Nahuatl:Phonology

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Introduction · Phonology · Pronouns · Particles · Nouns · Verbs · Adjectives · Numbers · Loanwords · Dialects · Toponyms
Nāhuatlahtōlli
Nahuatl
Family
Sub-family
Language of
Script
Uto-Aztecan Aztecan mx.png Mexico Latin

Sounds

Consonants
  Labial Alveolar Post-
alveolar
Palatal Velar Labio-
velar
Glottal
Plosive p /p/ t /t/ c,qu /k/g/ cu,uc /kw/ h/ʔ/
Nasal m /m/ n /n/ nc,nqu /ŋ/
Tap/Flap *r /ɾ/
Fricative *f /ɸ/, *b /β/ c,z /s/ x /ʃ/ uh /ʍ/ h /h/
Affricate tl /t͡ɬ/, tz /t͡s/ ch /t͡ʃ/
Approximant l /l/ y /j/ hu /w/

* These letters are used only for loanwords

Vowels
  Front Near-
front
Central Near-
back
Back
Close ī /i/
Near-close i /ɪ/ ō /ʊ/
Close-mid ē /ɪe/ o /o/
Open-mid e /ɛ/ āa/
Open a /a/ a /α/

Alphabet

a ā p t c e ē h q i ī m n l o ō u x y z

Comparative box
Letter English
aspa
āboard
ppack
ttick
tlbadly
tzcats
ccat, cell
chbeach
cu, ucquit
ebet
ēplay
huh-oh, house
huweep
qukiss
ibit
īfree
mhim
nno
nc, nqsing
llet
ocome
ōhook
uhwhat
xshoe
yyou
zsand

Allophony

In many dialects the voiced consonants are often devoiced in wordfinal position and in consonant clusters: /j/ devoices to a voiceless palatal sibilant /ʃ/, /ʍ/ devoices to a voiceless labialized velar approximant /w/, and /l/ devoices to voiceless alveolar lateral /ɬ/. In some dialects the first consonant in almost any consonant cluster becomes /h/. Some dialects have productive lenition of voiceless consonants into their voiced counterparts between vowels. The nasals are normally assimilated to the place of articulation of a following consonant. The voiceless alveolar lateral affricate /t͡ɬ/ is assimilated after /l/ and pronounced /l/.

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