The vowels have continental values. They are as follows, the first
example being a Navaho word, the second the closest approximation to the
sound in an English word:
a gad (juniper) father
e ké (shoe) met
i sis (belt) or as in sit or as in
dishááh (I'm starting) pique
o doo (not) note
Vowels may be either long or short in duration, the long vowel being
indicated by a doubling of the letter. This never affects the quality of
the vowel, except that long i is always pronounced as in pique.
sis (belt) is short siziiz (my belt) is long
Vowels with a hook beneath the letter are nasalized. That is, some of
the breath passes through the nose in their production. After n, all
vowels are nasalized and are not marked.
tsinaab{a(}{a(}s (wagon)
j{í(} (day)
k{ó(}{ó(} (here)