Gujarati phonology

• Sanskrit's phonemic vowel length has been lost.{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|p=115}} Vowels are long when nasalized or in a final syllable.{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|p=116}}{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|p=116}}
• Gujarati contrasts oral and nasal, and murmured and non-murmured vowels,{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|p=116}} except for {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}}.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=662}}
• In absolute word-final position, the higher and lower vowels of the {{IPA|/e ɛ/}} and {{IPA|/o ɔ/}} sets vary.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=662}}
• {{IPA|/ɛ/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ/}} developed in the 15th century. Old Western Rājasthāni split into the Rajasthani languages and Middle Gujarati.{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|pp=115–116}}
• English loanwords are a source of {{IPA|/æ/}}.{{sfnp|Mistry|1996|pp=391–393}}

• A fourth nasal phoneme is postulated for the phones {{IPA|[ɲ, ŋ]}} and the nasalization of a preceding vowel {{IPA|[Ṽ]}}.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=659}} Before velar and palatal stops, there is variation between these; e.g. {{IPA|[mɑ̃ɡʋũ]}}~{{IPA|[mɑŋɡʋũ]}} ('ask for'), {{IPA|[ɦĩtʃko]}}~{{IPA|[ɦĩɲtʃko]}} ('swing').{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=665}}
• Stops occurring at first members of clusters followed by consonants other than {{IPA|/ɾ, j, ʋ/}} are unreleased; they are optionally unreleased in final position. The absence of release entails deaspiration of voiceless stops.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=665}}
• Intervocalically and with murmuring of vowels, the voiced aspirated stops {{IPA|/ɡʱ, dʱ, bʱ/}} have voiced spirant allophones {{IPA|[ɣ, ð, β]}}. Spirantization of non-palatal voiceless aspirates has been reported as well,{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=665}} including {{IPA|/pʰ/}} being usually realized as {{IPA|[f]}} in the standard dialect.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=665}}
• The two voiced retroflex plosives /ɖʱ, ɖ/ and the retroflex nasal /ɳ/ have flapped subphonemic allophones [ɽʱ, ɽ, ɽ̃]. The plosives /ɖʱ, ɖ/ are unflapped initially, geminated, and after nasal vowels; and flapped intervocalically, finally, and before or after other consonants.{{sfnp|Masica|1991|p=97}} The nasal /ɳ/ is unflapped before retroflex plosives and intervocalically, and in final position varies freely between flapped and unflapped.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=659}}
• {{IPA|/ʋ/}} has {{IPA|[v]}} and {{IPA|[w]}} as allophones.{{sfnp|Mistry|2001|p=275}}
• The distribution of sibilants varies over dialects and registers.
• Some dialects only have {{IPA|[s]}}, others prefer {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, while another system has them non-contrasting, with {{IPA|[ʃ]}} occurring contiguous to palatal segments. Retroflex {{IPA|[ʂ]}} still appears in clusters in which it precedes another retroflex: {{IPA|[spəʂʈ]}} ('clear').{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=658}}
• Some speakers maintain {{IPA|[z]}} as well for Persian and English borrowings. Persian's {{IPA|/z/}}'s have by and large been transposed to {{IPA|/dʒ/}} and {{IPA|/dʒʱ/}}: {{IPA|/dʒindɡi/}} ('life') and {{IPA|/tʃidʒʱ/}} ('thing'). The same cannot be so easily said for English: {{IPA|/tʃiz/}} ('cheese'), which is only more rarely pronounced as {{IPA|/tʃidʒ/}}.
• Lastly, a colloquial register has {{IPA|[s]}}, or both {{IPA|[s]}} and {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, replaced by voiceless {{IPA|[h]}}. For educated speakers speaking this register, this replacement does not extend to Sanskrit borrowings.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=665}}

Phonotactical constraints include:

• {{IPA|/ɭ/}} and {{IPA|/ɳ/}} do not occur word-initially.{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|p=116}}
• Clusters occur initially, medially, and finally. Geminates occur only medially.{{sfnp|Mistry|2003|p=116}}
• Biconsonantal initial clusters beginning with stops have {{IPA|/ɾ/}}, {{IPA|/j/}}, {{IPA|/ʋ/}}, and {{IPA|/l/}} as second members.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=666}} In addition to these, in loans from Sanskrit the clusters {{IPA|/ɡn/}} and {{IPA|/kʃ/}} may occur.
  The occurrence of {{IPA|/ɾ/}} as a second member in consonantal clusters is one of Gujarati's conservative features as a modern Indo-Aryan language. For example, languages used in Asokan inscriptions (3rd century BC) display contemporary regional variations, with words found in Gujarat's Girnar inscriptions containing clusters with {{IPA|/ɾ/}} as the second member not having {{IPA|/ɾ/}} in their occurrence in inscriptions elsewhere. This is maintained even to today, with Gujarati {{IPA|/tɾ/}} corresponding to Hindi {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/tt/}}.{{sfnp|Mistry|2001|p=274}}
• Initially, s clusters biconsonantally with {{IPA|/ɾ, j, ʋ, n, m/}}, and non-palatal voiceless stops.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=666}}
• Triconsonantal initial clusters include {{IPA|/stɾ, spɾ, smɾ/}} - most of which occur in borrowings.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=666}}
• Geminates were previously treated as long consonants, but they are better analyzed as clusters of two identical segments. Two proofs for this:{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=659}}
• The u in geminated uccār "pronunciation" sounds more like the one in clustered udgār ('utterance') than the one in shortened ucāṭ ('anxiety').
• Geminates behave towards (that is, disallow) {{IPA|[ə]}}-deletion like clusters do.

Gemination can serve as intensification. In some adjectives and adverbs, a singular consonant before the agreement vowel can be doubled for intensification.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=670}} #VCũ → #VCCũ.

The matter of stress is not quite clear:

• Stress is on the first syllable except when it doesn't have {{IPA|/a/}} and the second syllable does.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=660}}
• Stress is barely perceptible.{{sfnp|Campbell|1991|p=?}}
• Stress typically falls on the penultimate syllable of a word, however, if the penultimate vowel in a word with more than two syllables is schwa, stress falls on the preceding syllable.[http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=85&menu=004 UCLA Language Materials Project: Gujarati.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605044350/http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=85&menu=004 |date=2011-06-05 }} Retrieved on 2007-04-29

Schwa-deletion, along with a-reduction and {{IPA|[ʋ]}}-insertion, is a phonological process at work in the combination of morphemes. It is a common feature among Indo-Aryan languages, referring to the deletion of a stem's final syllable's {{IPA|/ə/}} before a suffix starting with a vowel.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=660}}

This does not apply for monosyllabic stems and consonant clusters. So, better put, #VCəC + V# → #VCCV#. It also doesn't apply when the addition is an o plural marker (see Gujarati grammar#Nouns) or e as an ergative case marker (see Gujarati grammar#Postpositions).{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|pp=661–662}} It sometimes doesn't apply for e as a locative marker.

A stem's final syllable's {{IPA|/ɑ/}} will reduce to {{IPA|/ə/}} before a suffix starting with {{IPA|/ɑ/}}. #ɑC(C) + ɑ# → #əC(C)ɑ#. This can be seen in the derivation of nouns from adjective stems, and in the formation of passive and causative forms of verb stems.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=662}}

{{notelist|refs={{efn|name=n1|It does not happen a second time.}} {{efn|name=n2|It can take place after an ə-deletion. #ɑCəC + ɑ# → #əCCɑ#.}}}}

Between a stem ending in a vowel and its suffix starting with a vowel, a {{IPA|[ʋ]}} is inserted.{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|p=663}} #V + V# → #VʋV#. This can be seen in the formation of passive and causative forms of verb stems.

The second example shows an ɑ-reduction as well.

ə finds itself inserted between the emphatic particle {{IPA|/dʒ/}} and consonant-terminating words it postpositions.{{sfnp|Cardona|Suthar|2003|p=667}}

{{IPA|/ɦ/}} serves as a source for murmur, of which there are three rules:{{sfnp|Mistry|1997|pp=666–668}}

{{notelist|refs={{efn|name=fn1|Gujarati spelling reflects this mode. The script has no direct notation for murmur.}} {{efn|name=fn2|Rule 1 creates allomorphs for nouns. For example, {{IPA|/ɦəd/}} ('limit') by itself can be {{IPA|ə̤d}}, but can only be {{IPA|ɦəd}} in {{IPA|beɦəd}} ('limitless').}} {{efn|name=fn3|More open.}}}}

The table below compares declensions of the verbs {{IPA|[kəɾʋũ]}} ('to do') and {{IPA|[kɛ̤ʋũ]}} ('to say'). The former follows the regular pattern of the stable root {{IPA|/kəɾ/}} serving as a point for characteristic suffixations. The latter, on the other hand, is deviant and irregular in this respect.

The {{IPA|[kɛ̤ʋũ]}} situation can be explained through murmur. If to a formal or historical root of {{IPA|/kəɦe/}} these rules are considered then predicted, explained, and made regular is the irregularity that is {{IPA|[kɛ̤ʋũ]}} (romanized as kahevũ).

Thus below are the declensions of {{IPA|[kɛ̤ʋũ]}} {{IPA|/ɦ/}}-possessing, murmur-eliciting root {{IPA|/kəɦe/}}, this time with the application of the murmur rules on the root shown, also to which a preceding rule must be taken into account:

: 0. A final root vowel gets deleted before a suffix starting with a non-consonant.

However, in the end not all instances of {{IPA|/ɦ/}} become murmured and not all murmur comes from instances of {{IPA|/ɦ/}}.

One other predictable source for murmur is voiced aspirated stops. A clear vowel followed by a voiced aspirated stop can vary with a pair gaining murmur and losing aspiration: {{IPA|#VCʱ ←→ #V̤C}}.

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{{Gujarati language}}

{{Language phonologies}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gujarati Phonology}}

Category:Gujarati language

Category:Indo-Aryan phonologies