NameSection1.6 Word Building 3: Tohono O'odham
Consider the following data from Tohono O'odham, a Native American language
belonging to the Uto-Aztecan family, and answer questions A-C.
The symbol ' stands for a consonant known as a glottal stop. (A glottal stop is
found at the beginning of the two oh's in the English expression oh-oh. The glottal
stop between the two oh's is the easier to hear and even feel.) The symbol :
indicates that the vowel preceding it is long (hence, o: is a long 0). The symbol ri
is pronounced like the Spanish ri or the English sequence ny in canyon. The
symbol " indicates that a vowel is short (hence, i is short). A dot under a consonant
indicates a special pronunciation with the tongue slightly curled back. The
orthographic symbols are those now employed by the Tohono O'odham people.
For a discussion of the phonetic value of the orthographic symbol e, see exercise 3.3.List I List I1
Tohono O'odham
form- je'e
- '0:gi
- kakkio
- no:nowi
- 'o'ohana
- kotoii
- wopnam
- mamgina
- papla
- hoa
- tad
- ki:
- na:nk
- to:ton
- we:nag
- si:l
- tad
- mo:mi
- na:nk
- kakkio
- wuhi
- mamgina
- da:k
- da:k
English gloss"mother"
"father"
"legs"
"hands"
"books"
"shirt"
"hats"
"cars"
"shovels"
"basket"
"foot"
"house"
"ears"
"knees"
"sibling"
"saddle"
"foot"
"heads"
"ears"
"legs"
"eye"
"cars"
"nose"
"nose"Tohono O'odham
form
iije'e
m'o:gi
hakakkio
'emno:now?
t'o'ohana
ko toiiij
twopnam
'emmamgina
hapapla
fihoa
tadij
mki:
'emna:nk
hato: ton
we:nagij
fisi:l
mtad
tmo:mI
na:nkij
'emkakkio
fiwuhi
tmamgina
fida: k
da: kijEnglish gloss"my mother"
"your father"
"their legs"
"your (pl.) hands"
"our books"
"his/her shirt"
"our hats"
"your (pl.) cars"
"their shovels"
"my basket"
"his/her foot"
"your house"
"your (pl.) ears"
"their knees"
"his/her sibling"
"my saddle"
"your foot"
"our heads"
" his/her ears"
"your (pl.) legs"
"my eye"(^6 6) our cars"
(^6) my nose"
"his/her nose"