The Friulian Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Accented Letters & Numerals

Q: How many letters are in the Friulian alphabet?

The Friulian alphabet has 25 letters from the Latin script [1] . This includes 5 vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and 20 consonants, with the distinctive letter ç (c with cedilla).

Q: What makes the Friulian alphabet unique?

The Friulian alphabet has several distinctive features : • Uses ç (c with cedilla) to represent the "ch" sound • Employs grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù) to mark stress and pronunciation • The letter j is pronounced like "y" in English • Has a trilled "r" sound like other Romance languages

Q: Where is Friulian spoken?

Friulian is primarily spoken in: • Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy • Particularly in the provinces of Udine, Pordenone, and Gorizia • Approximately 600,000 speakers • The language is officially recognized and protected by regional law [2]

Q: Is Friulian similar to Italian?

While Friulian and Italian are both Romance languages, they are quite different : • Friulian is a Rhaeto-Romance language , not an Italian dialect • It has distinct grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation • More closely related to Romansh (Switzerland) and Ladin (northern Italy) • Has Celtic and Germanic influences not found in Italian

Q: How do you pronounce Friulian accented vowels?

Friulian uses grave accents to indicate stress and open vowel sounds: • à - open "a" sound, stressed • è - open "e" sound (like "bet"), stressed • ì - stressed "i" sound (like "see") • ò - open "o" sound, stressed • ù - stressed "u" sound (like "food") These accents help distinguish word meanings and proper pronunciation !

Q: What is the cultural significance of Friulian?

Friulian has deep cultural importance : • Rich literary tradition dating back to the 13th century • Protected by ARLeF (Regional Agency for the Friulian Language) [2] • Used in education, media, and public administration • Recognized by UNESCO as a language worthy of preservation [3] • Strong cultural identity for the Friulian people!

Friulian Alphabet at a Glance

25 letters: 5 vowels and 20 consonants
Spoken by approximately 600,000 people in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeastern Italy
Officially recognized and protected regional language in Italy
Uses Latin script for writing ^[1]
Features distinctive letter ç (c with cedilla) and grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù)
Rhaeto-Romance language closely related to Romansh and Ladin
Protected by ARLeF (Regional Agency for the Friulian Language) ^[2]

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Uppercase Consonants:

[beh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[ef-feh]

[jeh]

[ak-kah]

[yod]

[el-leh]

[em-meh]

[en-neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[er-reh]

[es-seh]

[teh]

[veh]

[dzeh-tah]

[eeks]

[dop-yoh veh]

[beh]

Uppercase consonant "B", pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[cheh]

Uppercase consonant "C", pronounced like "k" or "ch".

[cheh]

Uppercase consonant "Ç" with cedilla, pronounced like "ch".

[deh]

Uppercase consonant "D", pronounced like "d" in "day".

[ef-feh]

Uppercase consonant "F", pronounced like "f" in "food".

[jeh]

Uppercase consonant "G", pronounced like "g" or "j".

[ak-kah]

Uppercase consonant "H", silent in Friulian.

[yod]

Uppercase consonant "J", pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[el-leh]

Uppercase consonant "L", pronounced like "l" in "love".

[em-meh]

Uppercase consonant "M", pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[en-neh]

Uppercase consonant "N", pronounced like "n" in "name".

[peh]

Uppercase consonant "P", pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Uppercase consonant "Q", used before "u", pronounced like "kw".

[er-reh]

Uppercase consonant "R", trilled "r" sound.

[es-seh]

Uppercase consonant "S", pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[teh]

Uppercase consonant "T", pronounced like "t" in "top".

[veh]

Uppercase consonant "V", pronounced like "v" in "very".

[dzeh-tah]

Uppercase consonant "Z", pronounced like "ts" or "dz".

[eeks]

Uppercase consonant "X", rare in Friulian.

[dop-yoh veh]

Uppercase consonant "W", rare, used in loanwords.

Lowercase Consonants:

[beh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[ef-feh]

[jeh]

[ak-kah]

[yod]

[el-leh]

[em-meh]

[en-neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[er-reh]

[es-seh]

[teh]

[veh]

[dzeh-tah]

[eeks]

[dop-yoh veh]

[beh]

Lowercase consonant "b", pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[cheh]

Lowercase consonant "c", pronounced like "k" before a, o, u, or "ch" before e, i.

[cheh]

Lowercase consonant "ç" with cedilla, pronounced like "ch" in "chair".

[deh]

Lowercase consonant "d", pronounced like "d" in "day".

[ef-feh]

Lowercase consonant "f", pronounced like "f" in "food".

[jeh]

Lowercase consonant "g", pronounced like hard "g" in "go" or soft "j" before e, i.

[ak-kah]

Lowercase consonant "h", silent in Friulian.

[yod]

Lowercase consonant "j", pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[el-leh]

Lowercase consonant "l", pronounced like "l" in "love".

[em-meh]

Lowercase consonant "m", pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[en-neh]

Lowercase consonant "n", pronounced like "n" in "name".

[peh]

Lowercase consonant "p", pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Lowercase consonant "q", used before "u", pronounced like "kw".

[er-reh]

Lowercase consonant "r", trilled "r" sound.

[es-seh]

Lowercase consonant "s", pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[teh]

Lowercase consonant "t", pronounced like "t" in "top".

[veh]

Lowercase consonant "v", pronounced like "v" in "very".

[dzeh-tah]

Lowercase consonant "z", pronounced like "ts" or "dz".

[eeks]

Lowercase consonant "x", rare in Friulian, pronounced like "ks".

[dop-yoh veh]

Lowercase consonant "w", rare, used in loanwords.

A a

[ah]

B b

[beh]

C c

[cheh]

Ç ç

[cheh]

D d

[deh]

E e

[eh]

F f

[ef-feh]

G g

[jeh]

H h

[ak-kah]

I i

[ee]

J j

[yod]

L l

[el-leh]

M m

[em-meh]

N n

[en-neh]

O o

[oh]

P p

[peh]

Q q

[koo]

R r

[er-reh]

S s

[es-seh]

T t

[teh]

U u

[oo]

V v

[veh]

Z z

[dzeh-tah]

A a

[ah]

First letter of the Friulian alphabet. Vowel pronounced "ah".

B b

[beh]

Second letter. Consonant pronounced "b".

C c

[cheh]

Third letter. Consonant pronounced "k" or "ch".

Ç ç

[cheh]

C with cedilla. Pronounced "ch" in "chair".

D d

[deh]

Fourth letter. Consonant pronounced "d".

E e

[eh]

Fifth letter. Vowel pronounced "eh".

F f

[ef-feh]

Sixth letter. Consonant pronounced "f".

G g

[jeh]

Seventh letter. Consonant pronounced "g" or "j".

H h

[ak-kah]

Eighth letter. Usually silent in Friulian.

I i

[ee]

Ninth letter. Vowel pronounced "ee".

J j

[yod]

Tenth letter. Consonant pronounced like "y".

L l

[el-leh]

Eleventh letter. Consonant pronounced "l".

M m

[em-meh]

Twelfth letter. Consonant pronounced "m".

N n

[en-neh]

Thirteenth letter. Consonant pronounced "n".

O o

[oh]

Fourteenth letter. Vowel pronounced "oh".

P p

[peh]

Fifteenth letter. Consonant pronounced "p".

Q q

[koo]

Sixteenth letter. Consonant used with "u", pronounced "kw".

R r

[er-reh]

Seventeenth letter. Consonant with trilled "r" sound.

S s

[es-seh]

Eighteenth letter. Consonant pronounced "s".

T t

[teh]

Nineteenth letter. Consonant pronounced "t".

U u

[oo]

Twentieth letter. Vowel pronounced "oo".

V v

[veh]

Twenty-first letter. Consonant pronounced "v".

Z z

[dzeh-tah]

Twenty-fifth letter. Consonant pronounced "ts" or "dz".

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Lowercase "à" with grave accent, open "a" sound with stress.

[ah]

Uppercase "À" with grave accent, open "a" sound with stress.

[eh]

Lowercase "è" with grave accent, open "e" sound with stress.

[eh]

Uppercase "È" with grave accent, open "e" sound with stress.

[ee]

Lowercase "ì" with grave accent, stressed "i" sound.

[ee]

Uppercase "Ì" with grave accent, stressed "i" sound.

[oh]

Lowercase "ò" with grave accent, open "o" sound with stress.

[oh]

Uppercase "Ò" with grave accent, open "o" sound with stress.

[oo]

Lowercase "ù" with grave accent, stressed "u" sound.

[oo]

Uppercase "Ù" with grave accent, stressed "u" sound.

[zero]

[un]

[doi]

[tre]

[cuatri]

[cinc]

[sîs]

[siet]

[vot]

[nûf]

[zero]

The number zero.

[un]

The number one.

[doi]

The number two.

[tre]

The number three.

[cuatri]

The number four.

[cinc]

The number five.

[sîs]

The number six.

[siet]

The number seven.

[vot]

The number eight.

[nûf]

The number nine.

;

A a

[ah]

E e

[eh]

I i

[ee]

O o

[oh]

U u

[oo]

C c

[cheh / keh]

Ç ç

[cheh]

G g

[jeh / geh]

J j

[yod]

R r

[er-reh]

A a

[ah]

Pronounced like "a" in "father". Open vowel sound.

E e

[eh]

Pronounced like "e" in "bet". Mid-front vowel.

I i

[ee]

Pronounced like "ee" in "see". Close front vowel.

O o

[oh]

Pronounced like "o" in "go". Mid-back vowel.

U u

[oo]

Pronounced like "oo" in "food". Close back vowel.

C c

[cheh / keh]

Before e, i: pronounced "ch" as in "chair". Before a, o, u: pronounced "k" as in "cat".

Ç ç

[cheh]

Always pronounced "ch" as in "chair", regardless of following vowel.

G g

[jeh / geh]

Before e, i: soft "j" sound. Before a, o, u: hard "g" as in "go".

J j

[yod]

Pronounced like "y" in "yes". Semivowel sound.

R r

[er-reh]

Trilled or rolled "r" sound, typical of Romance languages.

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Friulian alphabet?

What makes the Friulian alphabet unique?

Where is Friulian spoken?

Is Friulian similar to Italian?

How do you pronounce Friulian accented vowels?

What is the cultural significance of Friulian?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Basic Latin Unicode Block (U+0000-U+007F)". Retrieved from Unicode Basic Latin
[2] ARLeF - Agjenzie Regjonâl pe Lenghe Furlane. "The Friulian Language". Retrieved from ARLeF (Friulian Agency)
[3] UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages. "Friulian Language Status". Retrieved from UNESCO Languages Atlas