Week 1 of 4

Master the TaraOno Alphabet

Learn the 40 core letters that cover 95% of human sounds. Each symbol = one sound. No exceptions.

Week 1 Progress 0%

The 10 Core Vowels

Vowels are the musical sounds of speech. In TaraOno, each vowel letter represents exactly one sound - no guessing like in English where "a" can sound different in "cat", "father", and "face".

How to Read This Guide

For each vowel, you'll see:

  • The Letter - The TaraOno symbol
  • IPA - International Phonetic Alphabet notation
  • Example - An English word containing this sound (highlighted)
Pro Tip: Click any card to hear the sound. Practice saying it out loud!

Front Vowels (tongue forward)

Ī
/iː/
see, beat
I
/ɪ/
bit, sit
E
/ɛ/
bed, red
Ä
/æ/
cat, bat

Central Vowel

Ə
/ə/
sofa, about

Back Vowels (tongue back, lips rounded)

Ū
/uː/
boot, food
U
/ʊ/
put, book
Ō
/oʊ/
go, no
O
/ɒ/
cot, hot
A
/a/
father, spa

Key Insight: Ī vs I

Notice how Ī (with the line) is the long version - like "see". While I (without the line) is short - like "sit".

Memory trick: The macron (line) above the letter = longer sound. This pattern works for all TaraOno vowels!

Stop Consonants (Plosives)

Stops are made by completely blocking airflow, building pressure, then releasing it. They come in pairs: one voiced (vocal cords vibrate) and one voiceless (no vibration).

The Voicing Test

Put your fingers on your throat. Say "SSSS" - no vibration. Now say "ZZZZ" - you feel vibration! That vibration is voicing.

P/B, T/D, K/G - Each pair is made in the same place, but one has voice (B, D, G) and one doesn't (P, T, K).

Lip Stops (Bilabial)

P
/p/
pat, stop
B
/b/
bat, cab

Tongue-Tip Stops (Alveolar)

T
/t/
top, cat
D
/d/
dog, sad

Back Stops (Velar)

K
/k/
cat, back
G
/g/
go, big

Fricative Consonants

Fricatives are made by narrowing the airway (but not blocking it), creating a hissing or buzzing sound. Think of air escaping through a small gap.

Hiss vs Buzz

Voiceless fricatives hiss (like a snake). Voiced fricatives buzz (like a bee).

Try this: Say "SSSSS" (hiss) then "ZZZZZ" (buzz). Same mouth position, different voicing!

Lip-Teeth Fricatives (Labiodental)

F
/f/
fine, leaf
V
/v/
vine, love

Tongue-Tip Fricatives (Alveolar)

S
/s/
see, bus
Z
/z/
zoo, buzz

"SH" Sounds (Postalveolar)

ϸ
/ʃ/
ship, fish
Ʒ
/ʒ/
measure, vision

"TH" Sounds (Dental)

Þ
/θ/
think, bath
Đ
/ð/
this, breathe

The "H" Sound

H
/h/
hat, hello

Nasals, Liquids & Glides

These sounds round out your core consonant knowledge. Nasals send air through your nose, liquids flow smoothly, and glides are like vowels pretending to be consonants.

Nasals (air through nose)

The Nose Test

Pinch your nose while making the sound. If you can't make it properly, it's a nasal!

M
/m/
man, hum
N
/n/
net, sun
Ŋ
/ŋ/
sing, ring

Liquids

L
/l/
let, call
R
/ɹ/
red, car

Glides (semi-vowels)

W
/w/
we, now
Y
/j/
yes, you

Affricates (stop + fricative combo)

C
/tʃ/
church, catch
J
/dʒ/
judge, bridge

Week 1 Review Quiz

Test your knowledge of the 40 core TaraOno letters. Identify each letter from its sound description or example.

Alphabet Quiz Score: 0/10

Which TaraOno letter represents this sound?

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