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Marshallese language

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other Template:Culture of the Marshall Islands Marshallese (Template:Langx or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh), also known as Ebon, is a Micronesian language spoken in the Marshall Islands. The language of the Marshallese people, it is spoken by nearly all of the country's population of 59,000, making it the principal language.<ref name=Pop>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There are also roughly 27,000 Marshallese citizens residing in the United States,<ref name=Ruststaff>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> nearly all of whom speak Marshallese, as well as residents in other countries such as Nauru and Kiribati.

There are two major dialects, the western Rālik and the eastern Ratak.

ClassificationEdit

Marshallese, a Micronesian language, is a member of the Eastern Oceanic subgroup of the Austronesian languages.<ref name="hgb">Template:Harvp</ref> The closest linguistic relatives of Marshallese are the other Micronesian languages, including Gilbertese, Nauruan, Pohnpeian, Mokilese, Chuukese, Refaluwash, and Kosraean. Marshallese shows 50% lexical similarity with Gilbertese, Mokilese, and Pohnpeian.<ref name="eth" />

Within the Micronesian archipelago, Marshallese—along with the rest of the Micronesian language group—is not as closely related to the more ambiguously classified Oceanic language Yapese in Yap State, or to the Polynesian outlier languages Kapingamarangi and Nukuoro in Pohnpei State, and even less closely related to the non-Oceanic languages Palauan in Palau and Chamorro in the Mariana Islands.

VariationEdit

The Republic of the Marshall Islands contains 34 atolls that are split into two chains, the eastern Ratak Chain and the western Rālik Chain.<ref name="hgb" /> These two chains have different dialects, which differ mainly lexically, and are mutually intelligible.<ref name="eth" /><ref name="hgb" /> The atoll of Ujelang in the west was reported to have "slightly less homogeneous speech",<ref name="eth" /> but it has been uninhabited since 1980.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Ratak and Rālik dialects differ phonetically in how they deal with stems that begin with double consonants.<ref name="hgb" /> Ratak Marshallese inserts a vowel to separate the consonants, while Ralik adds a vowel before the consonants (and pronounced an unwritten consonant phoneme {{#invoke:IPA|main}} before the vowel).<ref name="hgb" /> For example, the stem {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'play' becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Rālik Marshallese and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Ratak Marshallese.<ref name="hgb" /><ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>

StatusEdit

File:Stop the Spread of Germs updated (Marshallese).pdf
A poster sponsored by CDC about COVID-19 prevention in Marshallese.

Marshallese is the official language of the Marshall Islands and enjoys vigorous use.<ref name="eth" /> As of 1979, the language was spoken by 43,900 people in the Marshall Islands.<ref name="eth" /> in 2020 the number was closer to 59,000.<ref name=Pop/> Additional groups of speakers in other countries including Nauru and the United States increase the total number of Marshallese speakers, with approximately 27,000 Marshallese-Americans living in the United States.<ref name=Ruststaff/> Along with Pohnpeian and Chuukese, Marshallese stands out among Micronesian languages in having tens of thousands of speakers; most Micronesian languages have far fewer.<ref name="w2008pp6-7">Template:Harvp</ref> A dictionary and at least two Bible translations have been published in Marshallese.<ref name="eth"/>

PhonologyEdit

ConsonantsEdit

Marshallese has a large consonant inventory, and each consonant has some type of secondary articulation (palatalization, velarization, or rounding).<ref name="w1">Template:Harvp</ref> The palatalized consonants are regarded as "light", and the velarized and rounded consonants are regarded as "heavy", with the rounded consonants being both velarized and labialized.<ref name="MEDSounds" /> (This contrast is similar to that between "slender" and "broad" consonants in Goidelic languages, or between "soft" and "hard" consonants in Slavic languages.) The "light" consonants are considered more relaxed articulations. <ref name="MEDSounds" />

Consonant phonemes of Marshallese
Labial Coronal Dorsal
Light Heavy Light Heavy Heavy
Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small
Stop Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Nasal Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Rhotic Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Lateral Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Glide Template:IPA link (Template:IPA link) Template:IPA link

Although Marshallese has no voicing contrast in consonants,<ref name="w1" /> stops may be allophonically partially voiced ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}),<ref name="c14">Template:Harvp</ref> when they are between vowels and not geminated. (Technically, partially voiced stops would be {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, but this article uses voiced transcriptions Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink for simplicity.)<ref name="alph" /> Final consonants are often unreleased.<ref name="c14" />

Glides {{#invoke:IPA|main}} vanish in many environments, with surrounding vowels assimilating their backness and roundedness.<ref name="b21-22" /> That is motivated by the limited surface distribution of these phonemes as well as other evidence that backness and roundedness are not specified phonemically for Marshallese vowels.<ref name="b21-22" /> In fact, the consonant {{#invoke:IPA|main}} never surfaces phonetically but is used to explain the preceding phenomenon.<ref name="c14"/> ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} may surface phonetically in word-initial and word-final positions and, even then, not consistently.<ref name="c14" />)

Bender (1968) explains that it was once believed there were six bilabial consonants because of observed surface realizations, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, but he determined that two of these, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, were actually allophones of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} respectively before front vowels and allophones of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} respectively before back vowels.<ref name="b16">Template:Harvp</ref> Before front vowels, the velarized labial consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} actually tend to have rounded (labiovelarized) articulations {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, but they remain unrounded on the phonemic level, and there are no distinct {{#invoke:IPA|main}} phonemes.<ref name="b16" /><ref name="bxvi-xvii">Template:Harvp</ref> The pronunciation guide used by Naan (2014) still recognizes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as allophone symbols separate from {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in these same conditions while recognizing that there are only palatalized and velarized phonemes.<ref name="naan" /> This article uses {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in phonetic transcriptions.

The consonant {{#invoke:IPA|main}} may be phonetically realized as Template:IPAblink, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:IPAblink, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, or Template:IPAblink (or any of their voiced variants Template:IPAblink, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:IPAblink, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, or Template:IPAblink), in free variation.<ref name="MEDSounds" /><ref name="c14" /><ref name="alph" /> Word-internally it usually assumes a voiced fricative articulation as Template:IPAblink (or Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink) but not when geminated.<ref name="alph" /> {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is used to adapt foreign sibilants into Marshallese. In phonetic transcription, this article uses Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink as voiceless and voiced allophones of the same phoneme.

Marshallese has no distinct {{#invoke:IPA|main}} phoneme.

The dorsal consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are usually velar but with the tongue a little farther back {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, making them somewhere between velar and uvular in articulation.<ref name="alph" /> All dorsal phonemes are "heavy" (velarized or rounded), and none are "light" (palatalized).<ref name="MEDSounds" /> As stated before, the palatal consonant articulations Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink are treated as allophones of the palatalized coronal obstruent {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, even though palatal consonants are physically dorsal. For simplicity, this article uses unmarked {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in phonetic transcription.

Bender (1969) describes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as being 'dark' r-colored, but is not more specific.<ref name="bxvii">Template:Harvp</ref> The Marshallese-English Dictionary (MED) describes these as heavy dental nasals.<ref name="MEDSounds" />

Consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are all coronal consonants and full trills. {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is similar to Spanish {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} with a trill position just behind the alveolar ridge, a postalveolar trill {{#invoke:IPA|main}},<ref name="bxvii" /> but {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is a palatalized dental trill {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, articulated further forward behind the front teeth.<ref name="alph" /> The MED and Willson (2003) describe the rhotic consonants as "retroflex", but are not clear how this relates to their dental or alveolar trill positions.<ref name="MEDSounds" /><ref name="w6">Template:Harvp</ref> (See retroflex trill.) This article uses Template:IPAblink, Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink in phonetic transcription.

The heavy lateral consonants {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are dark l like in English feel, articulated Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink respectively.<ref name="alph" /> This article uses Template:IPAblink and Template:IPAblink in phonetic transcription.

The velarized consonants (and, by extension, the rounded consonants) may be velarized or pharyngealized<ref name="MEDSounds" /> like the emphatic consonants in Arabic or Mizrahi Hebrew.

VowelsEdit

Marshallese has a vertical vowel system of just four vowel phonemes, each with several allophones depending on the surrounding consonants.<ref name="w2">Template:Harvp</ref>

On the phonemic level, while Bender (1969) and Choi (1992) agree that the vowel phonemes are distinguished by height, they describe the abstract nature of these phonemes differently, with Bender treating the front unrounded surface realizations as their relaxed state that becomes altered by proximity of velarized or rounded consonants,<ref name="bxiii-xvii">Template:Harvp</ref> while Choi uses central vowel symbols in a neutral fashion to notate the abstract phonemes and completely different front, back and rounded vowel symbols for surface realizations. Bender (1968, 1969), MED (1976) and Willson (2003) recognize four vowel phonemes, but Choi (1992) observes only three of the phonemes as having a stable quality, but theorizes that there may be a historical process of reduction from four to three, and otherwise ignores the fourth phoneme. For phonemic transcription of vowels, this article recognizes four phonemes and uses the front unrounded vowel {{#invoke:IPA|main}} notation of the MED, following the approach of Bender (1969) in treating the front vowel surface realizations as the representative phonemes.

On the phonetic level, Bender (1968), MED (1976), Choi (1992), Willson (2003) and Naan (2014) notate some Marshallese vowel surface realizations differently from one another, and they disagree on how to characterize the vowel heights of the underlying phonemes, with Willson (2003) taking the most divergent approach in treating the four heights as actually two heights each with the added presence (+ATR) or absence (-ATR) of advanced tongue root. Bender (1968) assigns central vowel symbols for the surface realizations that neighbor velarized consonants, but the MED (1976), Choi (1992) and Willson (2003) largely assign back unrounded vowel symbols for these, with the exception that the MED uses Template:IPAblink rather than cardinal Template:IPAblink for the close-mid back unrounded vowel, and Choi (1992) and Willson (2003) use Template:IPAblink rather than cardinal Template:IPAblink for the open back unrounded vowel. Naan (2014) is the only reference providing a vowel trapezium for its own vowels, and differs especially from the other vowel models in splitting the front allophones of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} into two realizations (Template:IPAblink before consonants and Template:IPAblink in open syllables), merging the front allophones of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as Template:IPAblink before consonants and Template:IPAblink in open syllables, merging the rounded allophones of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as Template:IPAblink, and indicating the front allophone of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as a close-mid central unrounded vowel Template:IPAblink, a realization more raised even than the front allophone of the normally higher {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. For phonetic notation of vowel surface realizations, this article largely uses the MED's notation, but uses only cardinal symbols for back unrounded vowels.

Marshallese vowel phonemes and surface realizations
Bender<ref name="b17">Template:Harvp</ref>   MED<ref name="MEDSounds">Template:Harvp</ref>   Choi<ref name="c15">Template:Harvp</ref>   Willson<ref name="w3">Template:Harvp</ref>   Naan<ref name="naan">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

Height Unrnd. Rnd. Height Phon. Unrnd. Rnd. Height Phon. Unrnd. Rnd. Height Unrnd. Rnd. Unrnd. Rnd.
Frt. Back Frt. Back Frt. Back Frt. Back Frt. Back
Close Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Close lang}} Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Close /Template:IPA link/ Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:Nobr Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink [[[:Template:IPA link]],Template:IPA link] Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink
Close-mid Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Mid lang}} Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink   Template:Nobr Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink [[[:Template:IPA link]],Template:IPA link] Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink
Mid Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink lang}} Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Mid /Template:IPA link/ Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:Nobr Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink
Open Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Open lang}} Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Open /Template:IPA link/ Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:Nobr Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink Template:IPAblink

Superficially, 12 Marshallese vowel allophones appear in minimal pairs, a common test for phonemicity.<ref name="b17" /> For example, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 'breadfruit'), {{#invoke:IPA|main}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 'but'), and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 'taboo') are separate Marshallese words.<ref name="b17" /> However, the uneven distribution of glide phonemes suggests that they underlyingly end with the glides (thus {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}).<ref name="b21-22">Template:Harvp</ref> When glides are taken into account, it emerges that there are only 4 vowel phonemes.<ref name="b21-22" />

When a vowel phoneme appears between consonants with different secondary articulations, the vowel often surfaces as a smooth transition from one vowel allophone to the other.<ref name="w3"/> For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'shy', phonemically {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, is often realized phonetically as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="w3" /> It follows that there are 24 possible short diphthongs in Marshallese:<ref name="w3" />

Phoneme main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}
main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}
main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}
main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}
main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}

These diphthongs are the typical realizations of short vowels between two non-glide consonants, but in reality the diphthongs themselves are not phonemic, and short vowels between two consonants with different secondary articulations can be articulated as either a smooth diphthong (such as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) or as a monophthong of one of the two vowel allophones (such as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), all in free variation. Bender (1968) also observes that when the would-be diphthong starts with a back rounded vowel {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and ends with a front unrounded vowel {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, then a vowel allophone associated with the back unrounded vowels (notated in this article as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) may also occur in the vowel nucleus.<ref name="b22-23">Template:Harvp</ref> Because the cumulative visual complexity of notating so many diphthongs in phonetic transcriptions can make them more difficult to read, it is not uncommon to phonetically transcribe Marshallese vowel allophones only as one predominant monophthongal allophone, so that a word like {{#invoke:IPA|main}} can be more simply transcribed as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, in a condensed fashion. Before Bender's (1968) discovery that Marshallese utilized a vertical vowel system, it was conventional to transcribe the language in this manner with a presumed inventory of 12 vowel monophthong phonemes,<ref name="b17-21">Template:Harvp</ref> and it remains in occasional use as a more condensed phonetic transcription.<ref name="c22-25">Template:Harvp</ref><ref name="w6" /> This article uses phonemic or diphthongal phonetic transcriptions for illustrative purposes, but for most examples it uses condensed phonetic transcription with the most relevant short vowel allophones roughly corresponding to Marshallese orthography as informed by the MED.

Some syllables appear to contain long vowels: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'future'.<ref name="w7" /> They are thought to contain an underlying glide ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), which is not present phonetically.<ref name="w7-8">Template:Harvp</ref><ref name="b22">Template:Harvp</ref> For instance, the underlying form of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="w7" /> Although the medial glide is not realized phonetically, it affects vowel quality; in a word like {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, the vowel transitions from Template:IPAblink to Template:IPAblink and then back to Template:IPAblink, as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="clong">Template:Harvp</ref> In condensed phonetic transcription, the same word can be expressed as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.<ref name="b17-21" /><ref name="c22-25" /><ref name="w6" />

PhonotacticsEdit

Syllables in Marshallese follow CV, CVC, and VC patterns.<ref name="w7">Template:Harvp</ref> Marshallese words always underlyingly begin and end with consonants.<ref name="b22" /> Initial, final, and long vowels may be explained as the results of underlying glides not present on the phonetic level.<ref name="b22" /> Initial vowels are sometimes realized with an onglide Template:IPAblink or Template:IPAblink but not consistently:<ref name="c22">Template:Harvp</ref>

Only homorganic consonant sequences are allowed in Marshallese,<ref name="w4-5">Template:Harvp</ref> including geminate varieties of each consonant, except for glides.<ref name="c14" /> Non-homorganic clusters are separated by vowel epenthesis even across word boundaries.<ref name="w4-5" /> Some homorganic clusters are also disallowed:<ref name="w4-5" />

  • Obstruent-obstruent, nasal-nasal, liquid-liquid, nasal-obstruent, and nasal-liquid clusters undergo assimilation of the secondary articulation except if the first consonant is a rounded coronal or a rounded dorsal. Then, the clusters undergo assimilation of the rounded articulation.<ref name="w5">Template:Harvp</ref>
  • †Obstruent-liquid and liquid-obstruent clusters besides {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} undergo epenthesis.<ref name="w5" />
  • Liquid-nasal clusters undergo nasal assimilation.<ref name="w5" />
  • Obstruent-nasal clusters undergo epenthesis (if coronal) or nasal assimilation (if non-coronal).<ref name="w5" />
  • Clusters involving any glides undergo epenthesis, including otherwise homorganic clusters of two of the same glide.

The following assimilations are created, with empty combinations representing epenthesis.

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-break

Bilabials
↓→ main}} main}}
main}} main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
main}} main}}

Template:Col-break

Coronals
↓→ main}} main}} main}} main}}
main}} main}}
main}} main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} main}} main}}
main}} main}} main}}
main}} † main}} main}}

Template:Col-break

Dorsals
↓→ main}} main}}
main}} main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
main}} main}}

Template:Col-break

Secondary
↓→ main}} main}} main}}
main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}
main}}
main}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}

Template:Col-end

The vowel height of an epenthetic vowel is not phonemic as the epenthetic vowel itself is not phonemic, but is still phonetically predictable given the two nearest other vowels and whether one or both of the cluster consonants are glides.<ref name="b22" /><ref name="w7" /> Bender (1968) does not specifically explain the vowel heights of epenthetic vowels between two non-glides, but of his various examples containing such vowels, none of the epenthetic vowels has a height lower than the highest of either of their nearest neighboring vowels, and the epenthetic vowel actually becomes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} if the two nearest vowels are both {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. Naan (2014) does not take the heights of epenthetic vowels between non-glides into consideration, phonetically transcribing all of them as a schwa Template:IPAblink.<ref name="naan" /> But when one of the consonants in a cluster is a glide, the height of the epenthetic vowel between them follows a different process, assuming the same height of whichever vowel is on the opposite side of that glide, forming a long vowel with it across the otherwise silent glide.<ref name="b22-23" /> Epenthetic vowels do not affect the rhythm of the spoken language, and can never be a stressed syllable.Template:Citation needed Phonetic transcription may indicate epenthetic vowels between two non-glides as non-syllabic,<ref name="b8">Template:Harvp</ref> using IPA notation similar to that of semi-vowels. Certain Westernized Marshallese placenames spell out the epenthetic vowels:

  • Ebeye, from earlier Ebeje, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Erikub, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Kwajalein, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Majuro, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Namorik, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Omelek, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}")<ref name="MED" />
  • Rongelap, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Rongerik, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Ujelang, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Uliga, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />
  • Utirik, from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MED" />

Epenthetic vowels in general can be omitted without affecting meaning, such as in song or in enunciated syllable breaks. This article uses non-syllabic notation in phonetic IPA transcription to indicate epenthetic vowels between non-glides.

TimingEdit

The short vowel phonemes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and the approximant phonemes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} all occupy a roughly equal duration of time.<ref name="c27">Template:Harvp</ref> Though they occupy time, the approximants are generally not articulated as glides, and Choi (1992) does not rule out a deeper level of representation.<ref name="c71">Template:Harvp</ref> In particular, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} short vowels occupy one unit of time, and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} long vowels (for which {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is an approximant phoneme) are three times as long.<ref name="c65">Template:Harvp</ref>

As a matter of prosody, each {{#invoke:IPA|main}} consonant and {{#invoke:IPA|main}} vowel phonemic sequence carries one mora in length, with the exception of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in {{#invoke:IPA|main}} sequences where the vowel carries one mora for both phonemes. All morae are thus measured in {{#invoke:IPA|main}} or shut {{#invoke:IPA|main}} sequences:<ref name="w8">Template:Harvp</ref>

  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is two morae: {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. It is also the shortest possible length of a Marshallese word.
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is three morae: {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. Since approximants are also consonants, long vowel sequences of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} are also three morae.
  • {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is four morae: {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • Prefixes like {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} are {{#invoke:IPA|main}} sequences occupying only one mora but are attached to words rather than standing as words on their own.
  • Suffixes like {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} are {{#invoke:IPA|main}} sequences. The syllable itself occupies two morae but adds only one mora to the word because the vowel attaches itself to the last consonant phoneme in the word, changing {{#invoke:IPA|main}} into {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.

That makes Marshallese a mora-rhythmed language in a fashion similar to Finnish, Gilbertese, Hawaiian, and Japanese.

Historic sound changesEdit

Marshallese reflexes of Proto Oceanic consonantsTemplate:Sfnp
Proto-Oceanic *mp *mp,ŋp *p *m *m,ŋm *k *ŋk *ŋ *y *w *t *s,nj *ns,j *j *nt,nd *d,R *l *n *ɲ
Proto-Micronesian *p *pʷ *f *m *mʷ *k *x *ŋ *y *w *t *T *s *S *Z *c *r *l *n *ɲ
Marshallese main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}

Marshallese consonants show splits conditioned by the surrounding Proto-Micronesian vowels. Proto-Micronesian *k *ŋ *r become rounded next to *o or next to *u except in bisyllables whose other vowel is unrounded. Default outcomes of *l and *n are palatalized; they become velarized or rounded before *a or sometimes *o if there is no high vowel in an adjacent syllable. Then, roundedness is determined by the same rule as above.

OrthographyEdit

File:Book of Mormon - Marshallese.jpg
Marshallese version of the Book of Mormon
File:Alphabet marshallais.jpg
Marshallese alphabet in a library

Marshallese is written in the Latin alphabet. There are two competing orthographies.<ref name="mx">Template:Harvp</ref> The "old" orthography was introduced by missionaries.<ref name="mx" /> This system is not highly consistent or faithful in representing the sounds of Marshallese, but until recently, it had no competing orthography.<ref name="r6">Template:Harvp</ref> It is currently widely used, including in newspapers and signs.<ref name="r6" /> The "new" orthography is gaining popularity especially in schools and among young adults and children.<ref name="mx" /> The "new" orthography represents the sounds of the Marshallese language more faithfully and is the system used in the Marshallese–English dictionary by Abo et al., currently the only complete published Marshallese dictionary.<ref name="mx" /><ref name="r6" />

The current alphabet, as promoted by the Republic of the Marshall Islands, consists of 24 letters.

lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
Orthographic consonants of Marshallese<ref name="alph">Template:Harvp</ref>
Labial Coronal Dorsal
Light Heavy Light Heavy Heavy
Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small Template:Small
Stop lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
Nasal lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
Rhotic lang}} lang}} lang}}
Lateral lang}} lang}} lang}}
Glide lang}} lang}} lang}}
Orthographic vowels of Marshallese<ref name="alph" />
Unrounded Rounded
Front Back
Close lang}} lang}} lang}}
Mid lang}} lang}} lang}}
Open lang}} lang}} lang}}

Marshallese spelling is based on pronunciation rather than a phonemic analysis. Therefore, backness is marked in vowels despite being allophonic (it does not change the meaning), and many instances of the glides {{#invoke:IPA|main}} proposed on the phonemic level are unwritten, because they do not surface as consonants phonetically. In particular, the glide {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, which never surfaces as a consonant phonetically, is always unwritten.

The letter {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is generally used only in three situations:

  1. To mark a rounded consonant (one of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) or approximant phoneme ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) before a vowel that precedes an unrounded consonant phoneme ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}). Even then, if the consonant phoneme comes after a back rounded vowel {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and before another vowel, it is common to write one of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} instead of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, but the rounded dorsal consonants {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} are still written with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in these circumstances.
  2. To mark a velarized bilabial consonant (either {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) before a vowel that precedes a palatalized consonant phoneme ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).
  3. To indicate a Template:IPAblink glide phonetically surfacing either word-initially or between two vowels.

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is never written out word-finally or before another consonant.

The palatal glide phoneme {{#invoke:IPA|main}} may also be written out but only as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} before one of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, or as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} before one of either {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. The approximant is never written before any of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. A stronger raised palatal glide Template:IPAblink, phonemically analyzed as the exotic un-syllabic consonant-vowel-consonant sequence {{#invoke:IPA|main}} rather than plain {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, may occur word-initially before any vowel and is written {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. For historical reasons, certain words like {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} may be written as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="medYokwe" /> with a {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, which does not otherwise exist in the Marshallese alphabet.

One source of orthographic variation is in the representation of vowels. Pure monophthongs are written consistently based on vowel quality. However, short diphthongs may often be written with one of the two vowel sounds that they contain. (Alternate phonetic realizations for the same phonemic sequences are provided purely for illustrative purposes.)

Modern orthography has a bias in certain spelling choices in which both possibilities are equally clear between two non-approximant consonants.

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is preferred over {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "big", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is preferred over {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "small", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
  • Historically, both {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} have been common and sometimes interchangeable. It is still true today with some words. In the new orthography, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is generally preferred over {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in most such situations.
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "atoll; island; land", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref name="MEDaelon" />
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "Ebadon", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "Christmas", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "Nell", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
  • However, after one of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and before one of unrounded {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the spelling {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is preferred over {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "pencil", not {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
  • For the name of the Marshall Islands, the new orthography prefers {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, but the spelling with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is still found.
    {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, "Marshall Islands"<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref><ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>

In a syllable whose first consonant is rounded and whose second consonant is palatalized, it is common to see the vowel between them written as one of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, usually associated with a neighboring velarized consonant:

The exception is long vowels and long diphthongs made up of two mora units, which are written with the vowel quality closer to the phonetic nucleus of the long syllable:

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "kindness".<ref name="trussel2.com">MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "will be".<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "taxicab".<ref name="trussel2.com"/>

If the syllable is phonetically open, the vowel written is usually the second vowel in the diphthong: the word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref> is usually not written any other way, but exceptions exist such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:IPA|main}} "land; country; island; atoll"<ref name="MEDaelon">MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>), which is preferred over {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} because the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} spelling emphasizes that the first (unwritten) glide phoneme is dorsal rather than palatal.

The spelling of grammatical affixes, such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>) and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is less variable despite the fact that their vowels become diphthongs with second member dependent on the preceding/following consonant: the prefix {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} may be pronounced as any of {{#invoke:IPA|main}} depending on the stem. The term {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("Marshallese people") is actually pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} as if it were {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>

Display issuesEdit

In the most polished printed text, the letters {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} always appear with unaltered cedillas directly beneath, and the letters {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} always appear with unaltered macrons directly above. Regardless, the diacritics are often replaced by ad hoc spellings using more common or more easily displayable characters. In particular, the Marshallese-English Online Dictionary (but not the print version), or MOD, uses the following characters:<ref name="MED" />

Standard     MOD
lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}

As of 2019, there are no dedicated precomposed characters in Unicode for the letters {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}; they must be displayed as plain Latin letters with combining diacritics, and even many Unicode fonts will not display the combinations properly and neatly. Although {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} exist as precomposed characters in Unicode, these letters also do not display properly as Marshallese letters in most Unicode fonts. Unicode defines the letters as having a cedilla, but fonts usually display them with a comma below because of rendering expectations of the Latvian alphabet. For many fonts, a workaround is to encode these letters as the base letter {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} followed by a zero-width non-joiner and then a combining cedilla, producing {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

Both systems already require fonts that display Basic Latin (with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and Latin Extended-A (with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}). The standard orthography also requires Combining Diacritical Marks for the combining diacritics. The MOD's alternative letters have the advantage of being neatly displayable as all-precomposed characters in any Unicode fonts that support Basic Latin, Latin Extended-A along with Latin-1 Supplement (with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) and Latin Extended Additional (with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}). If a font comfortably displays both the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration and the Vietnamese alphabet, it can also display MOD Marshallese.

This chart highlights the display issues in common web fonts and common free Unicode fonts that are known to support standard or MOD Marshallese lettering. Distinct typefaces appear only if the operating environment supports them. Some fonts have combining diacritic alignment issues, and the vast majority of the fonts have the Latvian diacritic issue; of the fonts shown below, only the Noto series displays Marshallese correctly.

Marshallese letters in various typefaces
Typeface Standard letters With
"mh"
code 		With
zero-width
non-joiner 		MOD alternates
Arial Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Arial Unicode MS Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Calibri Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Cambria Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Candara Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Charis SIL Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Code2000 Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Consolas Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Constantia Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Corbel Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Cormorant Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Courier New Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
DejaVu Sans Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
DejaVu Sans Mono Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
DejaVu Serif Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Gentium Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Gentium Basic Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Gentium Book Basic Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Gentium Plus Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Inconsolata Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Junicode Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Linux Libertine Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Lucida Sans Unicode Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Noto Sans Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Noto Sans Mono Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Noto Serif Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Open Sans Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Segoe UI Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Source Code Pro Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Source Sans Pro Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Source Serif Pro Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Tahoma Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ
Times New Roman Ā ā Ļ ļ M̧ m̧ Ņ ņ N̄ n̄ O̧ o̧ Ō ō Ū ū Ļ ļ Ņ ņ L‌̧ l‌̧ N‌̧ n‌̧ Ḷ ḷ Ṃ ṃ Ṇ ṇ Ñ ñ Ọ ọ

Differences in orthographyEdit

The old orthography was still very similar to the new orthography but made fewer phonological distinctions in spelling than the new orthography does. The new orthography attempts phonological consistency while adhering to most of the spelling patterns of the old orthography, especially in regard to vowels and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. It has made the new orthography relatively easy for old orthography users to learn. The phonology of Marshallese was documented by Bender (1969) with written examples using the old orthography. Here are some differences between the new and old orthographies:

  • The new orthography uses the cedillaed letters {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. The old orthography did not use cedillas and ambiguously wrote them {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
  • The new orthography uses {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for "light" {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for "heavy" {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. The old orthography used {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for both.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'pencil'.
  • The new orthography consistently uses {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for "light" {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in all positions. The old orthography often wrote {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} before vowels, and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} after vowels.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'United States'.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'forever'.
  • Except in certain affixes like {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} whose spelling may be fixed, the new orthography spells the vowel monophthong allophone Template:IPAblink as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in all positions. The old orthography had {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, but it was relatively less common, and Template:IPAblink was sometimes written {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} instead.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'Ebeye'.
  • Except in certain affixes like {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} whose the spelling of the vowels may be fixed, the new orthography spells the vowel monophthong allophone Template:IPAblink as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in all positions. The old orthography spelled Template:IPAblink as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} between consonants.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'Christmas'.
  • The new orthography uses only {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for allophones of the vowel phoneme {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. In the old orthography, some words used {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, but other words used {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} instead.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'land'.
  • The new orthography uses the letter {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} for the vowel monophthong allophone Template:IPAblink along with many of its related diphthong allophones. The old orthography spelt Template:IPAblink as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} between consonants but {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} at the ends of words.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'hello; good bye; love'.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'taboo'.
  • The new orthography tries to consistently write long vowels and geminated consonants with double letters. The old orthography habitually wrote these as single letters.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'study'.
    Compare old {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} vs. new {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, 'no'.
  • The word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} ('hello; goodbye; love') and the phrase {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} ('hello [to you]') are a special case. The new orthography's rules use {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, while the old orthography's rules used {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. However, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} has been historically more entrenched in both orthographies, but the letter {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} does not exist in the normal spelling rules of either orthography. That spelling has multilingual significance as well; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} is also the established spelling for the greeting when used in Marshallese-influenced English and by anglophones in the Marshall Islands.

Bender's orthographyEdit

In his 1968 publication Marshallese Phonology, linguist Byron W. Bender designed a purely morphophonemic orthography, based on the symbols found on a manual typewriter, with regular reflexes between the dialects and intended for use in dictionaries and language teaching. Besides also appearing in his 1969 tutorial Spoken Marshallese,Template:Sfnp it appeared in a modified form alongside the "new" orthography in the 1976 Marshallese-English Dictionary (MED) to which he contributed. Bender later collaborated with Stephen Trussel when the MED was adapted to website format as the Marshallese-English Online Dictionary (MOD), with Bender's orthography appearing in an again-modified form.

Phoneme main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}} main}}
Bender (1968) lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
MED (1976) lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}
MOD lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}} lang}}

The MOD's version of Bender's orthography uses under-dot diacritics instead of the cedillas used both by the "new" orthography and by the 1976 MED's version of Bender's orthography, for reasons specific to the MOD's display issues.

In addition to plain sequences of phonemes, Bender's orthography recognizes a few special sequences, many of which relate to regular differences between the Rālik and Ratak dialects of Marshallese.

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is for a "passing over lightly" version of the vowel allophone {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} that occurs at the beginning of certain words, phonetically pronounced Template:IPAblink and existing on the phonemic level as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "hello; goodbye; love".
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is for a "dwelling upon" version of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} that occurs at the beginning of certain words, now generally written {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the "new" orthography, phonetically pronounced Template:IPAblink and existing on the phonemic level as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, effectively making it identical to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. An example is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, which is equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "reunion".
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} at the beginning of a word, without apostrophes, indicates a version of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} whose reflex differs between the two dialects. In the Rālik dialect, this assumes the "dwelling upon" pronunciation, equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. In the Ratak dialect, it instead assumes the "passing over lightly" pronunciation, equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. An example is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "road":
    • In the Rālik dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and is often instead written as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the "new" orthography.
    • In the Ratak dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} at the beginning of a word (where "V" can be any vowel) indicates a back unrounded vowel that whose reflex differs between the dialects. In the Rālik dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, lengthening the vowel. In the Ratak dialect, the second {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} disappears, becoming {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, and the vowel remains short. An example is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "yes":
    • In the Rālik dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and is often instead written as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the "new" orthography.
    • In the Ratak dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} at the beginning of a word (where "V" can be any vowel) is usually equivalent to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} at the beginning of a word (where "V" can be any vowel) usually becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the Rālik dialect, but usually becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in the Ratak dialect.
  • When a Bender orthography spelling begins with a doubled consonant other than {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "good", its reflex differs between the dialects.
    • In the Rālik dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, sprouting both a prothetic {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and a vowel. The dialect generally spells this {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "good" in the "new" orthography, making it homophonous with the phrase {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} which means "it is good" in both dialects.
    • In the Ratak dialect, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} with only a prothetic vowel, appearing instead between the two consonants. The dialect generally spells this {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}} "good" in the "new" orthography.
    • In both dialects, the prothetic vowel is equivalent to the first stem vowel unless it is {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, in which case the stem vowel is always paired with the prothetic vowel {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. But when spellings like {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} take prefixes with a vowel, there are no prothetic vowels: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "person" + {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "good" becomes {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} {{#invoke:IPA|main}}, which the "new" orthography spells {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} "good person".

GrammarEdit

MorphologyEdit

Nouns are not overtly marked as such, and do not inflect for number, gender, or case.<ref name="ws15">Template:Harvp</ref> Nouns are often verbalized and verbs nominalized without any overt morphological marker:<ref name="ws15" />

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Marshallese has determiners and demonstratives which follow the noun they modify.<ref name="ws16">Template:Harvp</ref> These are marked for number, and in the plural also encode a human/nonhuman distinction.<ref name="ws17">Template:Harvp</ref> For example, in the singular {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'the pencil' and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'the boy' take the same determiner, but in the plural {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'the pencils' and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} have different determiners.<ref name="ws17" /> Indefinites are an exception; in the singular they are expressed with the word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'one' before the noun (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} 'a song'), and there is no plural indefinite determiner.<ref name="ws17-18">Template:Harvp</ref>

The Marshallese demonstrative system has five levels:

  1. near the speaker (sg. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / pl. human {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} / pl. nonhuman {{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
  2. near the speaker and listener ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
  3. near the listener ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
  4. away from both speaker and listener ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
  5. distant but visible ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).<ref name="ws17" />
Marshallese pronouns<ref name="ws18">Template:Harvp</ref>
Person absolutive /
emphatic		 objective
s 1 lang}} lang}}
2 lang}} lang}}
3 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
pl 1 inc {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
1 exc {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
2 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Ralik)
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Ratak)
3 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

Marshallese possesses two sets of 1st and 2nd person singular pronouns, known as "absolutive" or "emphatic" pronouns and as "objective" pronouns.<ref name="ws18" /> Marshallese 1st person plurals mark for clusivity.<ref name="ws18" /> Third person objective pronouns may only be used for humans; nonhumans instead take a null pronoun:<ref name="ws18" />

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The emphatic pronouns serve as subjects of equational sentences, as complements of prepositions, in order to emphasize objects, in coordination structures, and with topicalized or focused subjects.<ref name="ws19-21">Template:Harvp</ref> It is common in Oceanic languages for a special type of pronoun to be used in equational sentences and for topicalization or focus.<ref name="ws19-21" />

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Marshallese has four verb tenses: present, past, near future, and future. The tenses are formed by adding a tense suffix to the personal pronoun in the sentence. If the subject is not a personal pronoun, a third-person pronoun is added with the appropriate tense suffix. The present tense is formed by attaching the suffix -j to the personal pronoun (-ij for kōm and koṃ). The suffix for the past tense is either -ar or -kar depending on the dialect. -naaj is the suffix used for the regular future tense and -itōn is used for the near future.Template:Sfnp

SyntaxEdit

Marshallese, like many Micronesian languages, divides sentences into two types: predicational sentences and equational sentences.<ref name="wms">Template:Harvp</ref> Predicational sentences have SVO word order and a main verb:<ref name="wms" />

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In equational sentences, both the subject and predicate are noun phrases:<ref name="wms" />

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VocabularyEdit

Marshallese vocabulary<ref name="MED">Template:Harvp</ref>
lang}}; (Ratak) {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh Yes
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh Atoll, or island; the word for land in general
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh lang}} assimilates before the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh (It) is good.
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh (It) is bad.
lang}}; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh Hello, goodbye and love, similar to the Hawaiian aloha; also an expression of sympathy.<ref name="medYokwe">MED: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}</ref>
lang}}; {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh Iroij, the various paramount chieftains of Marshallese culture
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh No.
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh Thank you very much. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} alone means "thank you".
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh You're welcome. Literally "for kindness".
lang}} Template:IPAc-mh Christian: The majority religion of the Marshall Islands

Cardinal numbersEdit

This includes the cardinal numbers one through ten in the Rālik dialect. Where Ratak forms differ, they are listed in parentheses.

  1. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh
  2. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh
  3. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh
  4. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh
  5. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh
  6. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh (the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is silent<ref name="r12">Template:Harvp</ref>)
  7. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh
  8. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
  9. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}})
  10. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh

MonthsEdit

  1. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'January'
  2. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'February'
  3. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'March'
  4. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'April'
  5. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'May'
  6. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'June'
  7. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'July'
  8. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'August'
  9. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, also {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'September'
  10. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'October'
  11. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, also {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'November'
  12. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'December'

WeekdaysEdit

  1. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Sunday; Sabbath'
  2. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Monday'
  3. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Tuesday'
  4. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Wednesday'
  5. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Thursday'
  6. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, also {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, also {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Friday'
  7. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Template:IPAc-mh, 'Saturday'

Marshallese atolls and islandsEdit

Other countries and placesEdit

Text examplesEdit

Modern orthographyEdit

Here is the Hail Mary in standard Marshallese orthography:

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

Older orthographyEdit

Here is the Lord's Prayer from the 1982 Marshallese Bible, which uses the older orthography:

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

ReferencesEdit

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BibliographyEdit

Further readingEdit

  • Bender, Byron W. (1969). Vowel dissimilation in Marshallese. In Working papers in linguistics (No. 11, pp. 88–96). University of Hawaii.
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  • Hale, Mark. (2007) Chapter 5 of Historical Linguistics: Theory and Method. Blackwell
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  • Pagotto, L. (1987). Verb subcategorization and verb derivation in Marshallese: a lexicase analysis.

External linksEdit

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Template:Micronesian languages Template:Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages Template:Oceania topic

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