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The {{IPA|[ɲ]}} phone is sometimes considered to be a phoneme, and is recognized as a distinct sound by speakers, but it is phonemically analyzed as {{IPA|/nj/}}. While any underlying {{IPA|/sj/}} is also realized as {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, the latter is not just a phone but a phoneme, as it occurs in environments where an underlying {{IPA|/sj/}} would be impossible: {{IPA|/ʃ/}} is a common coda, but {{IPA|/j/}} cannot occur in a coda after another consonant. | The {{IPA|[ɲ]}} phone is sometimes considered to be a phoneme, and is recognized as a distinct sound by speakers, but it is phonemically analyzed as {{IPA|/nj/}}. While any underlying {{IPA|/sj/}} is also realized as {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, the latter is not just a phone but a phoneme, as it occurs in environments where an underlying {{IPA|/sj/}} would be impossible: {{IPA|/ʃ/}} is a common coda, but {{IPA|/j/}} cannot occur in a coda after another consonant. | ||
Old Lifashian used to have a {{IPA|/ð/}} phoneme which was inconsistently written as '''d''' or '''l''' in the early stages of Lifashian writing (around the 7th century), but already by the beginning of the 9th century all words that were written with alternating '''d''' or '''l''' are consistently written with '''l'''. Lifashian {{IPA|/ð/}} in fact merged with {{IPA|/l/}} unless before consonants (or after '''n'''), where it merged with {{IPA|/d/}}; this is easily noticed from the fact that {{IPA|[ð]}} from multiple loanword sources before the spread of Islam is reflected as {{IPA|/l/}}: see for example Greek given names such as ''Δηϊδάμεια'' > ''Lilamiyá'' or ''Θουκυδίδης'' > ''Fókílil'' (but ''Δρυάδα'' > ''Driálá''<ref>This form is attested in early Lifashian; later Lifashian borrowed an ''-adá'' suffix from Medieval Greek, so that the modern form of this name has been archaized as ''Driádá''.</ref> for a preconsonantal example) or general nouns such as ''δελφῖνος'' > ''lalfín'' and ''στάδιον'' > ''setálam''.<ref>Earlier, prehistoric borrowings likely entered Pre-Lifashian at a time when the contrast was still an aspiration one between two plosives, as shown most notably by Akkadian {{IPA|[d]}} being consistently reflected as Lifashian {{IPA|/l/}}, cf. Akkadian ''dišpu'' and Lifashian ''lesp'' "honey".</ref> Later in Lifashian history, foreign {{IPA|[ð]}} is borrowed as {{IPA|/d/}}, or indirectly as {{IPA|/z/}} from Arabic through Persian; however, up to the early 20th century Greek scientific loans often recognized the pattern and use {{IPA|/l/}} instead of {{IPA|/d/}}: see e.g. ''línosawr'' "dinosaur". | Old Lifashian used to have a {{IPA|/ð/}} phoneme which was inconsistently written as '''d''' or '''l''' in the early stages of Lifashian writing (around the 7th century), but already by the beginning of the 9th century all words that were written with alternating '''d''' or '''l''' are consistently written with '''l'''. Lifashian {{IPA|/ð/}} in fact merged with {{IPA|/l/}} unless before consonants<ref>Except before {{IPA|/j/}}, where the result is {{IPA|/lij-/}}: see for example Greek ''Διονύσιος'', borrowed as ''Liyonúsi''.</ref> (or after '''n'''), where it merged with {{IPA|/d/}}; this is easily noticed from the fact that {{IPA|[ð]}} from multiple loanword sources before the spread of Islam is reflected as {{IPA|/l/}}: see for example Greek given names such as ''Δηϊδάμεια'' > ''Lilamiyá'' or ''Θουκυδίδης'' > ''Fókílil'' (but ''Δρυάδα'' > ''Driálá''<ref>This form is attested in early Lifashian; later Lifashian borrowed an ''-adá'' suffix from Medieval Greek, so that the modern form of this name has been archaized as ''Driádá''.</ref> for a preconsonantal example) or general nouns such as ''δελφῖνος'' > ''lalfín'' and ''στάδιον'' > ''setálam''.<ref>Earlier, prehistoric borrowings likely entered Pre-Lifashian at a time when the contrast was still an aspiration one between two plosives, as shown most notably by Akkadian {{IPA|[d]}} being consistently reflected as Lifashian {{IPA|/l/}}, cf. Akkadian ''dišpu'' and Lifashian ''lesp'' "honey".</ref> Later in Lifashian history, foreign {{IPA|[ð]}} is borrowed as {{IPA|/d/}}, or indirectly as {{IPA|/z/}} from Arabic through Persian; however, up to the early 20th century Greek scientific loans often recognized the pattern and use {{IPA|/l/}} instead of {{IPA|/d/}}: see e.g. ''línosawr'' "dinosaur". | ||
{{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. |
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