Introduction to the Latvian Alphabet and Pronunciation for English Speakers

Overview of the Latvian Alphabet

The Latvian alphabet consists of 33 letters, based on the Latin script. It includes several special characters with diacritical marks that are essential for correct pronunciation. Understanding these letters is the first step for English speakers learning Latvian.

Basic Latin Letters

Latvian uses most of the standard Latin letters familiar to English speakers, such as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, Z.

Special Latvian Letters with Diacritics

In addition to the basic letters, Latvian includes letters with diacritical marks that change the sound of the letter. These are Ā, Č, Ē, Ģ, Ī, Ķ, Ļ, Ņ, Š, Ū, and Ž.

Pronunciation of Latvian Letters

Pronunciation in Latvian is generally phonetic, meaning words are pronounced as they are written. However, some letters and diacritics represent sounds that may be unfamiliar to English speakers.

Vowels and Their Pronunciation

Latvian has 10 vowels: A, Ā, E, Ē, I, Ī, U, Ū, O, and sometimes Y. The macron (ā, ē, ī, ū) indicates a long vowel sound.

Consonants and Their Pronunciation

Some consonants have special pronunciations due to diacritics:

Pronunciation Tips for English Speakers

English speakers may find some Latvian sounds unfamiliar, especially the palatalized consonants (Ģ, Ķ, Ļ, Ņ). These are pronounced with the middle of the tongue raised towards the roof of the mouth, similar to the 'ny' sound in 'canyon' or the 'lli' in 'million'.

Practice listening to native speakers and repeating sounds to improve your pronunciation. Remember that vowel length (short vs. long) can change the meaning of words in Latvian.