Veytharian - Phonology

Profile

• Vowels: /a e i o u ae/
• Reduced secondary vowel: [e~schwa] in unstressed syllables
• Diphthongs: /ei ai ou au/
• Consonants: /p b t d k g m n f v s z sh zh h kh th dh l r w j/
• Syllable structure: (C)(C)V(C)(C)
• Stress: usually on the first lexical syllable
• Sound character: denser, harder, windier and less open than Veyrathi

Inventory count

• Core vowels: 6
• Productive diphthongs: 4
• Core consonants: 19
• Overall impression: smaller vowel system with higher consonant density than in Veyrathi

Main phonetic differences to Veyrathi

• Veytharian open final syllables are often reduced or closed in Veytharian.
• The sequence ey usually becomes ei.
• Many historical final vowels are no longer spoken in finite forms.
• Old derivational suffixes remain recognizable, but in a shifted form:
• -ath -> -eth
• -ir -> -ei

Typical phonetic rules

• Word-final voiced obstruents are often weakened in fast speech.
• r can be vocalized after diphthongs or realized very briefly.
• h is weak between vowels and is almost absent in some coastal varieties.
• dh fluctuates between soft fricative sound and short approximant realization.

Prosody

• Main sentence intonation falls late and clearly.
• Polar questions usually have an early rise in the finite verb position.
• Subordinate clauses often form a tighter block prosodically than in Veyrathi, which audibly supports the verb-final structure.

Phonotactic tendencies

• Initial clusters with s, sh, kh, th plus Liquid are permitted.
• End clusters with r, l, n, th, sh are regular.
• Foreign consonant sequences are usually resolved by a weak e.

Exemplary minimal oppositions

• veir = speak
• vair = select
• thal = Advice
• thel = open
• tor = Door
• tour = far gate / outside gate