Sneaky Sounds
A Non-Threatening Introduction to Tlingit Sounds and Spelling

By Richard and Nora Marks Dauenhauer

Sneaky Sounds, A Non Threatening Introduction to
Tlingit Sounds and Spelling, takes a humorous approach to teaching
tricky sounds; the book’s second subtitle is Fun with Phonology,
Fonology with Phun.

Tlingit is famous for having one of the most difficult
and complex sound systems in the world. Tlingit presents about two dozen
sounds not shared with English. Four of these sounds are unique to
Tlingit – not shared with any other language on Earth (as far as
linguists know). This complexity can prove discouraging for beginners
and presents a major barrier to learning.

The idea behind the book is to introduce students to
the sounds of the language in as non-threatening a manner as possible.
The book also will help fluent speakers learn to write Tlingit. The
language historically was not written and the orthography used today was
developed by linguists in the late 20^th century. 
Consequently, many Elders fluent in Tlingit do not know the writing
system. By listening to the CD and following along with the text, fluent
speakers will be able to learn which symbols correspond to which sounds.

The CD, produced by Edwards and Albert McDonnell, was
recorded by fluent speakers John Marks and June Pegues. The project was
six years in the making and received support from SHI, the Juneau School
District and the University of Alaska Southeast. The materials were
vetted by numerous language students, auditors and community Elders.

Softcover w/CD

$20.00