The San Dionisio Ocotepec Zapotec Alphabet

The letters of the San Dionisio Ocotepec Zapotec practical alphabet are

a b c ch d dx dz e f g h i j k l ll m n o p q r rr s t ts u v w x xh y z '

The alphabet follows the spelling conventions of Mitla Zapotec (Stubblefield and Stubblefield 1991).

In this system, the letters have a pronunciation like that in Spanish, with the following exceptions:

dx  is like the first consonant in the word judge [IPA dʒ]

dz is like the last two consonants in the word beds [IPA dz]

ts is like the last two consonants in the word bets [IPA ts]

x   before a consonant is pronounced like the first consonant in sheep [IPA ʃ]

x   before a vowel is pronounced like the second consonant in leisure [IPA ʒ]

xh  is pronounced like the first consonant in sheep [IPA ʃ].  It is used when this sound is not followed by a consonant.