Letter Y
Letter y is pronounced as in English 'you' or 'yard'. This sound is common at the end of syllables as well as the beginning. This is a voiced sound (made with the vocal cords vibrating) and is distinct from Tanacross yh, which is the voiceless counterpart of y.Click on a video below to see and hear Mrs. Irene Arnold pronouncing words with Y.
tsíyûul ancestors
níidûuy lynx
yenehseel he or she is combing it
êy that one
yadíimeey northern lights
shchâay my (woman's) grandchild
Click below to hear Mrs. Irene Arnold illustrating the difference between yh and y at the end of syllables.
Letter y and yh may occur lengthened at the end of a word, in which case it is written yy. Click below to hear Mrs. Irene Arnold illustrating this sound at the end of a word. Also, see the technical notes for more information.
Tanacross yh is a voiceless palatal approximant (sonorant) [ç]. While it may sometimes be produced with slight friction, it patterns phonologically as an approximant, not a fricative. It is restricted to syllable-final position. Tanacross y is a voiced palatal approximant [j]. It may occur in both onset and coda positions. The contrast between yh and its voiced counterpart y can be seen in pairs xeyh 'spruce roots' versus xey 'winter'.
At the end of a syllable y may occur lengthened, written yy, as in sh'ǎayy' 'my snowshoes'.
similar sounds