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Kiuj sounds like Kiwi?

by Alkanadi, August 19, 2014

Messages: 14

Language: English

Alkanadi (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 7:38:35 AM

Just to be clear, does Kiuj sound like Kiwi (the fruit)?

nornen (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 7:40:06 AM

Alkanadi:Just to be clear, does Kiuj sound like Kiwi (the fruit)?
No, it does not. The i and the u are in different syllables and they are both full vowels. The j is supposed to be a consonant.
It is pronounced like "key" (sxlosilo) and "uy" like in Spanish "muy".
So basically something like ['ki.uj] (which is just the Esperanto word in square brackets, lol).

sudanglo (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 9:00:05 AM

For the uj think of the vowel sound in 'cooee' (is anybody there?), but keep the 'ee' short

Now add 'kee' in front stressing it. So KEE-ooee.

The sound of 'Kiwi' (the fruit) in Esperanto would be kiŭi

Miland (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 10:37:06 AM

Alkanadi:Just to be clear, does Kiuj sound like Kiwi (the fruit)?
No, because the second syllable of kiuj (i.e. uj) is a diphthong, of which the first part is a pure vowel u. Your lips should be rounded when pronouncing it (more than when saying kiwi).

kaŝperanto (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 11:18:00 AM

I second the recommendation for "key" and "uy".

(My darned brain typed both of those with the 'j' the first time)

sergejm (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 1:06:48 PM

Listen:kiuj

Alkanadi (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 2:01:11 PM

sergejm:Listen:kiuj
Thanks. That really helps. It sounds like Key-oo-ee

Fenris_kcf (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 2:35:22 PM

Alkanadi:It sounds like Key-oo-ee
No, like "kiuj".
Using English orthography to clarify the pronunciation of a word is like eating soup with a fork — works to a certain degree, but is definitely the wrong tool for it.

nornen (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 5:05:04 PM

Fenris_kcf:
Alkanadi:It sounds like Key-oo-ee
No, like "kiuj".
Using English orthography to clarify the pronunciation of a word is like eating soup with a fork — works to a certain degree, but is definitely the wrong tool for it.
QFT

sparksbet (User's profile) August 19, 2014, 7:27:31 PM

Fenris_kcf:
Using English orthography to clarify the pronunciation of a word is like eating soup with a fork — works to a certain degree, but is definitely the wrong tool for it.
While obviously Esperanto words are best represented in their own orthography, I defy you to name the "right" tool (or any other tool, for that matter) for clarifying pronunciation in writing to a monolingual English speaker who doesn't know the IPA.

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