DID YOU KNOW?

The Blackfoot Alphabet consists of 13 letters:

a, h, i, k, m, n, o, p, s, t, w, y, ‘

•

Vowels: a, i, o

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Semivowels: w, y

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Consonants: h, k, m, n, p, s, t, ‘

Some unique sounds in the

Blackfoot language are:

•

h when followed by a vowel it’s a guttural

sound that comes from the back of the

throat.

•

k sounds like g and k combined, com

pared to the k sound in the English word ‘

skate’.

•

ks similar to the ‘x’ in the English word

‘box’.

•

p sounds like b and p combined, com

pared to the p sound in the English word

‘speak’.

•

t sounds like d and t combined, compared

to the t sound in the English word

‘steak’.

•

ts similar to the ts in the English word

‘cats’.

•

‘ : This is called a glottal stop, it can be

compared to the sound in the English word

uh-oh, where the dash is.

*Note: some endings such as -wa, -yi may not

be pronounced but may appear in the writing.

LANGUAGE LEARNING TIPS &

TRICKS

•

Listen to Blackfoot audio as often as you c

an.

•

Draw pictures of what Blackfoot words

mean.

•

Write out phrases in various forms. For ex

ample, I am... you are... he is... they

are...Notice how the phrases change to in

dicate different meanings.

•

With a partner, toss a ball to each other

while saying Blackfoot words.

•

While practicing Blackfoot words, move,

jump around!

•

Listen to music between learning

sessions.

•

Read along with audio recordings.

For more useful resources of the Blackfoot

language, see:

-Blackfoot Dictionary of Stems, Roots, and

Affixes (third edition)

-Blackfoot Grammar (third edition)

-Blackfoot Online Dictionary

-Glenbow Museum