Our Vision
To save the Onk Akimel O’odham and Piipaash Languages.
To develop speakers at all age levels.
To hear the languages of the O’odham and Piipaash being spoken in all domains of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
Responsibilities
To provide opportunities for SRPMIC members to learn and acquire the O’odham and Piipaash Languages using a variety of structured, natural and traditional approaches.
To nurture and cultivate the O’odham and Piipaash Languages by planning, promoting and providing opportunities to use and experience the languages in a broad range of contexts.
To develop and distribute materials to SRPMIC members for the purpose of O’odham and Piipaash Language advocacy, promotion, instruction, development, and general awareness.
To research, record, and document the O’odham and Piipaash Languages for maintenance and preservation to assure the survival and vitality of the Languages for SRPMIC members.
What We Have to Offer
O’odham Immersion and Piipaash Language Classes
O’odham and Piipaash Language Based Cultural Arts Classes
Quarterly O’odham and Piipaash Language Based Community Social Activities
Assist community members and departments with translations, spellings and cultural information
Organized gatherings for Elders pertaining to the O’odham and Piipaash Languages
Provide interview opportunities for SRPMIC tribal Elders and cultural practitioners (e.g. singers, dancers, basket weavers, potters, etc.)
O’odham Orthography
Understanding the written form of the O’odham language begins with its orthography — a carefully developed system that reflects the distinct sounds, rhythms, and structure of the language. The modified Alvarez-Hale orthography used by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community includes specific symbols and pronunciation rules to support accurate reading, writing, and teaching of O’odham. Below, you’ll find helpful tools including a pronunciation guide, consonant and vowel charts, explanations of long and short vowels, diphthongs, and the unique sound known as “Engwa.” Whether you’re learning to speak, teach, or simply understand the language more deeply, these resources offer an essential foundation.
O’odham Alphabet
Pronunciation Guide
The O’odham Piipaash Language Program uses a modified version of the Alvarez-Hale Orthography developed by Dr. Albert Alvarez (Tohono O’odham) and Dr. Kenneth Hale. The O’odham Piipaash Language Program has modified this orthography to include the letters d and v to accommodate the O’odham as spoken in this area. This alphabet does not make use of the English letters f, q, r, x, z.
Stress
Stress falls on the initial syllable of the root word.
Vowels
The O’odham alphabet contains five (5) short vowels and five (5) long vowels. The principal difference between long and short vowels is the duration for which they are held. In addition, O’odham has a voiceless (whispered) vowel that is marked with a breve (˘) symbol. Breve vowels usually occur at the end of a word.
Short Vowels
| Letter | Sound | O’odham | Milga:n |
| a | father | ba’ag | eagle |
| e | earth | eldagĭ | skin |
| i | machine | iks | cloth |
| o | all | oks | old woman |
| u | brute | uvĭ | female |
Long Vowels
Breve Vowel
A vowel with a breve above it is pronounced without vibration of your voicebox and with noticeable aspiration. It may be difficult to hear but sounds like a whispered i vowel that is mostly found at the end of words. It is an important sound in O’odham that contributes to a difference in meaning between similar words.
| Letter | Sound | O’odham | Milga:n |
| ĭ | voiceless (whispered i vowel) | svegĭ | red |
Consonants
The O’odham alphabet contains twenty-two (22) consonants
| Letter | Sound | O’odham | Milga:n |
| ‘ | Like the pause in ‘uh-oh’ | ‘a’al | children |
| b | big | ban | coyote |
| c | chip | cehia | little girl |
| d | this | do’ag | mountain |
| ḍ | but | taḍ | foot |
| d | dam | judum | bear |
| g | go | gogs | dog |
| h | hot | huñ | corn |
| j | job | ju:k | rain |
| k | kiss | kanjel | light |
| l | rolling “l“ | lial | money |
| m | miss | mi:tol | cat |
| n | no | nalaṣ | orange |
| ñ | canyon | ñui | buzzard |
| ŋ | thing | va:ŋgo | bank |
| p | pot | pilkañ | pear |
| s | see | sitol | safety pin |
| ṣ | ship | ṣu:ṣk | shoes |
| t | thin | taṣ | sun |
| v | vine | viohog | violin |
| w | what | wuihioṣa | face |
| y | yes | yavĭ | key |
Diphthongs
Diphthongs are most easily explained as instances where one vowel glides into a different vowel. Below are some common diphthongs found in O’odham. In the O’odham alphabet, diphthongs are represented by a sequence of vowel plus vowel.
Piipaash Orthography
The Piipaash language follows a writing system known as the Xalychidom Alphabet, created to reflect the unique sounds and structures of the language as spoken in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. This system includes rules for vowels, consonants, diphthongs, glottal stops, stress, and pluralization — all essential to accurate pronunciation and understanding. Whether you’re exploring Piipaash for the first time or deepening your knowledge, this section offers foundational tools to support respectful language use and continued revitalization. Dive in to learn how the written and spoken forms of Piipaash come together through this community-informed orthography.
The Xalychidom Alphabet
The alphabet we are using is one that has been developed by a group of tribal members from the Community. We use Roman symbols as the English alphabet does, but they do not necessarily represent the same sounds as English letters. So, if you go about trying to read Piipaash as if it were English, you will likely pronounce the words wrong. You will have to learn this writing system letter by letter, and leave English rules aside
Some Maricopa sounds do not exist in English (and vice-versa), so it can be difficult to describe them to English speakers. In the second column below, an approximate English equivalent is provided.
Stress
Stress falls on the final syllable of the root word (e.g., pii-paash΄ not pii΄-paash)
Vowels
The Piipaash alphabet contains five (5) short vowels and five (5) long vowels. The principal difference between long and short vowels is the duration for which they are held.
Short Vowels
| Letter | Sound | Piipaash | English |
| a | like the /a/ in father | ’a | saguaro cactus |
| e | usually like the /e/ in pet | ’ave | snake |
| i | usually like the /i/ in sit | dish | seed |
| o | like the /o/ in go | iitho | stomach |
| u | like the /u/ in flute | kuchar | spoon |
Long Vowels
| Letter | Sound | Piipaash | grape |
| aa | like the /a/ in father | paap | potato |
| ee | usually like the /a/ in play | ’avee | mouse |
| ii | usually like the /ee/ in cheek | mariik | bean |
| oo | like the /o/ in go | iidoo | tooth/teeth |
| uu | like the /u/ in flute | ’uuvs | grape |
Consonants
The Piipaash alphabet contains twenty-six (26) consonant sounds.
| Letter | Sound | Piipaash | English |
| ‘ | like the pause in ”uh-oh’ | ‘ii | wood |
| ch | like the /ch/ in chair | chii | fish |
| d | like the /th/ in there | thadish | corn |
| f | like the /f/ in fish | kafee | coffee |
| k | like the /k/ in kiss | kosh | pig |
| kw | like the /qu/ in queen | kwnxo | basket |
| ky | like the /cu/ in cute | mathkyaaly | ramada |
| l | like the /l/ in land | lames | table |
| ly | like the /ll/ in million | kalyaap | prickly pear |
| m | like the /m/ in man | maa | milk |
| n | like the /n/ in name | npee | wheat |
| ng | like the /ng/ in song | narangk | orange |
| ny | like the /ny/ in canyon | nyaa | I/sun/east/day |
| p | like the /p/ in spin | paan | bread |
| q | like /k/ but pronounced further back in the throat | vqor | fruit |
| qw | like /kw/ but pronounced further back in the throat | qwaaq | deer |
| r | rolled like Spanish /rr/ in perro | rav | chili |
| s | like the /s/ in salt | sny’ak | woman |
| sh | like the /sh/ in share | shiyal | money |
| t | like the /t/ in talk | mat | dirt/earth |
| th | like the /th/ in thousand | tha’ur | chair |
| v | like the /v/ in victory | va | house |
| w | like the /w/ in win | iiwaa | heart |
| x | like the German /ch/ in Bach | xa | water |
| xw | like the /x/ but with rounded lips | milxwee | skunk |
| y | like the /y/ in yes | iiyaa | mouth |
Dipthongs
Diphthongs are most easily explained as instances where one vowel glides into a different vowel. Below are some common diphthongs found in Piipaash. In the Piipaash alphabet, diphthongs are represented by a sequence of vowel plus glide consonant (w or y)
| Letter | Sound | Piipaash | English |
| oy | like the /oy/ in boy | ’akooy | older woman |
| aw | like the /ow/ in cow | xaly’aw | rabbit / cottontail |
| ew | no similar sound in English | chew | pottery |
| ay | like the /ay/ in cayenne | ’iikway | cow |
| uy | like the /uey/ in ‘chop suey’ | kwiduy | watermelon |
Glottal Initial vs. Vowel Initial Words
Piipaash has both glottal initial and vowel initial words. While they may look similar orthographically, they have very distinct pronunciations. Glottal stops are not written in English but they are present in words that begin with a vowel. These words start with a closed glottis (throat) before you begin pronouncing the vowel. Vowel initial words without a glottal stop in front will sound similar to English words beginning with the letter h. In other words, air is flowing freely through the glottis (throat). If the vowel is preceded by a glottal stop, that means no air is passing through the closed throat, therefore, no English /h/ sound.
iiwaa (heewaa) – his/her/its heart
’iiwaa (eewaa) – my heart
The example above also illustrates how the presence or absence of a glottal stop also contributes to a difference in meaning in Piipaash.
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