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{{IPA|/ŋ/}} generally cannot start a word, but it can be found in syllable-initial position inside a word, as e.g. in ''tengámi'' "I pull" {{IPA|/teˈŋɑːmi/}}, ''bungonf'' "imitation" {{IPA|/ˈbuŋoɱf/}}, or more generally in the declined forms of any masculine noun ending with that phoneme, as e.g. ''payengi'' "the Post" {{IPA|/ˈpæjeŋi/}}. Phonetically, for many speakers, it is realized as a geminate {{IPA|[ŋː]}}, but it may vary from speaker to speaker and the gemination is often not found at the start of the stressed syllable. | {{IPA|/ŋ/}} generally cannot start a word, but it can be found in syllable-initial position inside a word, as e.g. in ''tengámi'' "I pull" {{IPA|/teˈŋɑːmi/}}, ''bungonf'' "imitation" {{IPA|/ˈbuŋoɱf/}}, or more generally in the declined forms of any masculine noun ending with that phoneme, as e.g. ''payengi'' "the Post" {{IPA|/ˈpæjeŋi/}}. Phonetically, for many speakers, it is realized as a geminate {{IPA|[ŋː]}}, but it may vary from speaker to speaker and the gemination is often not found at the start of the stressed syllable. | ||
In preconsonantal position, there is no contrast between {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/ʃ/}}; written Lifashian, however, shows that for a long time there was a contrast between them at least before the four consonants {{IPA|/m n r l/}}, as shown by the written sequences '''sym, syn, syr, syl'' found in some words<ref>See for example words such as ''bésylam'' "flag" (a Late Latin loan, from ''vexillum''). Today this written distinction is still maintained in new coinings in the case of derivational suffixes (most notably ''-né'') attached to roots or stems ending in ''-sy''; see e.g. ''Esmérkowkasyné'' "Southern Caucasus" or ''somaldánesyné'' "university".</ref>. In the modern standard and in the majority of dialects the preconsonantal sound is realized as {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, while in a few dialects the realization is {{IPA| | In preconsonantal position, there is no contrast between {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/ʃ/}}; written Lifashian, however, shows that for a long time there was a contrast between them at least before the four consonants {{IPA|/m n r l/}}, as shown by the written sequences '''sym, syn, syr, syl'' found in some words<ref>See for example words such as ''bésylam'' "flag" (a Late Latin loan, from ''vexillum''). Today this written distinction is still maintained in new coinings in the case of derivational suffixes (most notably ''-né'') attached to roots or stems ending in ''-sy''; see e.g. ''Esmérkowkasyné'' "Southern Caucasus" or ''somaldánesyné'' "university".</ref>. In the modern standard and in the majority of dialects the preconsonantal sound is realized as {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, while in a few dialects the realization is {{IPA|[s]}}. The same pattern is found with the voiced counterparts {{IPA|/z/}} and {{IPA|/ʒ/}}. | ||
===Vowels=== | ===Vowels=== |
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