Editing Kabyle language (section)

==Phonology==
{{IPA notice}}
The phonemes below reflect the pronunciation of Kabyle.

===Vowels===
Kabyle has [[Vowel#Systems|three phonemic vowels]]:

{| class="wikitable" 
|+ Kabyle vowel phonemes<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Dallet|1982|p=xxviii}}</ref>
|-
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
![[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}|| || {{IPA link|u}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
![[Open vowel|Open]] 
| || {{IPA link|a}} ||
|}

{{angbr|e}} is used to write the epenthetic [[schwa]] vowel {{IPA|[ə]}} which occurs frequently in Kabyle. Historically, it is thought to be the result of a pan-Berber reduction or merger of three other vowels.

The phonetic realization of the vowels, especially {{IPA|/a/}}, is influenced by the character of the surrounding consonants; emphatic consonants invite a more open realization of the vowel, e.g. aẓru = {{IPA|[azˤru]}} 'stone' vs. amud = {{IPA|[æmud]}} 'seed'. Often /a, i, u/ are realized as {{IPA|[æ, ɪ, ʊ]}}.

===Consonants===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Kabyle consonant phonemes
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan=2 | 
! colspan="2" | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="2" | [[Dental consonant|Dental]] 
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] 
! colspan="2" | [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Pharyngeal consonant|Pharyn-<br>geal]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Pharyngealization|emph.]]}}
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Pharyngealization|emph.]]}}
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Pharyngealization|emph.]]}}
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{small|plain}} || {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Plosive]]/<br />[[Affricate]]
! {{small|voiceless}}
|
|
| (t {{IPAblink|t̪}})
| ṭ {{IPAblink|tˤ}}
| tt {{IPAblink|ts}}
|
| č {{IPAblink|tʃ}}
|
|
|
| (k {{IPAblink|k}})
| k {{IPAblink|kʷ}}
| q {{IPAblink|q}}
| q {{IPAblink|qʷ}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| (b {{IPAblink|b}})
| b {{IPAblink|bʷ}}
| (d {{IPAblink|d̪}})
|
| zz {{IPAblink|dz}}
|
| ǧ {{IPAblink|dʒ}}
|
|
|
| (g {{IPAblink|ɡ}})
| g {{IPAblink|ɡʷ}}
| (q {{IPAblink|ɢ}})
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
! {{small|voiceless}}
| f {{IPAblink|f}}
|
| t {{IPAblink|θ}}
|
| s {{IPAblink|s}}
| ṣ {{IPAblink|sˤ}}
| c {{IPAblink|ʃ}}
| c {{IPAblink|ʃˤ}}
| k {{IPAblink|ç}}
| k {{IPAblink|çᶣ}}
|
|
| x {{IPAblink|χ}}
| x {{IPAblink|χʷ}}
| ḥ {{IPAblink|ħ}}
| h {{IPAblink|h}}
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| b {{IPAblink|β}}
|
| d {{IPAblink|ð}}
| ḍ {{IPAblink|ðˤ}}
| z {{IPAblink|z}}
| ẓ {{IPAblink|zˤ}}
| j {{IPAblink|ʒ}}
| j {{IPAblink|ʒˤ}}
| g {{IPAblink|ʝ}}
| g {{IPAblink|ʝᶣ}}
|
|
| ɣ {{IPAblink|ʁ}}
| ɣ {{IPAblink|ʁʷ}}
| ɛ {{IPAblink|ʕ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| m {{IPAblink|m}}
|
| n {{IPAblink|n}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|
| r {{IPAblink|r}}
| ṛ {{IPAblink|rˤ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant]]
|
|
| l {{IPAblink|l}}
| l {{IPAblink|lˤ}}
|
|
|
|
| y {{IPAblink|j}}
|
|
| w {{IPAblink|w}}
|
|
|
|
|}

====Assimilation====
In the Kabyle language there are various accents which are the result of assimilations (these accents are generally divided into western and eastern Kabyle). Some of these assimilations are present among all Kabyle "dialects" and some not. These assimilations are not noted in writing, such as:

*''Axxam n wergaz'' ("the house of the man") is pronounced either "axxam n wergaz", "axxam bb wergaz" or "axxam pp wergaz".{{Needs IPA|date=December 2023}} (N+W=BB)
*''D taqcict'' ("it's a girl") is pronounced "tsaqcict". (D+T=TS)
*Here is a list of some of these assimilations: D/T+T=TS, N+W=BB/PP, I+Y=IG.

[[Gemination]] affects the quality of certain consonants, turning [[semivowel]]s and [[fricative consonant|fricative]]s into [[stop consonant|stop]]s; in particular, geminated ''ɣ'' becomes ''qq'', geminated ''y'' becomes ''gg'', and geminated ''w'' becomes ''bb''.

====Fricatives vs. stops====
Kabyle is mostly composed of fricatives, phonemes which are originally stops in other Berber languages, but in writing there is no difference between fricatives and stops. Below is a list of fricatives vs. stops and when they are pronounced (note that [[gemination]] turns [[fricative consonant|fricative]]s into [[stop consonant|stops]]).

{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! style="text-align:right;" | Consonant
! B {{IPA|/β/}} || D {{IPA|/ð/}} || G {{IPA|/ʝ/}} || K {{IPA|/ç/}} || T {{IPA|/θ/}}
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Fricative
| {{IPAblink|β|audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|ð|audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|ʝ|audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|ç||audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|θ||audio=y}}
|-
! style="text-align:right;" | Stop
| {{IPAblink|b||audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|d̪}} || {{IPAblink|ɡ||audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|k||audio=y}} || {{IPAblink|t̪}}
|- class="Unicode"
! style="text-align:right;" | Is a stop after
| m || l,n || b,j,r,z,ɛ || f,b,s,l,r,n,ḥ,c,ɛ || l,m,n 
|- class="Unicode"
! style="text-align:right;" | Is a stop in the words<br>(and their derivatives)
|  ||  || ngeb, ngeḥ, ngeẓwer, angaẓ, ngedwi, nages, ngedwal ||  ||  
|}