We can divide Mingo Consonants into two basic classes: those which are basically voiced, and those which are basically voiceless. "Voiced" refers to the buzzing sounds your vocal chords make when they vibrate. Try saying the word "buzz", and holding the z-sound for a long time. If you put your fingers on your throat while you do this, you can feel your vocal chords vibrating. "Voiceless" sounds, on the other hand, are made without vibrating your vocal chords. Try saying "bus", and drawing out the s-sound for a long time. Now if you feel your throat, you can tell that there is no vibration in your vocal chords, no "buzzing" feeling.
There are five basically voiceless consonants in Mingo: -h-, -k-, -s-, -t- and -'-.
The voiceless consonant -h- is pronounced like the h in English "house". -h- can occur at the beginning of words, or in the middle of words between two vowels, just like in English.
However, unlike English, in Mingo an -h- can also occur in the middle of a word either right before another consonant (as in the sequences -hk-, -hs-, -ht-, -hw- and -hy-) or right after another conosonant (as in the sequences -kh-, -th- and -sh-).
The Mingo -h- is always pronounced the same, no matter what position it is in, but it is important to pay attention to those cases where it occurs in places that the English h doesn't. If you simply skip over the -h-, or don't pronounce it clearly, you may find yourself saying something that you did not intend!
The voiceless consonant -k- is pronounced like the c in English "scam". When the Mingo -k- occurs right in front of a vowel, -w-, or -y- it will often sound like an English g, as in "go".
However, when the Mingo -k- occurs before an -h-, -n-, -s- or -t-, it sounds more like the c in English "cape".
Although these seem like two different sounds to English ears, they really act as a single sound, -k-, in Mingo.
The voiceless consonant -s- is pronounced like the s in English "soup". The Mingo -s- is very much like the English s, and should be very easy for you to learn.
When -s- occurs with a -y- immediately following it, the whole sequence -sy- is pronounced like the sh in English "ship".
Be careful with the sequence -sh-. In Mingo, the -s- and the -h- must always be pronounced separately, like in the English phrase "grass hut". In Mingo, -sh- is never pronounced like the sh in English "ship".
However, when the Mingo -t- occurs before an -h- or a -k-, it sounds more like the t in English "two".
Although these seem like two different sounds to English ears, they really act as a single sound, -t-, in Mingo. The sound -t- occurs in special combinations with a number of other sounds:
The sequence -th- in Mingo is pronounced like the t in English "top". The Mingo -th- is never pronounced like the th in English words like "that" or "path".
The sequence -ts- in Mingo is pronounced like the ds in English "suds".
The sequence -tsi- in Mingo is prounced like the English word "gee".
The sequence -ths- in Mingo is pronounced like the ts in English "cats".
The sequence -thsi- in Mingo is pronnounced like the chee in English "cheese".
The sequence -ty- in Mingo is pronounced like the d y in the English phrase "bad year".
The sequence -tsy- in Mingo is pronounced like the j in English "jail".
The sequence -thy- in Mingo is pronounced like the ch in English "church".
The last voiceless consonant in Mingo is -'-, called the "glottal stop". The is the hardest Mingo sound for English speakers to learn. In truth, it is a very simple sound. It is called a "glottal stop" because to make this sound you cut off the stream of air as it goes through your throat (as opposed to cutting it off once it has reached your mouth, as in the pronunciation of -t- or -k-). Most English speakers do not use the glottal stop very often, although it does occur as the little silent pause in the middle of the expression "uh-oh".
It will probably take you a good while of listening to tapes and speaking with native speakers to master the glottal stop sound, especially when it occurs at the end of a word, where it can be very hard for English ears to pick up. However, in time, you should be able to hear and produce this sound quite fluently.
The voiced consonant -n- is pronounced like the n in English "night".
The voiced consonant -w- is pronounced like the w in English "wall".
The voiced consonant -y- is pronounced like the y in English "yes".