To the
non-native speaker, the proper pronunciation of words in a foreign
language may be a daunting task. Many of us can remember traveling to a
foreign country and trying unsuccessfully to communicate with others in
their native tongue. Here, an effort has been made to aid those interested
in learning the correct pronunciation of Lithuanian, using the
names of some of Lithuania's towns and cities. As in the other lists of this
Pronunciation Guide tutorial, the town names spoken here are done so by a
native of
the country of Lithuania. This list, as well as the others, will hopefully be augmented over time.
The list below represents just a few of the many towns and cities located in
Lithuania. Each name is spoken once,
and then is repeated several seconds later.
These pronunciations have been placed within a single sound "clip" (wav
file.) You will have to listen to the one-minute clip from the beginning,
but may be able to pause or play it again depending on your computer's
media player.
The particular towns and cities listed below have been chosen because, for
the most part, their names
appear within the Museum's website. Left-click onto the earphones icon to
begin the recording. Because the sound clip is a rather large one, it may or may not take a some time to fully
download, depending on the speed of your computer. Good luck! |
Lithuania:
|
Ariogala |
|
Alytus |
|
Babtai |
|
Biržai |
|
Dieveniškės |
|
Eišiškės |
|
Kalvarija |
|
Kaunas |
|
Kėdainiai |
|
Klaipėda |
|
Krakės |
|
Kybartai |
|
Kupiškis |
|
Lazdijai |
|
Marijampolė |
|
Mažeikiai |
|
Molėtai |
|
Naujakiemis |
|
Palanga |
|
Paneriai |
|
Panevėžys |
|
Plungė |
|
Pusalotas |
|
Šiauliai |
|
Seirijai |
|
Šėta |
|
Simnas |
|
Skuodas |
|
Švenčionys |
|
Trakai |
|
Telšiai |
|
Ukmergė |
|
Vandžiogala |
|
Viduklė |
|
Vilijampolė |
|
Vilnius |
|
Žiežmariai |
|
|
|
CONSONANTS |
| LETTER |
PRONUNCIATION |
SYMBOL |
| C |
like ts in
cats |
ts |
| Č |
like ch in
church |
ch |
|
dZ |
like j in
joy |
dzh |
| H, CH |
like h in
him |
h |
| J |
like y in
yes |
y |
| R |
like German
r (trilled) |
r |
| Š |
like sh in
ship |
sh |
| Ž |
like s in
measure |
zh |
| B, D, F, G, K, L, M, N, P,
S, T, V, Z |
pronounced
as in English |
| |
|
VOWELS |
| LETTER |
PRONUNCIATION |
SYMBOL |
| A |
like u in sun |
ah |
|
ą |
like a in car |
uh |
| E (short) |
like e in yellow |
e |
|
E
(long) |
like a in hat |
ah |
| Ė |
like a in man |
a |
| E with carom |
like a
in are |
eh |
| I |
like i
in kid |
i |
|
Y |
like ee
in meet |
ee |
| O (short) |
like o
in hot |
o |
| O (long) |
like o
in more |
oh |
| U |
like u
in put |
u |
|
ū |
like oo
in boot |
oo |
|
|
|
DIPHTHONGS |
| LETTERS |
PRONUNCIATION |
SYMBOL |
|
AI |
like i in fine |
ai |
|
AU |
like ow in cow |
aoo |
|
EI |
like ey in prey |
ei |
|
IAI |
like ai in main |
ai |
|
IE |
like ea in dear |
ie |
|
UI |
like ooey |
ui |
|
UO |
oo + short o sound |
uo |
|