Editing Friulian language (section)

===Long vowels and their origin===
Long vowels are typical of the Friulian language and greatly influence the Friulian pronunciation of Italian.

Friulian distinguishes between short and long vowels: in the following [[minimal pair]]s (long vowels are marked in the official orthography with a [[circumflex]] accent):
: ''lat'' (milk)
: ''lât'' (gone)
: ''fis'' (fixed, dense)
: ''fîs'' (sons)
: ''lus'' (luxury)
: ''lûs'' (light n.)

Friulian dialects differ in their treatment of long vowels. In certain dialects, some of the long vowels are actually diphthongs. The following chart shows how six words (''sêt'' thirst, ''pît'' foot, ''fîl'' "wire", ''pôc'' (a) little, ''fûc'' fire, ''mûr'' "wall") are pronounced in four dialects. Each dialect uses a unique pattern of diphthongs (yellow) and monophthongs (blue) for the long vowels:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Latin origin
! West
! Codroipo
! Carnia
! Central
|-
| ''sêt'' "thirst"
|| {{sc|sitim}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[seit]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[seːt]}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[seit]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[seːt]}}
|-
| ''pît'' "foot"
|| {{sc|pedem}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[peit]}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[peit]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[piːt]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[piːt]}}
|-
| ''fîl'' "wire"
|| {{sc|fīlum}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[fiːl]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[fiːl]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[fiːl]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[fiːl]}}
|-
| ''pôc'' "a little"
|| {{sc|paucum}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[pouk]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[poːk]}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[pouk]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[poːk]}}
|-
|''fûc'' "fire"
|| {{sc|focum}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[fouk]}}
| style="background:#f5d623;"| {{IPA|[fouk]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[fuːk]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[fuːk]}}
|-
|''mûr'' "wall"
|| {{sc|mūrum}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[muːr]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[muːr]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[muːr]}}
| style="background:#02adff;"| {{IPA|[muːr]}}
|-
|}

Note that the vowels ''î'' and ''û'' in the standard language (based on the Central dialects) correspond to two different sounds in the Western dialects (including Codroipo). These sounds are not distributed randomly but correspond to different origins: Latin short {{sc|e}} in an open syllable produces Western {{IPA|[ei]}} but Central {{IPA|[iː]}}, whereas Latin long {{sc|ī}} produces {{IPA|[iː]}} in both dialects. Similarly, Latin short {{sc|o}} in an open syllable produces Western {{IPA|[ou]}} but Central {{IPA|[uː]}}, whereas Latin long {{sc|ū}} produces {{IPA|[uː]}} in both dialects. The word ''mûr'', for example, means both "wall" (Latin {{sc|mūrum}}) and "(he, she, it) dies" (Vulgar Latin *{{sc|morit}} from Latin {{sc|moritur}}); both words are pronounced {{IPA|[muːr]}} in Central dialects, but respectively {{IPA|[muːr]}} and {{IPA|[mour]}} in Western dialects.

Long consonants (ll, rr, and so on), frequently used in Italian, are usually absent in Friulian.

Friulian long vowels originate primarily from vowel lengthening in stressed [[open syllable]]s when the following vowel was lost.<ref name="pilar">{{Citation
| last  = Prieto
| first = Pilar
| title = Compensatory Lengthening by Vowel and Consonant Loss in Early Friulian
| journal = Catalan Working Papers in Linguistics
| year    = 1992
| pages   = 205–244
| url     = http://www.raco.cat/index.php/CatalanWP/article/viewFile/74015/91197
}}</ref> Friulian vowel length has no relation to vowel length in Classical Latin. For example, Latin {{smallcaps|valet}} yields ''vâl'' "it is worth" with a long vowel, but Latin {{smallcaps|vallem}} yields ''val'' "valley" with a short vowel. Long vowels aren't found when the following vowel is preserved, e.g.:
* before final -e < Latin {{smallcaps|-a}}, cf. short ''gnove'' "new (fem. sg.)" < Latin {{smallcaps|nova}} vs. long ''gnûf'' "new (masc. sg.)" < Latin {{smallcaps|novum}};
* before a non-final preserved vowel, cf. ''tivit'' {{IPA|/ˈtivit/}} "tepid, lukewarm" < Latin {{smallcaps|tepidum}}, ''zinar'' {{IPA|/ˈzinar/}} "son-in-law" < Latin {{smallcaps|generum}}, ''ridi'' {{IPA|/ˈridi/}} "to laugh" < Vulgar Latin {{smallcaps|*rīdere}} (Classical {{smallcaps|rīdēre}}).

It is quite possible that vowel lengthening occurred originally in all stressed open syllables, and was later lost in non-final syllables.<ref name="loporcaro">{{Citation
| last = Loporcaro
| first = Michele
| contribution = (Too much) synchrony within diachrony? Vowel length in Milanese.
| title = GLOW Phonology Workshop
| year = 2005
| url = http://www.vanoostendorp.nl/linguist/glow2005/wsloporcaro.pdf
}}</ref> Evidence of this is found, for example, in the divergent outcome of Vulgar Latin {{IPA|*/ɛ/}}, which becomes {{IPA|/jɛ/}} in originally closed syllables but {{IPA|/i(ː)/}} in Central Friulian in originally open syllables, including when non-finally. Examples: ''siet'' "seven" < Vulgar Latin {{IPA|*/sɛtte/}} < Latin {{sc|septem}}, word-final ''pît'' "foot" < Vulgar Latin {{IPA|*/pɛde/}} < Latin {{sc|pedem}}, non-word-final ''tivit'' {{IPA|/ˈtivit/}} "tepid, lukewarm" < Vulgar Latin {{IPA|*/tɛpedu/}} < Latin {{sc|tepidum}}.

An additional source of vowel length is [[compensatory lengthening]] before lost consonants in certain circumstances, cf. ''pâri'' "father" < Latin {{smallcaps|patrem}}, ''vôli'' "eye" < Latin {{smallcaps|oc(u)lum}}, ''lîre'' "pound" < Latin {{smallcaps|libra}}. This produces long vowels in non-final syllables, and was apparently a separate, later development than the primary lengthening in open syllables. Note, for example, the development of Vulgar Latin {{IPA|*/ɛ/}} in this context: {{IPA|*/ɛ/}} > {{IPA|*/jɛ/}} > ''iê'' {{IPA|/jeː/}}, as in ''piêre'' "stone" < Latin {{sc|petram}}, differing from the outcome {{IPA|/i(ː)/}} in originally open syllables (see above).

Additional complications:
* Central Friulian has lengthening before {{IPA|/r/}} even in originally closed syllables, cf. ''cjâr'' {{IPA|/caːr/}} "cart" < Latin {{smallcaps|carrum}} (homophonous with ''cjâr'' "dear [masc. sg.]" < Latin {{smallcaps|cārum}}). This represents a late, secondary development, and some conservative dialects have the expected length distinction here.
* Lengthening doesn't occur before [[nasal consonant]]s even in originally open syllables, cf. ''pan'' {{IPA|/paŋ/}} "bread" < Latin {{smallcaps|panem}}, ''prin'' {{IPA|/priŋ/}} "first" < Latin {{smallcaps|prīmum}}.
* Special developments produced absolutely word-final long vowels and length distinctions, cf. ''fi'' "fig" < Latin {{sc|fīcum}} vs. ''fî'' "son" < Latin {{sc|fīlium}}, ''no'' "no" < Latin {{sc|nōn}} vs. ''nô'' "we" < Latin {{sc|nōs}}.

[[Synchrony (linguistics)|Synchronic]] analyses of vowel length in Friulian often claim that it occurs predictably in final syllables before an underlying voiced [[obstruent]], which is then devoiced.<ref name="torres">{{Citation
| last  = Torres-Tamarit
| first = Francesc
| title = Length and voicing in Friulian and Milanese
| journal = Natural Language and Linguistic Theory
| volume = 33
| issue = 4
| year    = 2015
| pages   = 1351–1386
| doi = 10.1007/s11049-014-9271-7
| s2cid = 170893106
| url     = http://roa.rutgers.edu/content/article/files/1464_francesc_torrestamarit_1.pdf
}}</ref> Analyses of this sort have difficulty with long-vowel contrasts that occur non-finally (e.g. ''pâri'' "father" mentioned above) or not in front of obstruents (e.g. ''fi'' "fig" vs. ''fî'' "son", ''val'' "valley" vs. ''vâl'' "it is worth").