Prepausal Endings
This is a unique feature of Oneida where most, almost all, words are spoken slightly differently when the word is at the end of a sentence, or if it is the only word in a sentence. There are three kinds of prepausal endings. The last syllable is either:
cut off, which may affect the pronunciation of the syllable in front
replaced by a different syllable, which affects its spelling
whispered
All prepausal endings are indicated with an underline on the vowel of the last syllable, as seen below. When the word is at the end of a sentence, it is said to be in its "prepausal form". Otherwise, the word is in its "medial form".
Cut-off Endings
This is the most common kind of prepausal ending. The last syllable will be cut off, which may affect the pronunciation of the preceding syllable. It may also affect where the stress (emphasis) occurs.
Replaced Syllable
This is not too common, and mostly occurs with words that end with an "L" sound. This affects the spelling of the word, too. Therefore, you will two written versions of the word, depending on where the word occurs in the sentence.
Whispered Syllables
These are commonly referred to as a "whispered ending". This is probably the least common kind of prepausal ending. The last syllable is still pronounced but it is whispered.
Examples
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Wá·tluʔ naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲ |
Tó· naʔteyakohsliyá·ku né· saksotha̲ |
Wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·telu̲ʔ |