Introduction

Abstract

The goal of this study is to provide a baseline description of the sound system of Navajo which can be used as a foundation for further work on the language. There are several reasons why a phonetic description of the sound system is important. First, there is little explicit information available about the phonetic details of Navajo or of any language indigenous to this continent. This kind of information is essential to an adequate account of the phonology and morphology of Navajo, as it is in English or in any language. Without it we are dependent on orthography and on descriptions by linguists who have worked on these languages. While these are valuable descriptions, it is difficult, if not impossible, to reconstruct the habits of a speech community based on these accounts, so they need to be supported by instrumental analyses ¹.