The Complete Lojban Language
| [ŋ̍ ] | An allowed variant of Lojban syllabic n, especially in Lojbanized names. |
| [o] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban o. As in the French « haute (cuisine) » or Spanish “como”. There is no exact English equivalent of this sound. The nearest GA equivalent is the “o” of “dough” or “joke”, but it is essential that the off-glide (a [w]-like sound) at the end of the vowel is not pronounced when speaking Lojban. The RP sound in these words is [əw] in IPA terms, and has no [o] in it at all; unless you can speak with a Scots, Irish, or American accent, you may have trouble with this sound. |
| [ɔ] | An allowed variant of Lojban o, especially before r. This sound is a shortened form of the “aw” in GA “dawn” (for those people who don't pronounce “dawn” and “Don” alike; if you do, you may have trouble with this sound). In RP, but not GA, it is the “o” of “hot”. |
| [p] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban p. As in English “pay”, “super”, or “up”. |
| [r] | One version of Lojban r. Not an English sound. The Spanish “rr” and the Scots “r”, a tongue-tip trill. |
| [ɹ] | One version of Lojban r. As in GA “right”, “baron”, or “car”. Not found in RP. |
| [ɾ] | One version of Lojban r. In GA, appears as a variant of “t” or “d” in the words “metal” and “medal” respectively. A tongue-tip flap. |
| [ʀ] | One version of Lojban r. Not an English sound. The French or German « r » in « reine » or „rot“ respectively. A uvular trill. |
| [r̩], [ɹ̩], [ɾ ̩], [ʀ̩] | Syllabic versions of the above. [ɹ̩] appears in the GA (but not RP) pronunciation of “bird”. |
| [s] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban s. As in English “so”, “basin”, or “yes”. |
| [ʃ] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban c. The “sh” of English “ship”, “ashen”, or “dish”. |
| [ʂ] | An allowed variant of Lojban c. Not an English sound. The Hindi retroflex “s” with dot below, or Klingon “S”. |
| [t] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban t. As in English “tea”, “later”, or “not”. It is important to avoid the GA habit of pronouncing the “t” between vowels as [d] or [ɾ]. |
| [θ] | Not normally a Lojban sound, but a possible variant of Lojban '. The “th” of English “thin” (but not “then”). |
| [v] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban v. As in English “voice”, “savor”, or “live”. |
| [w] | Used in Lojban diphthongs beginning or ending with u. Like the “w” in English “wet” [wɛt] or “cow” [kɑw]. |
| [x] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban x. Not normally an English sound, but used in some pronunciations of “loch” and “Bach”; “gh” in Scots “might” and “night”. The German „Ach-Laut“. To pronounce [x], force air through your throat without vibrating your vocal chords; there should be lots of scrape. |
| [ʏ] | A possible Lojban buffer vowel. Not an English sound: the „ü“ of German „hübsch“. |
| [z] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban z. As in English “zoo”, “hazard”, or “fizz”. |
| [ʒ] | The preferred pronunciation of Lojban j. The “si” of English “vision”, or the consonant at the end of GA “garage”. |
| [ʐ] | An allowed variant of Lojban j. Not an English sound. The voiced version of [ʂ]. |
3.11 English Analogues For Lojban Diphthongs
Here is a list of English words that contain diphthongs that are similar to the Lojban diphthongs. This list does not constitute an official pronunciation guide; it is intended as a help to English-speakers.
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