronunciation as  in 'mach**i**ne' || b**o** (//kiss//) Same pronunciation as  in 'b**o**ne' || ** ò ** bob**ò**l (//corruption//) Same pronunciation as  in 'p**o**t' || ** ou ** b**ou**g (fellow) Cf. words like 's**ou**p' and the place name Petit B**ou**rg ||  ||
 * ** a **
 * ** o **

3 Nasal Vowels
b**an** (//bench//) Also in names like Je**an**-Baptiste, Rost**an**t and Laur**ent**, and place names like Bl**an**chisseuse, Ch**am**ps Fleurs, L'**An**se Mit**an**, S**an**s Souci, and also Dim**an**che Gras || ** en ** b**en**y**en** (//bathe//) Same pronunciation as in names like Letr**en**, M**ain**got, Touss**ain**t and Vois**in** || ** on ** B**on**jé (//God//) Also in names like Bess**on**, Cazab**on** and Louis**on**
 * ** an **

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17 Consonant symbols that require little or no effort to learn:
**b**èlè (//Belair, a type of dance//) || ** d ** **d**épi (//since//) || ** f ** **f**èt (//fête//) || ** g ** **g**ason (//boy//) || **h**oup (//hide-and-seek//) || ** k ** **k**wèch (//Patois carols//) || ** l ** **l**élé (//stir//) || ** m ** **m**aldjo (‘//bad-eye//’) || **n**onm (//man//) || ** p ** **p**ikòng (//picong//) || ** r ** **r**adyo (//radio//) || ** s ** **s**apat (//slippers//) || **t**onnè (//thunder//) || ** v ** **v**ètivè (//a type of grass//) || ** w ** **w**avèt (//cockroach//) || ** y ** **y**onn (//one//) || **z**aboka (//avocado//) ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ** b **
 * ** h **
 * ** n **
 * ** t **
 * ** z **

5 Consonant symbols that require some effort to learn
**ch**anté (//to sing//) Cf. words like 'ma**ch**ine' and '**ch**ef' || ** dj ** **dj**èp (//Jack Spaniard//) Same pronunciation as English  in '**j**ump' || ** j ** **J**ouvert (//Jouvert//) Same pronunciation as the French  || ** tj ** **tj**è (//heart//) Same pronunciation as  as in '**ch**ump' || lan**ng** (//tongue//) (Sometimes both the  and the  are pronounced, as in 'fi**ng**er' and sometimes as one sound as in 'si**ng**er'.) ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ** ch **
 * ** ng **

Compiled by JSF modelled on the SLU system. See also the St Lucian [|Writing System] and LAMECA - [|Nou ka li kréyol].