Language/Basque/Pronunciation/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation
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Basque Alphabet and Pronunciation
Kaixo, Basque Learners! 😃
➡ In today's lesson you will learn how to write and pronounce the Basque alphabet.
Basque is a language spoken by Basques and others of the Basque Country (adjacent parts of Northern Spain and Southwestern France).
Alphabet and Pronunciation in Basque
| Letter | Basque name | Pronunciation | English Approximant |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | /a/ | "ah" |
| B | be | /b/, [β̞] | "bee" |
| C | ze* | /s/, /k/ | "ts" (like in "cats") |
| D | de | /d̪/, [ð̞] | "day" |
| E | e | /e/ | "eh" |
| F | efe | /f/ | "eff" |
| G | ge | /ɡ/, [ɣ̞] | "guh" |
| H | hatxe | ∅, /ɦ/ | "huh" (silent or breathy) |
| I | i | /i/, /i̭/ | "ee" |
| J | jota | /j/, /x/, /ʝ/, /ɟ/ | "yuh" or "huh" (varies) |
| K | ka | /k/ | "kah" |
| L | ele | /l/ | "ell" |
| M | eme | /m/ | "emm" |
| N | ene | /n/ | "enn" |
| Ñ | eñe | /ɲ/ | "en-yay" |
| O | o | /o/ | "oh" |
| P | pe | /p/ | "pay" |
| Q | ku* | /k/ | "koo" |
| R | erre | /r/, /ɾ/ | "rolled r" |
| S | ese | /s̺/ | "ess" |
| T | te | /t̪/ | "tay" |
| U | u | /u/, /u̯/ | "oo" |
| V | uve* | /b/, [β̞] | "vay" |
| W | uve bikoitza* | /u̯/ | "double vay" |
| X | ixa | /ʃ/ | "sh" |
| Y | i grekoa* | /i/, /i̭/, /j/ | "ee" or "yuh" |
| Z | zeta | /s̻/ | "zay" |
Please note that "ze", "ku", "uve", "uve bikoitza", and "i grekoa" are marked with an asterisk (*) because these letters are not part of the traditional Basque alphabet but are used in some loanwords and foreign names.
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