Page:An Ainu-English-Japanese dictionary (including a grammar of the Ainu language).djvu/636

letters		pronunciation and remarks
		sentence commences with this letter, but k often becomes g in composition. It should be noted however, that g is often aspirated as though is was gh or kh.
h		has the sound of h in the word “house;” that is to say, it is always aspirated.
j		Some words have something like the sound of j in them, e.g. machi, “wife”; unchi, “fire”; but these have always been written with ch because the tendency in Yezo is rather in the direction of ch than j.
k		has the sound of k in the word “keep.” Sometimes, however, it is pronounced with a kind of aspirate as though it was kh.
m n p r [1]s t u	$\left.{\begin{array}{lcl}\\\\\\\\\\\\\end{array}}\right\rbrace$	These letters are all pronounced as in English.
l q v x	$\left.{\begin{array}{lcl}\\\\\\\end{array}}\right\rbrace$	These letters are not needed in speaking or writing Ainu.
z		something like the sound of z is heard in the word penzai, “a junk.” Compare also c.

None of the consonants b, c, d, f, g, h, r, w, or y, ever properly end a word, but k, m, n, p, s, t, and sh often do.

---

1. As regards the letter s, however, it should be observed that in many cases it is difficult to know whether the Ainu say s or sh; thus shui would be sui by some and sa, sha; or so, sho and so on or vice versa.