The Superscribed Letters
Three consonants can be written on top of other consonants. Those superscribed letters are almost never pronounced themselves, but they change the pronunciation of the consonant they are placed on, by raising its tone pitch. For the beginner this change might be difficult to notice since it's only a slight variation from the pronunciation of the consonants when they have no superscribed letter.
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The Three Superscribed Letters
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| Letter |
Name |
English Phonetic Name |
| : |
:-1#}- |
Ra-go (Ra-head) |
| ; |
;-1#}- |
La-go (La-head) |
| = |
=-1#}-í |
Sa-go (Sa-head) |
Each superscribed letter cannot be written on all consonants. Below is a list of all possible combinations and how to pronounce them.
| The Twelve Ra-go Letters and Their Pronunciation |
| F |
ka |
G |
ga |
H |
nga |
I |
ja |
J |
nya* |
K |
ta |
| L |
da |
M |
na |
N |
ba |
O |
ma |
P |
tsa |
Q |
dza |
| *Note how different from others the Ra-go is drawn when placed on Nya. |