Editing Muscogee language (section)

==Orthography==
The traditional Muscogee [[alphabet]] was adopted by many interpreters and chiefs as the "National Alphabet" in 1853<ref name="Innes">Martin 2011, p. 22</ref> and has 20 [[letter (alphabet)|letters]].

Although it is based on the [[Latin alphabet]], some sounds like '''c''', '''e''', '''i''', '''r''', and '''v''' differ from those in [[English language|English]].  Here are the (approximately) equivalent sounds using familiar English words and the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]:

{| class="wikitable"
! Spelling
! Sound (IPA)
! English equivalent
|-
| align="center"|'''a'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|aː}} ~ {{IPA|a}}
| like the "a" in f<u>a</u>ther
|-
| align="center"|'''c'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|tʃ}} ~ {{IPA|ts}}
| like the "ch" in su<u>ch</u> or the "ts" in ca<u>ts</u>
|-
| align="center"|'''e'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|ɪ}}
| like the "i" in h<u>i</u>t
|-
| align="center"|'''ē'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|iː}}
| like the "ee" in s<u>ee</u>d
|-
| align="center"|'''f'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|f}}
| like the "f" in <u>f</u>ather
|-
| align="center"|'''h'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|h}}
| like the "h" in <u>h</u>atch
|-
| align="center"|'''i'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|ɛj}} ~ {{IPA|ɛ}}:
| like the "ay" in d<u>ay</u>
|-
| align="center"|'''k'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|k}}
| like the "k" in s<u>k</u>im
|-
| align="center"|'''l'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|l}}
| like the "l" in <u>l</u>ook
|-
| align="center"|'''m'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|m}}
| like the "m" in <u>m</u>oon
|-
| align="center"|'''n'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|n}}
| like the "n" in moo<u>n</u>
|-
| align="center"|'''o'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|oː}} ~ {{IPA|ʊ}} ~ {{IPA|o}} 
| like the "o" in b<u>o</u>ne or the "oo" in b<u>oo</u>k
|-
| align="center"|'''p'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|p}}
| like the "p" in s<u>p</u>ot
|-
| align="center"|'''r'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|ɬ}}
| [[Voiceless alveolar lateral fricative|a sound]] that does not occur in English but is often represented as "hl" or "thl" in English spellings. The sound is made by blowing air around the sides of the tongue while pronouncing English ''l'' and is identical to [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''ll''.
|-
| align="center"|'''s'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|s}}
| like the "s" in <u>s</u>pot
|-
| align="center"|'''t'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|t}}
| like the "t" in s<u>t</u>op
|-
| align="center"|'''u'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|ʊ}} ~ {{IPA|o}}
| like the "oo" in b<u>oo</u>k or the "oa" in b<u>oa</u>t
|-
| align="center"|'''v'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|ə}} ~ {{IPA|a}}
| like the "a" in <u>a</u>bout
|-
| align="center"|'''w'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|w}}
| like the "w" in <u>w</u>et
|-
| align="center"|'''y'''
| align="center"|{{IPA|j}}
| like the "y" in <u>y</u>et
|}

There are also three vowel sequences whose spellings match their phonetic makeup:<ref>Hardy 2005, pg. 202</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Spelling
! Sound (IPA)
! English equivalent
|-
| '''eu'''
| {{IPA|iʊ}}
| similar to the exclamation "ew!". A combination of the sounds represented by '''e''' and '''u'''
|-
| '''ue'''
| {{IPA|oɪ}}
| like the "oy" in b<u>oy</u>
|-
| '''vo'''
| {{IPA|aʊ}} ~ {{IPA|əʊ}}
| like the "ow" in h<u>ow</u>
|}

===Consonants===
As mentioned above, certain consonants in Muscogee, when they appear between two [[sonorant consonant|sonorants]] (a vowel or '''m''', '''n''', '''l''', '''w''', or '''y'''), become [[voiced consonant|voiced]].<ref name="Innes" /> They are the consonants represented by '''p''', '''t''', '''k''', '''c''', and '''s''':

* '''c''' can sound like {{IPA|[dʒ]}}, the "j" in <u>j</u>ust
* '''k''' can sound like {{IPA|[ɡ]}}, the "g" in <u>g</u>oat
* '''p''' can sound like {{IPA|[b]}}, the "b" in <u>b</u>oat
* '''s''' can sound like {{IPA|[z]}}, the "z" in <u>z</u>oo
* '''t''' can sound like {{IPA|[d]}}, the "d" in <u>d</u>ust

===Vowel length===
While vowel length in Muscogee is distinctive, it is somewhat inconsistently indicated in the traditional spelling. The following basic correspondences can be noted:

* The short vowel '''v''' with the long vowel '''a''' ({{IPA|/a/}} vs. {{IPA|/aː/}})
* The short vowel '''e''' with the long vowel '''ē''' ({{IPA|/i/}} vs. {{IPA|/iː/}})
* The short vowel '''u''' with the long vowel '''o''' ({{IPA|/o/}} vs. {{IPA|/oː/}})

However, the correspondences do not always apply,<ref>Hardy 2005, pp. 201-2</ref> and in some words, short {{IPA|/a/}} is spelled '''a''', long {{IPA|/iː/}} is spelled '''e''', and short {{IPA|/o/}} is spelled '''o'''.

===Nonstandard orthography===
Muscogee words carry distinctive [[tone (linguistics)|tone]]s and [[nasalization]] of their vowels. These features are not usually marked in the traditional spelling, but may be indicated in dictionaries and linguistic publications. The following additional markers have been used by Martin (2000) and Innes (2004):

* '''Falling tone''' in a syllable is shown using a [[circumflex]]. In English, falling tone is found in phrases such as "uh-oh" or commands such as "stop!" In Muscogee, however, changing a verb such as {{lang|mus|acces}} ("she is putting on (a dress)") to {{lang|mus|âcces}} alters the meaning from one of process to one of state ("she is wearing (a dress)").
* '''Nasalization''' of a vowel is shown with an [[ogonek]] under the vowel. Changing the verb {{lang|mus|acces}} to {{lang|mus|ącces}} adds the [[imperfective aspect]], a sense of repeated or habitual action ("she kept putting on (that same dress)").