Letter DZ
Letter dz is pronounced as in the final sounds in English lads and pads. This is a voiced sound (made with the vocal cords vibrating) and is distinct from z.
Click on a video below to see and hear Mrs. Irene Arnold pronouncing words with DZ.
ch'eldzes she or he is dancing
kelahdôdz an ant
dzéex pitch
deldlêedz the blue/green one
dzǎagh' your ear
nandîidz behind, in back of
The dz sound is similar to other sounds in Tanacross. Below are examples that contrast these similar sounds.
Click below to hear Mrs. Irene Arnold illustrating the difference between dz and z at the end of words.
Click below to hear Mrs. Irene Arnold illustrating the difference between ts and dz at the start of syllables.
Sentences with contrasting sibilant (S-like) sounds.
Stsêey ts'eyh súu éhtsįį. My grandfather made a nice canoe.
Súus éł jîiz éł ts'ôgh tah ts'į́ xétsax.
The robin and the jay in the tree are crying.
Êy ts'éhxeh seey tsêdl dat-sęy sínt'eh. That is that woman's black pocket knife.
Tanacross ts and dz are voiceless aspirated and unaspirated alveolar affricates [tsh] and [ts], respectively. At the end of syllables ts and dz are pronounced as voiceless and voiced affricates [ts] and [dz], respectively. When dz occurs phrase-finally, it tends to be devoiced to ts, for example: łuug ch'e ehmeedz [łuug ch'e ehmeets] 'it's fish that he's frying'.
similar sounds