The previous chapters described that there are two sets of aspirated stops:
1. kh, ph, th (soft or glottal aspiration, 7% of stops in texts)
2. kȟ, pȟ, tȟ (guttural or velar aspiration, 12% of stops in texts)
The distribution of these two sets of stop is mostly predictable because they occur before different vowels. The following table shows the distribution of the two types of stops before vowels:
| kȟ / pȟ / tȟ | kh / ph / th |
| occur before | occur before |
| a | i |
| aŋ | iŋ |
| o | |
| uŋ | u |
| e | e |
One can easily memorize that kh, ph, th come before i, iŋ, u. Then kȟ, pȟ, tȟ come before everything else.
The situation is not so clear cut before the vowel e. Both types of aspiration can occur before e although they are often not interchangeable. You can find out more about the aspirated stops before e in NLD.1 page 698.
Below is an exercise for the distribution of kh, ph, th versus kȟ, pȟ, tȟ. Fill the proper stop based on the rule described in the table above (you will need to read NLD.1 page 698 to know the answers for the last 7 questions):
1: to shoot
2: it is hot
3: to fight
4: country
5: nose
6: to be full (of food)
7: anima hide
8: house
9: rope
10: to throw at sb
11: abalone, crockery
12: the top of something
13: large
14: prairie turnip
15: nostrils
16: upper lip; nose or snout or muzzle of animals
17: the first time
18: at all costs
19: grandmother
20: cheek
21: to be born
22: turtle
23: really, truly
24: sharp pointed
25: for a long time
26: to love sm/smth
27: young, new
28: both
29: I will say (from epȟÁ – I say)
