The phonetics of the Passamaquoddy dialect are comparatively simple. In the Mitchell manuscripts, the scribe followed a spelling influenced variously by both English and French, frequently using _b_, _d_, _g_, for _p_, _t_, _k_; _j_ for _tc_, and a purely arbitrary system of vocalization employing _a_, _u_, _e_ for the indeterminate vowel _u_ or _'_, often omitting entirely the rough breathing _‛_, or representing it by _h_. It was, therefore, clearly impossible to reproduce Mitchell's texts literally, so I have followed, as far as was feasible, the system used in my "Morphology of the Passamaquoddy Language of Maine," Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, LIII, pp. 92-117, the principles of which follow herewith:
There are no nasal vowels, as in Penobscot and Abenaki.
_h_ is the simple breathing, but the inverted comma _‛_ is a glottal catch like a very soft Arabic _ḥ_.
_l_ often carries its own inherent vowel similar to the heavy Russian _l_. This sound is represented in the following material by an elevated _e_, before the _l_ (_εl_).
_n_ before consonants carries its own inherent vowel, as _nki_, pron. _ŭnkî_.
_p_, _t_, _k_, are voiceless surds, pronounced almost like _b_, _d_, _g_ between vowels and never like English, _p(h)_, _t(h)_, _k(h)_.
_tc_, _dc_ represent almost the same sound, between a palatalized English _ch_ and a palatalized English _j_, similar to Polish _ć_ and _ź_.
_s_ between vowels is frequently pronounced _z_ and written thus.
_w_ after _k_ (= _kw_) represents the final Algonquin "whistle," as _ke‛kw_ = _keḥkwu_; _w_ in general is a weak consonant; sometimes initial _w_ almost = _u_, as w_'liko_ = _uliko_.
The intonation of Passamaquoddy is highly tonic, showing a voice-raise which often varies, apparently arbitrarily, with various speakers. Thus, such a word as _lakutwâk'n_ has the voice-lift on the first syllable, a drop on the second, lift on the third, and drop on the fourth. As I have noticed so many stress-variations often of the same vocable by different Passamaquoddy speakers, the accent has been rarely indicated in the following texts. The peculiarity of the voice-lift seems to be distinctively Passamaquoddy, as the kindred Maliseets usually speak monotonously, with no especially noticeable voice-lift. The Abenakis also have frequently a monotonous tone, amounting practically to a drawl. All these idioms of the Wabanaki are spoken in a low pitch and almost never with the strong emphasis and often loud voice of western Indian languages such as the Dakota.