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====Nasal Vowels==== | ====Nasal Vowels==== | ||
When nasal consonants (''m, n, ń'') stand before a consonant or in word-final position, they merge with the preceding vowel or diphthong and cause it to nasalise; ''m'' and ''n'' both disappear, leaving the preceding vowel/diphthong slightly lengthened, while ''ń'' becomes [ȷ̃], e.g. ''aun'' "river" [ãũˑ], ''genta'' "girl" [gɛ̃ˑtɐ], ''camvon'' "whelp" [kãˑβɔ̃ˑ], ''dońva'' "people" (GDPl.) [dɔ̃ȷ̃βɐ]. | When nasal consonants (''m, n, ń'') stand before a consonant or in word-final position, they merge with the preceding vowel or diphthong and cause it to nasalise; ''m'' and ''n'' both disappear, leaving the preceding vowel/diphthong slightly lengthened, while ''ń'' becomes [ȷ̃], e.g. ''aun'' "river" [ãũˑ], ''genta'' "girl" [gɛ̃ˑtɐ], ''camvon'' "whelp" [kãˑβɔ̃ˑ], ''dońva'' "people" (GDPl.) [dɔ̃ȷ̃βɐ]. | ||
====Syllabic ''r, n'' and ''l''==== | |||
The liquids ''r, n'' and ''l'' occasionally occur as the nucleus of a syllable (i.e. between two consononts or between a consonant and pausa) and become syllabic, e.g. ''zvegrna'' "father-in-law", ''eznga'' "bird-like", ''dazldeja'' "meeting-house". Today these sounds are only pronounced as syllabic /r̩, n̩, l̩/ in higher or more formal registers while in the vernacular ''r'' is pronounced /a/, ''n'' as /ũ/ and ''l'' as /u/. This is sometimes reflected in spelling, i.e. ''zvegana'', ''ezunga'' ''dazuda''. | |||
===Stress=== | ===Stress=== |
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