IPA | listen | VLACH | phonetic description | example (translation) |
a | ▶ | Aa | near-open central unrounded | cásă (house) |
b | ▶ | Bb | voiced bilabial plosive | bag (I put) |
ç | ▶ | Hʲhʲ | voiceless palatal fricative | hʲári, hʲḙári, hʲi̭ári (gall) |
ɕ | ▶ | Śś | voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant | śóri (sun) |
d | ▶ | Dd | voiced alveolar plosive | dínti (tooth) |
ð | ▶ | Δδ | voiced dental fricative | GR δorḙán (for free) |
d͡z | ▶ | ʣʣ | voiced alveolar sibilant affricate | ʣḙána (at the top) |
d͡ʒ | ▶ | Dždž | voiced palato-alveolar affricate | džam (glass) |
d̠͡ʑ | ▶ | Dźdź | voiced alveolo-palatal affricate | dźḙána (at the top) |
e | ▶ | Ee | close-mid front unrounded vowel | meš (months) |
ə | ▶ | Ăă | mid central vowel | Ts. cásă (house); lắnă (wool) |
ɛ | ▶ | Ɛɛ | open-mid front unrounded vowel | fέti (girls) |
f | ▶ | Ff | voiceless labiodental fricative | áflu (finds) |
ɡ | ▶ | Gg | voiced velar plosive | gúvă (whole) |
h, χ | ▶, ▶ | Hh | voiceless glottal (uvular) fricative | hránă (food) |
i | ▶ | Ii | close front unrounded vowel | dínti (tooth) |
ɪ | ▶ | ɪɪ | near-close near-front unrounded | dέdɪ (he/she gave) |
j | ▶ | Ĭĭ | palatal semi-vowel or approximant | báĭa (bath), ĭésti (he/she is) |
k | ▶ | Cc | voiceless velar plosive | cásă (house) |
kʲ | Kʲkʲ | voiceless palatal plosive | kʲári (he/she loses) | |
l | ▶ | Ll | alveolar lateral approximant | lup (wolf), laf (word) |
ɫ | ▶ | Ɫɫ | velarized alveolar lateral approx. | ind. ɫup (wolf) |
ʎ | ▶ | Lʲlʲ | palatal lateral approximant | lʲépur (rabbit) |
m | ▶ | Mm | bilabial nasal | mári (big) |
n | ▶ | Nn | alveolar nasal | nári (nose) |
o | ▶ | Oo | close-mid back rounded vowel | foc (fire) |
ɔ | ▶ | Ɔɔ | open-mid back rounded vowel | lɔ́nă (wool), rușɔ́ni (shame), cɔ́i̭ni (dog) |
p | ▶ | Pp | voiceless bilabial plosive | lup (wolf) |
r | ▶ | Rr | alveolar trill | ráʦi (cold) |
s | ▶ | Ss | voiceless alveolar sibilant | sóră (sun) |
ʃ | ▶ | Šš | voiceless palato-alveolar sibilant | úšă (door) |
t | ▶ | Tt | voiceless alveolar plosive | tétă (aunt) |
t͡s | ▶ | ʦʦ | voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate | ʦap (he-goat) |
t͡ʃ | ▶ | Čč | voiceless palato-alveolar affricate | fičór (boy) |
t̠͡ɕ | ▶ | Ćć | voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate | fićór (boy) |
u | ▶ | Uu | close back rounded vowel | buríc (heart, stomach) |
v | ▶ | Vv | voiced labiodental fricative | váli (valley) |
w | ▶ | Ŭŭ | voiced labio-velar approximant | ind. nḙáŭă (snow) |
z | ▶ | Zz | voiced alveolar sibilant | zắʦi (he/she says) |
ʑ | ▶ | Źź | voiced alveolo-palatal sibilant | văźuníćă (row); źoc (dance) |
ʒ | ▶ | Žž | voiced palato-alveolar sibilant | văžuníʦă (row); žoc (dance) |
Diphthongs and triphthongs vs. semivowels
The diphthongs ḙa/i̭a and o̭a/ṷa contrast with ĭa (IPA /ja/) and ŭa (IPA /wa/) respectively, though they sound similar and they do not form minimal pairs. We usually note them as diphthongs (ḙa/i̭a, o̭a/ṷa) and use ĭ and ŭ only when the approximant has a clear consonantal character; both may appear according region, speaker and phonetical surroundings (e.g. i̭ásti/ĭásti, bi̭ui̭/bĭui̭, ṷa/ŭá, nḙáṷă/nḙáŭă).
Abbreviations
GR | in Greek loanwords only |
ind. | individual pronouncation |
Ts. | Tsrnareca variety |