Nubehexian 1/Alphabet and Pronunciation

This introductory lesson will focus on some of the rules involved with Nubehexian pronunciation and the Nubehexian alphabet.

The Nubehexian Alphabet

The Nubehexian alphabet uses the Latin script of characters. In relation to English, Nubehexian uses all of the letters in the English alphabet with the exclusion of c, j, and x. Below is a table providing some more insight on each letter of the Nubehexian alphabet.

Letter	Phonetic Pronunciation	Example	Extra Notes
Aa	/ah/	a as in "far"	This is pronounced for a slightly shorter duration of time than an unstressed o (about 0.25 seconds shorter).
Bb	/b/	b as in "boy"
Kk	/k/	k as in "kite"
Kh kh	/ch/	ch as in "chapter"	This is a single letter that consists of two characters. Since there is no c in Nubehexian, kh is the Nubehexian equivalent of ch.
Dd	/d/	d as in "donation"
Ee	/eh/, silent	e as in "edify"	The e is silent when it is the last letter of a word.
Ëy ëy	/eyi/	ay as in "say"	This is the only letter in the Nubehexian alphabet that always includes a stressed vowel.
Ff	/f/	f as in "fair"	Other than ph, this is the only letter that does not have a unique pronunciation.
Ph ph	/f/	ph as in "phonics"	This is a single letter that consists of two characters. Other than f, this is the only letter that does not have a unique pronunciation.
Gg	/dzh/	g as in "gentry"	In Nubehexian, g is never pronounced like how it is in "grape," rather always like g as in "gelatin."
Hh	/h/, silent	h as in “hair”	The h is silent if it is the last letter of a word.
Ii	/ih/	i as in “intricate”
Ll	/l/	l as in “land”
Mm	/m/	m as in “moss”
Nn	/n/	n as in “neonate”
Oo	/ah/	o as in “octagon”	This is pronounced for a slightly longer duration of time than an unstressed a (about 0.25 seconds longer).
Pp	/p/	p as in “pottery”
Qq	/k/	q as in “quarter”	Similar to English, a q is typically followed by a stressed u.
Rr	/r/	r as in “red”
Ss	/s/	s as in "soup"
Sh sh	/sh/	sh as in "shore"
Tt	/t/	t as in "tangent"
Th th	/th/	th as in "thorn"
Uu	/uh/	u is in "sun"
Vv	/v/	v as in "vinculum"
Ww	/w/	w as in "water"
Yy	/iy/	y as in "yellow"
Ye ye	/iye/	ye as in "yellow"
Zz	/z/	z as in "zeta"

Quick Practice 1

Make a list of the differences between some of the letters in the Nubehexian alphabet that are also used in English. Take note of any major differences in pronunciation and if the letter's position in a word affects its pronunciation.

Macrons

In the Nubehexian language, a macron refers to an accent that is used to indicate a particular stress on a vowel. Macrons only apply to the vowels a, e, i, o, and u. Below is a table providing more insight on the different kinds of macrons and how they are properly applied to stress pronunciation.

Macron	Symbol	Example	Notes
Primary Macron	vinculum over the vowel (straight horizontal line)	ā, ē, ī, ō, ū	This essentially stresses a vowel so that it is pronounced hard. For instance, ā is pronounced like ai in “ailment,” ē and ī are pronounced like ee in “eel,” ō is pronounced like o in “oval,” and ū is pronounced like u in “rule.” The stressed vowels ā and ē are rarely used while the other three are much more common. Also, the double primary macron letter sequences ōō and ūū are both pronounced like ū but are also less commonly used as you will see in later lessons.
Secondary Macron	“hat” over the vowel (vertical arrowhead)	â, ê, î, ô, û	This type of macron is used to indicate a vowel that proceeds an already stressed vowel (the vowel that directly precedes it has a primary macron). Theoretically, a secondary macron signifies a gradual and subtle shift in pronouniation from the previous stressed vowel to the one with the secondary macron. The pronunciation of secondary macron vowels is the same as that of primary macron vowels but with the transitional pronunciation method.
Tertiary Macron	two dots over the vowel	ä, ë, ö, ü	This type of macron is always used for vowels that preceded a consonant that mimics a stressed i sound. Usually, vowels that preceed y are often modified with this macron. Although this macron can be applied to four vowels, only ë is commonly used.

Quick Practice 2

Which of the following sequences of letters is possible when applying macrons to the vowels? Select all that apply.

(A) āī / (B) ëy / (C) ōï / (D) öī

Answer(s): (B) and (D)