In learning to pronounce Volapük, the first
difficulty is to avoid sounding the vowels a e i o u like their
English names A E I O U.
Always think of them and speak of them by their Volapük names. Originally they had the same sounds in English.
| The Volapük syllables | pa | pe | pi | po | pu |
| are not to be read | pay | pea | pie | Po | pew |
| but like the English syllables, | pa | pay | pea | Po | poo (shampoo) |
Read them over carefully several times, then drop the p sound and repeat
| a | e | i | o | u |
The adding of another consonant at the end does not change the vowel sound ; therefore, pet is pronounced pate (not pet) ; pit is pronounced pete (not pit) ; pot rhymes with goat, not with got; put rhymes with boot, not with but, nor with foot.
When you meet with a new Volapük word do not "jump" at its pronunciation by guessing what the letters might spell in English, but consider each sound. If necessary to analyze it, do so in the following manner: begin at the last vowel ; sound it alone ; prefix a consonant ; affix another consonant, if any until the last syllable is sounded ; then build up another syllable in the same way ; sound the two together, accenting the last, then the next syllable, sounding all three, and so on.
Thus, to read the word Volapükatidel:
e, |
A. |
de, |
day. |
del, |
dále. |
i, |
E. |
ti, |
tea. |
tidel, |
tea-dále. |
a, |
ah. |
ka, |
kah. |
katidel, |
kah-tea-dále. |
ü, |
—— |
pü, |
pü. |
pükatidel, |
pükáh-teadále. |
a, |
ah. |
la, |
lah. |
lapükatidel, |
lah-pükáh-teadále. |
o, |
oh, owe. |
vo, |
vo. |
volapükatidel, |
voláh-pükáh-teadále. |
