lang/pages/laantas/phono.md

---
title: Lántas phonology
backname: Lántas
backlink: .
...

# Vowels

**TODO vowel diagrams**

There are three basic vowels `/i a u/`, diphthongs `/ai au iə uə/`, and
syllabic consonants `/m̩ n̩ r̩ l̩/`. Neither of these last two sets have a length
distinction, and have the same duration as a long vowel. Note that `/u uː/` are
substantially more central than `/i iː/`, and the initial place of `/uə/` is
further back than pure `/uː/`.

Long vowels, and syllabic consonants other than `{l}`, are spelt with a acute
accent: `{í á ú ḿ ń ŕ}`. A syllabic `{l}`, because of its height, replaces the
acute with a stroke: `{ł}`. The diphthongs are spelt `{ai au ia ua}`.


## Allophony

**TODO other diagrams**

* After a velar consonant, including `/ɫ w/`, the vowels
  `/a aː ai i iː iə u uː uə/` are backed and lowered to the forms labelled
  `[ɑ ɑː ɑe ɛ eː eə ɔ oː ɔə]`,
  respectively, in the figures above.
* After `/j/`, `/i iː iə/` become `[e eː eə]`.
* After `/tʃ dʒ ʃ j/`, `/u uː/` is fronted to `[y ʉː]`.
* Before a syllabic consonant, a small schwa may be inserted if necessary to
  make pronunciation easier. This is most common between `/ln̩ nl̩/` and two copies
  of a single sound. For example, `{kalń}` 'cat': `/kaln̩/` → `[kɐlᵊn]`.
* `/r̩ l̩/` are pronounced as `[ɻː ɫ̩ː]`.
* Syllabic `/n̩/` assimilates to `[ŋ̍]` before a velar consonant; no other
  assimilation for syllabic nasals occurs, though. (It does for *non*-syllabic
  nasals, though; see below.)
* Unstressed short vowels are somewhat reduced, `/a/` more than the others.


# Consonants

Where unspecified, consonants are spelt the same way as in IPA.

:::figure

                 Labial          Dental           Postalveolar        Velar
------------ ------------- ------------------ ------------------- -------------
     Plosive    `/p b/`          `/t d/`       `/tʃ dʒ/` `{č ǧ}`     `/k ɡ/`
   Fricative     `/f/`      `/θ s/` `{ƶ, s}`     `/ʃ/` `{š}`      `/x/` `{h}`
       Nasal     `/m/`            `/n/`
        Flap  `/ɾ/` `{r}`
 Approximant     `/w/`            `/l/`              `/j/`
:::

The phonemes `/p t tʃ k s ʃ m n ɾ l x/` can be geminated. For the purposes of
syllable structure, geminated consonants are counted the same as two separate
ones. Geminate versions of most consonants are spelt by doubling the letter:
`{pp}`, `{tt}`, `{kk}`, etc.

In places I have forgotten to update, `/θ/` might be written `{þ}` or `{ð}`.

## Allophony

- Before `/i iː iə/`, `/ɾ/` becomes `[ʑ̞]`.
- A nasal followed by a plosive assimilates to the same place of articulation
  (but for compound words this is not reflected in the spelling), for example
  `{rabanpa}` `[ravampa]` 'what book?'.
- The sequences `/tʃs/` is pronounced as `[tʃː]`, and `/ʃs sʃ ʃj sj/` are all
  `[ʃː]`.
- Nasals before `/s x/` decay to a nasalisation of the previous vowel, or are
  dropped entirely if that vowel is a syllabic consonant.
- Voiced plosives `/b d dʒ ɡ/` become fricatives `[v ð ʒ ɣ]` between proper
  vowels. The allophone `[v]` is pronounced `[β]` by some speakers.
- The velar fricative `/x/` becomes `[h]` before `/r̩/`, and is palatalised to
  `[ç]` before `/i iː iə/`.
- Long `/tʃː/` is pronounced as `[ṯːʃ]` (distinct from the `[tʃː]` coming from
  `/tʃs tʃʃ/`). Long `/ɾ l/` become `[ʐː ɫː]`.
- Non-final `/l/` is velarized `[ɫ]` after a back vowel (including the
  allophones `[ɑ ɑː]`). After other vowels, it is palatalised.
- Non-syllabic `/l/` is pronounced as `[ɬʲ]` at the end of words, even after a
  back vowel. After `/t/` it is `[ɬ]`. The phoneme `/ɾ/` is also devoiced `[ɾ̥]`
  word-finally. The sequence `/lθ/` is realised as `[ɬʲː]`.
- In many dialects, the long obstruents `/pː tː tʃː kː sː ʃː/` are pronounced as
  ejectives `[pʼ tʼ tʃʼ kʼ sʼ ʃʼ]`, and the long sonorants `/mː nː lː/` as
  `[bᵐ dⁿ ɮˠː]`.


# Syllable structure

The allowed shape of a syllable is *CV*(*C*) where *V* is any vowel and *C* any
consonant, as long as all clusters take one of the following forms:

- *KC*, where *K* can be any of `/m n l r θ s ʃ t/` _(coda consonants)_;
- *FN*, where *F* can be `/f θ s ʃ x/` _(fricatives)_ and
  *N* can be `/m n/` _(nasals)_;
- *P*`/s/`, where *P* can be `/p t tʃ k/` _(voiceless plosives)_;
- `/pj bj lj rj/`;
- geminate consonants.

Aside from these, a word can also start with a vowel. At the end of a word, the
consonants from *K* are allowed. A syllabic consonant cannot be next
to the non-syllabic form of the same consonant---for example, the sequences
`/ll̩/` and `/l̩l/` are not possible. Two distinct syllabic consonants can be next
to each other, however, even without a non-syllabic consonant in between.

Sometimes an inflectional ending can cause an invalid sequence of syllabic and
non-syllabic consonant. In this case, the sequence is replaced with `{a}` plus a
long form of the consonant: `{suaƶł}` 'speaker'---`{suaƶalla}` 'from a
speaker'.


# Stress

Words are stressed on the first long vowel, if there is one. If there are no
long vowels, _or_ the only one is in the final syllable of a multi-syllabic
word, then the stress is on the first syllable. For the purposes of deciding
stress placement, neither diphthongs nor syllabic consonants are counted as
long.


# Epenthesis

Some affixes begin with a consonant. Occasionally, this will cause an illegal
consonant cluster. In this case a vowel will be inserted. The vowel depends on
the affix being added, so it is given at the same time as the affix itself. If
multiple affixes are added, only the extra vowels necessary to make the word
legal are inserted, going left to right: as further affixes are stacked, they
might surface and vanish again. See, for instance, the examples given for
[adjectival genitives](nouns.html#adjectivals).