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

Q: How many letters are in the Ladin alphabet?

The Ladin alphabet has 26 letters from the Latin script, plus additional accented characters [1] . This includes 6 vowels (a, e, i, o, u, ü) and 20 consonants, with special characters like č, š, and ž used in some dialects.

Q: What makes the Ladin alphabet unique?

The Ladin alphabet has several distinctive features : • Uses ü (u with diaeresis) for a rounded front vowel • Employs both acute and grave accents (à, è, é, ì, ò, ó, ù) • Some dialects use č, š, ž with carons for specific sounds • Has regional spelling variations across different Ladin valleys

Q: Where is Ladin spoken?

Ladin is spoken in the Dolomite mountain regions of northern Italy: • South Tyrol - Val Badia and Val Gardena valleys • Trentino - Fassa Valley • Belluno - Livinallongo and Ampezzo valleys • Approximately 30,000-40,000 speakers • Officially recognized as a protected minority language [3]

Q: Is Ladin related to other languages?

Yes! Ladin belongs to the Rhaeto-Romance language family : • Closely related to Romansh (spoken in Switzerland) • Also related to Friulian (spoken in northeastern Italy) • These three languages form the Rhaeto-Romance branch • Influenced by Italian, German, and Austrian German due to geographic location • Has distinct grammar and vocabulary from Italian

Q: How do you pronounce Ladin accented vowels?

Ladin uses both acute and grave accents to indicate different vowel qualities: • à, ò, ù - grave accent indicates open vowel with stress • é, ó - acute accent indicates closed vowel with stress • è, ì - grave accent for stress placement • ü - pronounced like German "ü" or French "u" These distinctions are crucial for proper pronunciation !

Q: What is the cultural importance of Ladin?

Ladin has significant cultural and historical value : • Ancient language with roots in Roman Latin • Protected by Union Generela di Ladins dles Dolomites [2] • Used in schools, media, and public administration • Rich oral tradition of poetry, songs, and storytelling • Important symbol of Dolomite cultural identity • The Dolomites (Ladin homeland) are a UNESCO World Heritage Site !

Ladin Alphabet at a Glance

26 letters from Latin script plus additional accented characters: 6 vowels and 20 consonants ^[1]
Spoken by approximately 30,000-40,000 people in the Dolomite regions of northern Italy ^[2]
Rhaeto-Romance language closely related to Romansh and Friulian ^[2]
Features distinctive diacritics: acute/grave accents (à, è, é, ì, ò, ó, ù) and unique ü with diaeresis ^[1]
Some dialects use special characters č, š, and ž with carons ^[1]
Officially recognized and protected as minority language in Italy ^[3]
Language standards maintained by Union Generela di Ladins dles Dolomites ^[2]

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ue]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ue]

Uppercase Consonants:

[beh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[ef-feh]

[jeh]

[ak-kah]

[yod]

[el-leh]

[em-meh]

[en-neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[er-reh]

[es-seh]

[sheh]

[teh]

[veh]

[dzeh-tah]

[zheh]

[beh]

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

[cheh]

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

[cheh]

Uppercase "Č" with caron, 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" in "go".

[ak-kah]

Uppercase consonant "H", often silent or aspirated.

[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 or rolled "r" sound.

[es-seh]

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

[sheh]

Uppercase "Š" with caron, pronounced like "sh".

[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".

[zheh]

Uppercase "Ž" with caron, pronounced like "zh".

Lowercase Consonants:

[beh]

[cheh]

[deh]

[ef-feh]

[jeh]

[ak-kah]

[yod]

[el-leh]

[em-meh]

[en-neh]

[peh]

[koo]

[er-reh]

[es-seh]

[sheh]

[teh]

[veh]

[dzeh-tah]

[zheh]

[beh]

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

[cheh]

Lowercase consonant "c", pronounced like "k" or "ch".

[cheh]

Lowercase "č" with caron, 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 "g" in "go".

[ak-kah]

Lowercase consonant "h", often silent or aspirated.

[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 or rolled "r" sound.

[es-seh]

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

[sheh]

Lowercase "š" with caron, pronounced like "sh" in "ship".

[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".

[zheh]

Lowercase "ž" with caron, pronounced like "zh" in "measure".

A a

[ah]

B b

[beh]

C c

[cheh]

Č č

[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]

Š š

[sheh]

T t

[teh]

U u

[oo]

Ü ü

[ue]

V v

[veh]

Z z

[dzeh-tah]

Ž ž

[zheh]

[ah]

[eh]

[ay]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Lowercase "à" with grave accent, stressed "a" sound.

[ah]

Uppercase "À" with grave accent, stressed "a" sound.

[eh]

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

[eh]

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

[ay]

Lowercase "é" with acute accent, closed "e" sound with stress.

[ay]

Uppercase "É" with acute accent, closed "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.

[oh]

Lowercase "ó" with acute accent, closed "o" sound with stress.

[oh]

Uppercase "Ó" with acute accent, closed "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]

[trei]

[cater]

[cinch]

[sies]

[set]

[ot]

[nef]

[zero]

The number zero.

[un]

The number one.

[doi]

The number two.

[trei]

The number three.

[cater]

The number four.

[cinch]

The number five.

[sies]

The number six.

[set]

The number seven.

[ot]

The number eight.

[nef]

The number nine.

;

A a

[ah]

E e

[eh]

I i

[ee]

O o

[oh]

U u

[oo]

Ü ü

[ue]

Č č

[cheh]

Š š

[sheh]

Ž ž

[zheh]

R r

[er-reh]

A a

[ah]

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

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.

Ü ü

[ue]

Pronounced like German "ü" or French "u". Rounded front vowel.

Č č

[cheh]

Always pronounced "ch" as in "chair", used in some Ladin dialects.

Š š

[sheh]

Pronounced "sh" as in "ship", used in some Ladin dialects.

Ž ž

[zheh]

Pronounced "zh" as in "measure", used in some Ladin dialects.

R r

[er-reh]

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

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Ladin alphabet?

What makes the Ladin alphabet unique?

Where is Ladin spoken?

Is Ladin related to other languages?

How do you pronounce Ladin accented vowels?

What is the cultural importance of Ladin?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Latin Extended-B Block". Retrieved from Unicode Latin Extended-B
[2] Union Generela di Ladins dles Dolomites. "The Ladin Language". Retrieved from Ladin Cultural Institute
[3] Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano - Alto Adige. "Ladin Language and Culture". Retrieved from South Tyrol Ladin Language