| Letter
|
Context
|
IPA
|
Examples
|
Remarks
|
| b
|
word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨m⟩ or ⟨n⟩
|
[b]
|
|
|
| elsewhere (i.e. after a vowel, even across a word boundary, or after any consonant other than ⟨m⟩ or ⟨n⟩)
|
[β̞]
|
|
|
| c
|
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩
|
[tʃ] or [ʃ] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|
| elsewhere
|
[k]
|
|
|
| before voiced consonants
|
[ɣ˕]
|
|
|
| ch
|
everywhere
|
[tʃ] or [ʃ] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|
| ç
|
everywhere
|
[θ] or [s] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|
| d
|
word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨l⟩ or ⟨n⟩
|
[d̪]
|
|
|
| after ⟨n⟩ word-finally
|
Ø
|
|
|
| elsewhere
|
[ð̞]
|
|
|
| f
|
everywhere
|
[f]
|
|
|
| g
|
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ not before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩
|
[dʒ]
|
|
|
| before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts
|
[ʒ]
|
|
|
| not before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩
|
[ɡ]
|
|
|
| not before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts
|
[ɣ˕]
|
|
|
| gh
|
everywhere
|
[ʕ]
|
|
In Arabic loanwords
|
| gu
|
before ⟨a⟩ or ⟨o⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩
|
[ɡw]
|
|
|
| before ⟨a⟩ or ⟨o⟩, and not in the above contexts
|
[ɣ˕w]
|
|
|
| before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩
|
[ɡ]
|
|
|
| before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts
|
[ɣ˕]
|
|
|
| gü
|
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩
|
[ɡw]
|
|
|
| before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩, and not in the above contexts
|
[ɣ˕w]
|
|
|
| h
|
everywhere
|
[h] or [ħ] or [x]
|
|
Generally occurs in loanwords.
|
| everywhere (rare)
|
Ø
|
|
Occurs in loanwords where the letter is silent in the original language. May be pronounced [h] as a spelling pronunciation.
|
| j
|
either word-initial after a pause, or after ⟨n⟩
|
[dʒ]
|
|
|
| elsewhere
|
[ʒ]
|
|
|
| k
|
rare; only occurs in a few loanwords and sensational spellings
|
[k]
|
|
|
| l
|
everywhere
|
[l]
|
|
|
| lh
|
everywhere
|
[ʎ]
|
|
|
| m
|
everywhere except word-finally
|
[m]
|
|
|
| word-final
|
[n] or [ŋ] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|
| n
|
everywhere but before other consonants and word-finally
|
[n]
|
|
|
| before other consonants
|
[m]; [ɱ]; [n]; [n̪]; [ɲ]; [ŋ]
|
|
Assimilates to the following consonant’s place of articulation.
|
| word-finally
|
[n] or [ŋ] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|
| nh
|
everywhere
|
[ɲ]
|
|
|
| p
|
everywhere
|
[p]
|
|
|
| in the consonant cluster ⟨pt⟩
|
[β̞]
|
|
|
| qu
|
before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩
|
[k]
|
|
|
| elsewhere
|
[kw]
|
|
|
| qü
|
only occurs before ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩
|
[kw]
|
|
|
| r
|
word-initial, morpheme-initial,
or after ⟨l⟩, ⟨n⟩, ⟨s⟩, or ⟨z⟩; in emphatic speech may also be used instead of [ɾ] in syllable-final (especially before ⟨l⟩, ⟨m⟩, ⟨n⟩, ⟨s⟩, ⟨t⟩, or ⟨d⟩) and word-final positions (before pause or consonant-initial words only)
|
[r]
|
|
|
| elsewhere
|
[ɾ]
|
|
|
| rr
|
only occurs between vowels
|
[r]
|
|
|
| s
|
before a voiced consonant (e.g. ⟨l⟩, ⟨m⟩, ⟨d⟩,⟨g⟩) or between vowels
|
[z]
|
|
|
| everywhere else
|
[s]
|
|
|
| ss
|
only occurs between vowels
|
[s]
|
|
|
| t
|
everywhere
|
[t̪]
|
|
|
| before voiced consonants
|
[ð̞]
|
|
|
| v
|
everywhere
|
[v]
|
|
|
| w
|
everywhere
|
[w]
|
|
|
| x
|
everywhere
|
[ʃ]
|
|
|
| between vowels and word-finally
|
[ks]
|
|
In words of Latin or Greek origin; may be replaced with ⟨cs⟩ or ⟨s⟩ (with the associated pronunciation change).
|
| before a consonant
|
[ks] or [s]
|
|
In words of Latin or Greek origin; may be replaced with ⟨s⟩ (and pronounced accordingly).
|
| in the prefix ex-
|
[z]; [s] before a plosive
|
|
|
| y
|
as a semivowel (almost always in a diphthong)
|
[i] or [j]
|
|
|
| as a consonant
|
[j]
|
|
|
| z
|
everywhere except word-finally
|
[ð] or [z] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|
| word-finally
|
[θ] or [s] (depending on the dialect)
|
|
|