The Guugu Yimithirr alphabet: how to pronounce the letters

In the table below letter pronunciations are described as being ‘similar to’ a sound we know, ‘in between’ sounds we are familiar with or ‘like’ an English sound. Describing sounds is difficult and it is important to keep in mind that the guidelines provided are approximations. The best way to learn how to pronounce Guugu Yimithirr is to listen to the example words by using the link provided and practice pronouncing the sounds out loud.

Letter	Examples	Audio links	Pronunciation / Sound
a	bayan, house				This sound is similar to a short: pasta, cup (Australian pronunciation)
	gaban, book	gaban
	awuun!, good!	awuun
aa	yuwaal, beach	yuwaal	This sound is similar to a long: father, start (Australian pronunciation)
	gudaa, dog	gudaa
	waandaar, white cockatoo	waandaar
b	bama, people	bama	This sound is pronounced in between an English B and a P.
	bubu, country	bubu
	biiba, father	biiba
	galbay, long	galbay
d	dagil, build	dagil	This sound is pronounced in between an English D and a T.
	diini, red	diini
	gudaa, dog	gudaa
g	guugu, language, speech	guuguu	This sound is pronounced in between an English G (as in ‘great’) and a K.  It is never pronounced as in ‘giraffe’
	gugaa, kookaburra	gugaa
	gumbiin, string	gumbiin
	murruga, car	murruga
	gudaa, dog	gudaa
i	bidi, forehead	bidi	This sound is similar to: piano, happy
	birra, leaf, paper	birra
	jirimandi, coconut	jirimandi
ii	miil, eye	miil	This sound is like: green, bean
	diini, red	diini
	biiba, father	biiba
j	juugaar, sand	juugaar	This sound is similar to: jam, fridge
	jirimandi, coconut	jirimandi
	bujuur, feathers	bujuur
l	biililil, paddling	biililil	This sound is like: light, love
	nambal, stone, money	nambal
	yulmbu, island	yulmbu
m	miil, eye	miil	This sound is like: mother, some
	murruga, car	murruga
	nambal, stone, money	nambal
n	bayan, house	bayan	This sound is like: night, fin
	nambal, stone, money	nambal
	manu, neck, throat	manu
nh	nhundu, you (one person)	nhundu	This sound is pronounced like an English N while pressing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth
	wanhu, who	wanhu
	nhinhinhi, groper fish	nhinhinhi
ny	gaanyi-gaanyi, too fat	gaanyi-gaanyi	This sound is similar to: canyon, onion
	nyinda, shallow	nyinda
ng	gangurru, black kangoroo	gangurru	This sound is like: singer, wrong It is never pronounced as in ‘finger, dingo’
	ngurraar, black cockatoo	ngurraar
	nguman, taipan snake	nguman
r	waandaar, white cockatoo	waandaar	This sound is like: right, red It is never silent like in Australian English: car, mortar
	jirimandi, coconut	jirimandi
	baari, chin	baari
rr	garrgu, later	garrgu	This sound is like a Scottish or Spanish  rolled ‘r’
	ngurraar, black cockatoo	ngurraar
	birrbirr, parrot	birrbirr
th	yimithirr, with this	yimithirr	This sound is pronounced in between an English D and a T while pressing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth This never sounds like ‘th’ in English
	thalun, sea, blue	thalun
	buthu, maybe	buthu
u	bubu, country	bubu	This sound is similar to a short: book, put
	yugu, tree, wood, fire	yugu
	burriwi, emu	burriwi
uu	guuju, fish	guuju	This sound is similar to a long: boot, fruit
	buurraay, water	buurraay
	guugu, language, speech	guugu
w	waandaar, white cockatoo	waandaar	This sound is like: word, want
	awuun!, good!	awuun
	yuwaal, beach	yuwaal
y	yugu, tree, wood, fire	yugu	This sound is like: yellow, you
	mayi, food	mayi
	bayan, house	bayan
y at the end of a word	buurraay, water	buurraay	This sound is like: boy, buy

Letters/sounds of the alphabet: summary and useful tips

VOWELS

The vowels of Guugu Yimithirr don’t match the ones of English. To spell vowels, instead of using A, E, I, O, U like in English, in Guugu Yimithirr we use A, AA, I, II, U, UU. 

• Short vowels

The short vowels in Guugu Yimithirr are A, I, U. They are always pronounced the same way:

A is pronounced similarly to: pasta, cup 

I is pronounced as in: piano, happy

U is pronounced similarly to: put, book

This is different from what we are used to. For example, in English the vowel A isn’t always pronounced with the sound we find in ‘pasta’. Think of: ‘cat’, ‘because’, ‘bean’, etc.

Also, in English many words that have the sound that we find in ‘pasta’ are spelt with a different letter: for example, ‘cup’ (Australian English).

Pay attention to how the short vowels are pronounced and spelt in Guugu Yimithirr.

In the examples below, you’ll notice how the meaning of the words changes depending on which sound/spelling we use:

A (pasta) mala, culprit magu, before	U (put)    mula, honey      mugu, back
A (pasta) birra, leaf, paper  barrbil, camp	I (piano) birri, creek birrbal, collect
U ( put)   wagul, flying fox walu, like	I (piano) wagil, cut wali, around

• Long vowels

The long vowels in Guugu Yimithirr are AA, II, UU. They are always pronounced the same way:

AA is pronounced similarly to: father, start

II is pronounced as in: green, bean

UU is pronounced similarly to: boot, fruit

Pay attention to how the long vowels are pronounced and spelt in Guugu Yimithirr.

In the examples below, you’ll notice how the meaning of the words changes depending on which sound/spelling we use:

AA (father) gugaa, kookaburra	UU (boot) guguur, mouse
AA (father) gudaa, dog	II (green) gudiir, mosquito
UU (boot)      muunh, dark	II (green) miinh, guess what!

• Short vs. long vowel sounds

In Guugu Yimithirr we need to pay attention to the difference between:

the short vowels A, I, U  and the long vowels AA, II, UU. 

This is similar to the difference we have in English between the short vowel sound in ‘bin’ and the long vowel sound in ‘bean’. The vowel sounds used in these two words are very similar but pronouncing a short vowel or long vowel changes the meaning of the words. 

In Guugu Yimithirr the short vowels A, I, U are different sounds from the long vowels AA, II, UU.

Using one or the other changes the meaning of words: 

A (pasta) bala, skinny	AA (father) baalaa, thin-leaved Condoo tree
I (piano) buli, fell	II (green) bulii, will fall
U (put) buthu, maybe	UU (boot) buuthuu, parrot fish

CONSONANTS

• Some consonants of the Guugu Yimithirr alphabet are pronounced the same as the English ones: j, m, n, l, r, y, w.

• Others correspond to sounds we are familiar with: ng, ny, rr.

• Some others are similar to sounds we use in English, yet pronounced quite differently: b, d, g.

• Finally, some do not exist in English: th, nh.

When reading and writing Guugu Yimithirr we need to pay attention to the consonant sounds and their spelling, especially those that we are not used to perceiving as different from one another:

• R and RR

Both sounds are familiar to English speakers, in English we can easily use one in place of the other. Remember that in Guugu Yimithirr ‘r’ and ‘rr’ are different sounds that change the meaning of words, we need to pronounce them and spell them the right way:

R (right)	RR (rolled R)
bira, certainly maral, girl	birra, leaf, paper marral, bottle

NH and N

NH doesn’t exist in English, we pronounce it like the sound N while pressing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth. NH can sound quite similar to N for a beginner Guugu Yimithirr learner and the two sounds can easily be confused. Pay attention to the difference between N and NH both in sound and in spelling, using one or the other changes the meaning of words:

NH (N while pressing the tip of the tongue between the teeth) wanhu, who?

N (night) wanu-wanu, mischievous

• TH and D

The sound TH doesn’t exist in English, we pronounce it like the sound in between a D and a T while pressing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth. TH can sound similar to D, which we pronounce as in between an English D and a T. Pay attention to the difference between TH and D both in sound and in spelling, using one or the other changes the meaning of words:

TH (sound between D and T while pressing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth) thagu, left hand gathii, far away

D (sound between D and T) dagu, thing gadii, come!

Special spelling / pronunciation rules: when one letter does not correspond to one sound

As we have seen, in Guugu Yimithirr one letter generally corresponds to one sound. However, there are some exceptions:

• Spelling ‘i’ or ‘y’ at the end of a word

At the end of a word I and Y are pronounced the same, as in ‘happy’. We use I after a consonant and Y after a vowel (A, AA, U, UU).

I at the end of a word, after a consonant	Y at the end of a word, after a vowel
gaari, not birri, creek babi, father’s mother wali, around	ngaabaay, head balay, flat gulnguy, boat

‘-ay’ at the end of a word

At the end of a word the A in ‘-ay’ is pronounced differently from a regular A (pasta, cup):

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
‘-ay’, when at the end of a word	buday, ate gurray, said yiway, here	Is pronounced like: day, may

Notice how this is different from AA (father) in ‘-aay’ when we find it at the end of a word:

‘-ay’ (day) at the end of a word: bagay, poked, dug buday, ate  yiway, here

‘-aay’ (father) at the end of a word: bagaay, keelback snake buurraay, water  ngaabaay, head

• Pronunciation of MB, NB

We have seen that in Guugu Yimithirr the letter B is pronounced in between an English B and a P. Sometimes it sounds more like an English B and some other times more like an English P. Ultimately, in Guugu Yimithirr it doesn’t matter much if the sound is closer to a B or a P. Unlike in English, this is one sound rather than two.

However, when we find M, N right before B, we need to pay attention to our pronunciation:

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
mb	nambal, stone, money	This sounds like: number In this case, the letter B sounds like an English B
nb	ganbi, blood	This sounds like: unbreakable  In this case, the letter B sounds like an  English B

Pay attention to the difference in the pronunciation of B in the examples below:

After M and N ‘B’ is pronounced like B	In all other cases ‘B’ is pronounced in between B and P
nambal, stone, money	bubu, country
thaymburr, generous	bayan, house
ganbi, blood	biiba, father
munbal, blue plum, quadong	milbi, story

SPECIAL NOTE: B at the beginning of a word

At the beginning of a word B often sounds more like an English B, you will learn the correct pronunciation for different words as you make progress. 

• Pronunciation of ND

We have seen that in Guugu Yimithirr the letter D is pronounced in between an English D and a T. Sometimes it sounds more like an English D and some other times more like an English T. Ultimately, in Guugu Yimithirr it doesn’t matter much if this sound is closer to a D or a T. Unlike in English, this is one sound rather than two.

However, when we find N right before D, we need to pay attention to our pronunciation:

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
nd	gundal, hit	This sounds like: handy In this case, the letter D sounds like the English D

Pay attention to the difference in the pronunciation of D in the examples below:

After N ‘D’ is pronounced like D	In all other cases ‘D’ is pronounced in between D and T
gundal, hit	gudaa, dog
bandil, pronounce, chop	diini, red

SPECIAL NOTE: D at the beginning of a word

At the beginning of a word D sometimes sounds more like an English D, you will learn the correct pronunciation for different words as you make progress.

• Pronunciation of NTH and NHTH

We have seen that in Guugu Yimithirr the letter TH is pronounced in between an English D and a T, while pressing the tip of the tongue between the teeth. Sometimes it sounds more like an English D (while pressing the tip of the tongue between the teeth) and some other times more like an English T (while pressing the tip of the tongue between the teeth). Ultimately in Guugu Yimithirr it doesn’t matter much if this sound is closer to a D or a T. Unlike in English, this is one sound rather than two.

However, when we find N, NH right before TH, we need to pay attention to our pronunciation:

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
nth	thalunthirr, Guugu Yimithirr coastal dialect	This sounds like: handy, while pressing the tip of the tongue in between the front teeth for the TH sound only.  The tongue needs to shift position between the pronunciation of the N and TH. In this case, the letter TH sounds like the English D, while pressing the tip of the tongue in between the front teeth
nhth	nganhthaan, we wanhtharra, how?	This sounds like: handy, while pressing the tip of the tongue in between the front teeth for both the NH and the TH sound. In this case, the letter TH sounds like the English D, while pressing the tip of the tongue in between the front teeth

Pay attention to the difference in the pronunciation of TH in the examples below:

After N and NH, ‘TH’ is pronounced like D, while pressing the tip of the tongue in between the front teeth	In all other cases ‘TH’ is pronounced in between D and T, while pressing the tip of the tongue in between the front teeth
thalunthirr, Guugu Yimithirr coastal dialect	yimithirr, with this
muyanthirr, ashamed	dulbiilthirr, sad
nganhthaan, we	buthaal, lying
wanhtharra, how?	tharramali, thunder

SPECIAL NOTE: TH at the beginning of a word

At the beginning of a word TH sometimes sounds more like an English D while pressing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth. You will learn the correct pronunciation for different words as you make progress.

• Pronunciation of NGG

We have seen that in Guugu Yimithirr the letter G is pronounced in between an English G (as in ‘great’) and a K. Sometimes it sounds more like an English G and some other times more like an English K. Ultimately, in Guugu Yimithirr it doesn’t matter much if this sound is closer to a G or a K. Unlike in English, this is one sound rather than two. 

However, when we find NG right before G we need to pay attention to our pronunciation:

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
ngg	bunggu, knee balawunggal, cyclone baalnggu, teenager	This sound is like: dingo, finger This is pronounced as the sound NG, as in ‘singer’ followed by G, as in ‘great’

Pay attention to the difference in the pronunciation of G in the examples below:

After NG, ‘G’ is pronounced like G (great)	After all other letters ‘G’ is pronounced in between G (great) and K
wanggar, up	gulnguy, boat
balawunggal, cyclone	yugu, tree, wood, fire
thunggul, snake	gaban, book
	guga, kokaburra
	gumbiin, string

SPECIAL NOTE: G at the beginning of a word

At the beginning of a word G sometimes sounds more like an English G (as in ‘great’), you will learn the correct pronunciation for different words as you make progress.

Other special spelling / pronunciation rules: letter combinations that look similar but spell different sounds

There are a few letter combinations that we need to pay attention to when reading and writing Guugu Yimithirr. It is important not to confuse them with other letters of the alphabet or similar letter combinations, as they spell different sounds.

• NGG and NG:

In Guugu Yimithirr there is an important difference between: NGG (as in ‘dingo’, more on this p.12) and NG (as in ‘singer’). These are two different sounds. In English we spell them both the same way and so we might get confused about how to pronounce or spell them.

Get used to hearing the difference between the two sounds by pronouncing the words out loud. Notice how these two sounds/spellings are different and the meaning of words changes depending which one we use:

NGG (dingo) wanggaar, up

NG (singer) wangarr, white person, ghost

• NNG and NG:

Spelling	Example	Pronunciation
nng	baanngaa, cry	This is pronounced as the sound N followed by the sound NG (as in ‘singer’)

• N-G and NG:

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
n-g	nhin-gal, sit, be balin-ga, echidna ban-gun, elbow	This sound is like: ungrateful, unglazed It is pronounced as the sound N followed by the sound G (as in ‘great’).

We use a hyphen in between the two letters N-G not to confuse this sound with NG, as in ‘singer’. Notice how these two sounds are different and their pronunciation changes the meaning of words:

N-G (ungrateful) biluun-gu, next to

NG (singer) biluungu, about the hip

• NYJ and NG:

Spelling	Examples	Pronunciation
nyj	manyjal, mountain banyji, brother-in-law, sister-in-law janyjil, bathe, dive	This sound is similar to: dungeon N.B. To learn the correct pronunciation of this sound, listen carefully to the example words

Notice how these two sounds are different and their pronunciation changes the meaning of words:

NYJ (dungeon) manyjal, mountain

NG (singer) mangal, hand

Language variation

• Same language different words

Just like English speakers sometimes use different words, depending on where they come from (for example, American people use ‘vacation’ and British people use ‘holiday’ to describe the same thing), Guugu Yimithirr speakers may use different words to refer to the same item:

English	Thalunthirr (coastal dialect)	Waguurrga (inland dialect)
moon	giitha	waarigan
head	gambuugu	ngaabaay
stake	thunggul	thaarba

A LITTLE HISTORY – When Guugu Yimithirr started being used in church, the Thanlunthirr word for ‘sky’ was used as a translation for ‘heaven’. Nowadays everybody uses the original Thalunthirr word for ‘heaven’ and the Waguurga word for ‘sky’:

	Thalunthirr (coastal dialect)	Waguurrga (inland dialect)
traditional meaning  today’s meaning	jiiri sky  heaven	wangunh sky sky

• Same language different sounds

Just like English speakers pronounce words differently, depending on where they come from (for example, think of how differently Americans and British people pronounce the word ‘cat’), Guugu Yimithirr speakers don’t pronounce all words exactly the same.

Below are listed the sound variations in Guugu Yimithirr. Some people pronounce words using one sound or the other, while others use one sound as well as the other, depending on the situation. Both spellings are in use:

	‘nh’	‘ny’
she/he always	nhulu  nhuumaar	nyulu  nyuumaar

	th	j
young sister	thin-gurr	jin-gurr

	nhth	nyj
dry	banhthil	banyjil

• Variations in spelling

The writing system described here was formalised by linguist John Haviland in 1991. It is now taught and used in the Hope Vale primary school during Guugu Yimithirr classes. However, this isn’t the only way Guugu Yimithirr has been written in the past and even today you will find people still use different spellings, since the language has been written a few different ways through the years.

In the left column of the table below you will find the writing system we have described here. Next to each spelling, in the right column, you will find the corresponding different ways of writing the same sounds that you might come across.

Spelling taught at Hope Vale school	Other spellings	Examples
th	dh	Guugu Yimithirr – Guugu Yimidhirr
j	dy
n-g	n.g, ng
nng	ng
ngg	ng
nhth	nth, nhdh
nyj	nydy, nj

Exercises

1. Write the Guugu Yimithirr alphabet and next to each entry add a word you remember that has that particular sound.

1. Write the other sounds of Guugu Yimithirr that are not part of the alphabet. Can you remember a word that has that particular sound for each?

1. Can you remember the spelling / pronunciation rules for:

• i or y at the end of a word
• ‘-ay’ at the end of a word
• mb / nb
• nd
• nth / nhth
• ngg

1. Can you remember how to pronounce:

• ng 
• ngg
• nng
• n-g
• nyj

PRONUNCIATION and SPELLING practice

1. Play the audio for each word from the list below and practice writing them down.

1. Read the words out loud, and then play the audio to check the correct pronunciation for each word.

buurraay, water	buday, ate
mala, culprit	mula, honey
magu, before	mugu, back
birra, leaf, paper	birri, creek
wagul, flying fox	wagil, cut
bala, skin	baalaa, thin-leaved Condoo tree
buli, fell	bulii, will fall
buthu, maybe	buuthuu, parrot fish
guyuu, milk, breast	guuju, fish
dagu, thing	thagu, left hand
gadii, come!	gathii,  far away
madi-madi, maggot	maji, matches
budal, eat	burral, top
wanu-wanu, mischievous	wanhu, who?
ganhil, song	gaanyil, in-law
ngigan, vain	nyinda, shallow
mangal, hand	manyjal, mountain
wangarr, white person, ghost	wanggaar, up
bunhthi, mud	bunyji, tea leaf
bira, certainly	birra, leaf, paper
maral, girl	marral, bottle
ganhaarr, crocodile	ganhaal, older sister
mugur, mother’s younger brother	mugul, old
guuju, fish	guugu, language, speech