The Copala Triqui Alphabet

The letters of the Copala Triqui alphabet are

a b c ch chr d e f g h i j k l ll m n ñ o p q r s t tz u v w x xr y z '

In addition to these letters, the tones of the syllables are indicated in the practical orthography by a line under a vowel or an accent above a vowel.  For example

caquíí  [caquii⁵]  'earring; arete'

chij [chij²]  'two; dos'

The Copala Triqui-to-English part of the dictionary is arranged alphabetically according to the above order.

The following videos feature the sounds of the Copala Triqui alphabet:
Las vocales
Las consonantes sencillas

For linguists:
The orthography used in this dictionary is based on the practical orthography developed by Barbara and Bruce Hollenbach of the Summer Institute of Linguistics for their translation of the New Testament. We follow their usage in the representation of the consonants, including the following conventions: = [ʃ], = [ʂ] (a retroflex alveopalatal sibilant), = [tʃ], = [tʂ], = [k] (before front vowels), = [k] before back vowels, [v] = [β] and = [h]. represents a nasalized vowel. Copala Triqui has five level tones (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and three contour tones (13, 31, 32), as discussed in Hollenbach (1984).
The practical orthography for tone works as follows:
Tone Orthography

  • 3 aa
  • 32 aa
  • 31 aa̱
  • 4 aá
  • 5 áá
  • 1 a̱a̱
  • 2 a̱a̱
  • 13 a̱a