This Sahtúot’įnę Yatį́ example was taken from a text by George Blondin. This story has been transcribed into both the current Roman orthography (left) and a traditional North Slavey Syllabic orthography (on the right). The story is in the Bear Lake dialect.
As the traditional syllabics orthography was designed for the Hare dialect of North Slavey, I have had to make some small changes here. Following the pattern of sound changes between the North Slavey Dialects would result in ᐟᒐ, ᕮ, and ᒐ sounding like /gwa/, both /kwa/ and /kw’a/, and /wha/. These sounds could also easily have been written ᑲᐧ, ᒼᑲᐧ, and ᑋᐧᐊ, but as the Hare syllabics reanalysed the ᕮ and ᒐ series, so I will do the same for Bear Lake Slavey. I am also being very generous with my use of ᑋ for /h/. The Hare syllabics used this final only quite rarely, where I am writing it wherever present in the modern Roman text.
Unicode places all finals at the top-line, where Dene requires some finals to be top-line, some mid-line, and some baseline. The location of the final is vital to correct pronunciation. Please note that your browser may not be able to accomodate the mid-line and baseline finals.
Dene łíi sį súré beʔį́kǫ́ natsę xáhwe weda k’ę́ boréta Yamoria héredi. Ɂeyi sį ʔareyǫ́né dene nahkw’uwe beʔį́kǫ́ nátse láni k’ę́ beghǫ gots’ede.
Łá łue túébá nákédǝ dene bets’ékwé góhłį hé betúwé nésha ká ts’ékuwe dedáłe. T’á łue túé ghá mį́ dakitl’u t’á dzįné taonéht’é mį́ ghákeyeda. Gots’ę deri t’ere sį gah goxoe dahętl’į t’á dzįné taonéht’e gah goxoe gháyeda.
Hayįlé gah goxóé ts’é t’ere nadéła. Níhts’į húle déhyǝ́ két’á nayeda yilé, níhts’į húle t’á ts’u náyedále, hayilé whagek’e ts’ú ładet’e sį náyeda, begha súdi t’á yets’édehła yegháyeda, dáhsó ʔat’į yeniwę whá yegháyídá tl’ą dekǫ́ę́ ts’énedéhła.
Dekǫ́ę́ níniła, detá deno hé ʔeká ʔagóhdi ʔeyi ts’u ʔek’áʔat’i whá begháyídá hadi. Ɂegúhni yáhni ʔaóht’e t’á Ɂį́k’ó t’á dene hįłǫ benázhǝ. Cha ʔagot’į ʔekúhyǝ́ góʔǫ ʔagóht’e t’á t’áhsį ʔeká ʔagǫht’e ʔekúkadi ʔat’íle ʔeyi t’á betá sį xadahxǫ benázhǝ t’á ʔat’į sóni. Betá ʔekáʔayéhdi “Sacho xoe ts’é naniła gots’ę k’ét’á nayįłe gots’ę ʔeyi ts’uh ʔehłádet’e ʔat’į nídé bets’ériła bedo negónehsį ʔeyi gháré kánidi” hadi “ʔahsí duhsį yeninewe nídé ʔeká hejǫ nedowida sedá goghǫ godǝ nídé nezǫ gha nidi,” hanídé ʔedlá ʔagodǝ gha sóni betá yéhdi.
Ɂeká ʔaja hayįlé ts’uhya t’adenéhwé. Ɂekagháí sį ʔareyǫ́né nehkáyįhdla. Ɂeyi ts’uh náyįʔa sį betl’a sį bebíya nákǝ whela, kehtsǝ dúyé ʔeyi t’á t’ere dehdze dała láí ʔahet’e t’á bebí sí neríwha, deʔǝ́ t’á yeyiwha, yehé najinéhła.
ᑌᓀ ᒼᕄ ᓯᐠ ᓱᑌ ᐯᐥᐃᐠᒼᑯᐠ ᓇᐟᓭᐠ ᒼᐊᑋᐁᐧ ᐁᐧᑕ ᒅᐠ ᐳᑌᕳ ᔭᒧᑎᐊ ᑋᐁᑌᑎ. ᐁᔨ ᓯᐠ ᐊᑌᔪᐠᓀ ᑌᓀ ᓇᑋᕭᐁᐧ ᐯᐥᐃᐠᒼᑯᐠ ᓇᐟᓭ ᕍᓂ ᒅᐠ ᐯᖌᐠ ᑯᐟᓭᑌ.
ᒼᕍ ᒼᕊᐁ ᕲᐁᐸ ᓇᒼᑫᑌ ᑌᓀ ᐯᐟᓭᕫ ᑯᑋᒼᕄᐠ ᑋᐁ ᐯᕲᐁᐧ ᓀᗴ ᒼᑲ ᐟᓭᒼᑯᐁᐧ ᑌᑕᒼᕃ. ᑪ ᒼᕊᐁ ᕲᐁ ᖍ ᒥᐠ ᑕᒼᑭᐟᕊ ᑪ ᐟᘛᐠᓀ ᕳᐅᓀᑋᑧ ᒥᐠ ᖍᒼᑫᔦᑕ. ᑯᐟᓭᐠ ᑌ ᑎ ᑧᑌ ᓯᐠ ᑲᑋ ᑯᒼᐅᐁ ᑕᑋᐫᐟᕄᐠ ᑪ ᐟᘛᐠᓀ ᕳᐅᓀᑋᑧ ᑲᑋ ᑯᒼᐅᐁ ᖍᔦᑕ.
ᑋᐊᔨᐠᕃ ᑲᑋ ᑯᒼᐅᐁ ᐟᓭ ᑧᑌ ᓇᑌᒼᕍ. ᓂᑋᐟᓯᐠ ᑋᐅᕃ ᑌᑋᔦ ᒼᑫᑪ ᓇᔦᑕ ᔨᕃ, ᓂᑋᐟᓯᐠ ᑋᐅᕃ ᑪ ᐟᓱ ᓇᔦᑕᕃ, ᑋᐊᔨᕃ ᒐᑫᒅ ᐟᓱ ᒼᕍᑌᑧ ᓯᐠ ᓇᔦᑕ, ᐯᖍ ᓱᑎ ᑪ ᔦᐟᓭᑌᑋᒼᕍ ᔦᖍᔦᑕ, ᑕᑋᓱ ᐊᑨᐠ ᔦᓂᐁᐧᐠ ᒐ ᔦᖍᔨᑕ ᐟᕍᐠ ᑌᒼᑯᐠᐫ ᐟᓭᓀᑌᑋᒼᕍ.
ᑌᒼᑯᐠᐫ ᓂᓂᒼᕍ, ᑌᕳ ᑌᓄ ᑋᐁ ᐁᒼᑲ ᐊᑯᑋᑎ ᐁᔨ ᐟᓱ ᐁᒈᐥᐊᑨ ᒐ ᐯᖍᔨᑕ ᑋᐊᑎ. ᐁᑯᑋᓂ ᔭᑋᓂ ᐊᐅᑋᑧ ᑪ ᐃᐠᒇ ᑪ ᑌᓀ ᑋᐬᒼᕊᐠ ᐯᓇᗯ. ᐟᗴ ᐊᑯᑨᐠ ᐁᒼᑯᑋᔦ ᑯᐥᐅᐠ ᐊᑯᑋᑧ ᑪ ᑪᑋᓯᐠ ᐁᒼᑲ ᐊᑯᐠᑋᑧ ᐁᒼᑯᒼᑲᑎ ᐊᑨᕃ ᐁᔨ ᑪ ᐯᕳ ᓯᐠ ᒼᐊᑕᑋᒼᐭ ᐯᓇᗯ ᑪ ᐊᑨᐠ ᓱᓂ. ᐯᕳ ᐁᒼᑲᐥᐊᔦᑋᑎ, ᓴᐟᗱ ᒼᐅᐁ ᐟᓭ ᓇᓂᒼᕍ ᑯᐟᓭᐠ ᒅᑪ ᓇᔨᐠᒼᕃ ᑯᐟᓭᐠ ᐁᔨ ᐟᓱᑋ ᐁᑋᒼᕍᑌᑧ ᐊᑨᐠ ᓂᑌ ᐯᐟᓭᑎᒼᕍ ᐯᑐ ᓀᑯᓀᑋᓯᐠ ᐁᔨ ᖍᑌ ᒼᑲᓂᑎ, ᑋᐊᑎ, ᐊᑋᓯ ᑐᑋᓯᐠ ᔦᓂᓀᐁᐧ ᓂᑌ ᐁᒼᑲ ᑋᐁᐟᗱᐠ ᓀᑐᐃᐧᑕ ᓭᑕ ᑯᖌᐠ ᑯᑌ ᓂᑌ ᓀᘕᐠ ᖍ ᓂᑎ, ᑋᐊᓂᑌ ᐁᐟᕍ ᐊᑯᑌ ᖍ ᓱᓂ ᐯᕳ ᔦᑋᑎ.
ᐁᒼᑲ ᐊᐟᗴ ᑋᐊᔨᐠᕃ ᐟᓱᑋᔭ ᑪᑌᓀᑋᐁᐧ. ᐁᒼᑲᖍᐃ ᓯᐠ ᐊᖊᔪᐠᓀ ᓀᑋᒼᑲᔨᐠᑋᐟᕍ. ᐁᔨ ᐟᓱᑋ ᓇᔨᐠᐥᐊ ᓯᐠ ᐯᐟᕍ ᓯᐠ ᐯᐱᔭ ᓇᒼᑫ ᒉᕍ, ᒼᑫᑋᐟᓭ ᑐᔦ ᐁᔨ ᑪ ᑧᑌ ᑎᑋᐟᘚ ᑕᒼᕍ ᕍᐃ ᐊᑋᐁᑧ ᑪ ᐯᐱ ᓯ ᓀᑎᒐ, ᑌᐥᐁ ᑪ ᔦᔨᒐ, ᔦᑋᐁ ᓇᐟᗰᓀᑋᒼᕍ.