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; 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 beɂį́kǫ́ natsę xáhwe weda k’ę́ boréta Yamoria héredi. Ɂeyi sį ɂareyǫ́né dene nahkw’uwe beɂį́kǫ́ ɂnátse 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 ɂat’į yeniwę whá yegháyídá tl’ą dekǫ́ę́ ts’énedéhła.
Dekǫ́ę́ níniła, detá deno hé ɂeká ɂagóhdi ɂeyi ts’u ɂek’áɂat’i whá begháyídá hadi. Ɂegúhni yáhni ɂaóht’e t’á Ɂį́k’ó t’á dene hįłǫ benázhǝ. Cha ɂagot’į ɂekúhyǝ́ góɂǫ ɂagóht’e t’á t’áhsį ɂeká ɂagǫht’e ɂekúkadi ɂat’íle ɂeyi t’á betá sį xadahxǫ benázhǝ t’á ɂat’į sóni. Betá ɂekáɂayéhdi “Sacho xoe ts’é naniła gots’ę k’ét’á nayįłe gots’ę ɂeyi ts’uh ɂehłádet’e ɂat’į nídé bets’ériła bedo negónehsį ɂeyi gháré kánidi” hadi “ɂahsí duhsį yeninewe nídé ɂeká hejǫ nedowida sedá goghǫ godǝ nídé nezǫ gha nidi,” hanídé ɂedlá ɂagodǝ gha sóni betá yéhdi.
Ɂeká ɂaja hayįlé ts’uhya t’adenéhwé. Ɂekagháí sį ɂareyǫ́né nehkáyįhdla. Ɂeyi ts’uh náyįɂa sį betl’a sį bebíya nákǝ whela, kehtsǝ dúyé ɂeyi t’á t’ere dehdze dała láí ɂahet’e t’á bebí sí neríwha, deɂǝ́ 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 ᑌᑎ 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.