To
speak, read or write Shm'algyackyou will have to be able to recognize all of the sounds that
make up the alphabet.
There are a total of forty-eight sounds, of which
twenty-one are UNIQUE.
To better understand how to create the sounds and make the words more
user-friendly the use of apostrophes (') dashes
(-) and italics will be used in this orthography. All
materials associated with this orthography use these tools and we encourage
everyone to use them to keep consistency.
Apostrophe
Whenever an apostrophe (') precedes a letter(s) it signifies a sound
that is produced by either putting the tongue on the upper teeth, using
the lips to form a sharp release to that letter(s) or a more
throaty or guttural sound before proceeding with the word.
Dash
The dash (-) in a word helps to break the word into syllables that can
be more easily read.
Italics
The italics signifies you should give more emphasis
on that part of the word when you say it.
EXAMPLE:
'WEE.LAEKSHAMGYAD
[Elder; person of high rank]
There
are 4 syllables defined with dashes.
The apostrophe ( ' ) asks for a sharp W with an emphasis on the
italics.
To better understand the Shm'algyack
sounds of this orthography you should listen to a teacher, an elder,
recordings,
the Dictionary on CD-ROM or listen to the following sounds
for the enunciation of the alphabet.
