Broken April

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The Albanian alphabet is phonetic; it sometimes uses two letters to indicate a single sound. Some Albanian letters have sound values that do not coincide with those of English. Among them are the following letters, which occur in proper names in Broken April:

Vowels

ë

an unstressed vowel, like “a” in “a lot”

y

German “u” or the “u” of French “rendu, attendu,” etc.

Consonants

c

“ts” as in “curtsy”

ç

“ch” as in “church”

dh

voiced “th” as in “there”

gj

“g” as in “gem”

j

“y” as in “yellow”

q

a sound approximating the shortened sound of “tu” as in “future”

His feet were cold, and each time he moved his numbed legs a little he heard the desolate grating of pebbles under his shoes. But the sense of desolation was really inside him. Never before had he stayed motionless for so long, lying in wait behind a ridge that overlooked the highway.

Daylight was fading. Fearful or simply troubled, he brought the rifle’s stock to his cheek. Soon it would be dusk, and he would not be able to see the sights of the weapon in the fading light. “He’s sure to come by before it’s too dark to take aim,” his father had said. “Just be patient and wait.”

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