PREFACE
In writing Vlach phonetically we have used as simple an alphabet as possible and endeavoured to avoid the use of diacritical marks. The symbols used are to be pronounced as follows: —
- a, e, i and u as in German,
- o as a closed o as in the French côte,
- oa as an open sound as in the French bois,
- ea to resemble the Italian ia in words such as pianta,
- ai as in the English i as in mice,
- ei as the English ay in play,
- ao and au as the German au,
- ĭ and ŭ as whispered sounds, the latter like a half uttered English w,
- ă like the English er in better, while ā is a vowel sound peculiar to Roumanian and its dialects which cannot be described,
- p and b as in English,
- t and d as in English,
- g as the hard English g as in gape, k as the hard English c in care, y as in yacht, gh (the Greek y) like the g in North German words such as Tage, h like the Scottish ch in loch,
- m and n as in English and ǹ as the English n in finger,
- l as in English and r as in Scottish,
- f and v as in English, th (the Greek θ) as the th in thorough, dh (the Greek δ) as th in then,
- s and z as in English, sh as in English and zh as the z in azure, tsh like the English ch in church, and dzh like the English j,
