Talk:Al Mastizu/Grammar/Phonology

/x/

I wonder whether |j| might not be better for /x/ than the current |h|. -- pne 08:45, 30 June 2011 (PDT)

I'm expecting /x/ to have [h] amongst its allophones, and to represent English /h/ --PeteBleackley 02:29, 1 July 2011 (PDT)

/x/ and /S/ -- [h] and [tʃ]

I believe [h]~[x] would be free/dialectal allophones of /x/ and likewise [ʃ]~[tʃ] of /ʃ/ at least in the first generation, since both English and Spanish speakers would have problems sorting out [h] and [x] -- not to mention [ħ]! -- but from opposite ends. Likewise Spanish has no /ʃ/ and Arabic no /tʃ/, so my bet is that English and Spanish /tʃ/ would merge into /ʃ/, but with [tʃ] as a positional allophone after nasals and liquids, so e.g. concienia~conscience might become [kʊn'tʃɛn(t)sɑː]. BPJ

Vowel system

Even to go by what little there is at WP:Arabic phonology I think it likely that the lang would end up with at least a front low vowel of sorts in addition to the official Arabic three. It says "In North west Africa, the (near-)open front vowel /æ/ is raised to [ɛ] or [e] even in Modern Standard Arabic pronunciation." Though it's unclear to me whether the short or long /a(ː)/ or both is meant. Since it is the presence/absence of emphatics and /r/ which trigger [ɑ] rather than [æ] allophones in Arabic, and emphasis is lost I guess the lang would end up with a contrastive [æ]~[ɛ] vowel beside /a i u/, with Spanish /e/, English /æ ɛ eɪ/ becoming this vowel, which may conveniently be transcribed /e/, e. Spanish /ie/ may however become /ja/~/i(j)a/ where English //sj// smushing doesn't prevail. BPJ