Editing Meitei language (section)

== Phonology ==
The exact classification of the Meitei language within [[Sino-Tibetan languages|Sino-Tibetan]] remains unclear. It has lexical resemblances to [[Kuki language|Kuki]] and [[Tangkhul language|Tangkhul]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Post |first1=Mark W. |last2=Burling |first2=Robbins |author2-link=Robbins Burling |year=2017 |orig-year=First published 2003 |chapter=The Tibeto-Burman Languages of Northeastern India |editor1-last=Thurgood |editor1-first=Graham |editor1-link=Graham Thurgood |editor2-last=LaPolla |editor2-first=Randy J. |editor2-link=Randy LaPolla |title=The Sino-Tibetan Languages |edition=2nd |publisher=Routledge |pages=23, 232–233 |isbn=978-1-138-78332-4}}</ref>

=== Tone ===
The Meitei language is a [[tonal language]]. There is a controversy over whether there are two or three tones.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal |last1=LaPolla |first1=Randy J. |author-link=Randy LaPolla |year=2000 |title=Book review: A grammar of Meitei, by S. L. Chelliah |journal=Lingua |publisher=Elsevier |volume=110 |issue=4 |pages=299–304 |doi=10.1016/s0024-3841(99)00037-6}}</ref>

=== Segments ===
Meitei distinguishes the following [[phonemes]]:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chelliah |first1=S. L. |title=Meitei Phonology |date=1997 |publisher=Mouton de Gruyter |pages=17–21}}</ref>

'''Consonants'''
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!colspan=3|
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!colspan=3|[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
!rowspan=4|[[Plosive]]
!rowspan=2|{{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiceless]]}}
!{{small|unaspirated}}
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|{{IPA link|tʃ}}
|{{IPA link|k}}
|{{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
!{{small|[[aspirated consonant|aspirated]]}}
|{{IPA link|pʰ}}
|{{IPA link|tʰ}}
|
|{{IPA link|kʰ}}
|
|-
!rowspan=2|{{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
!{{small|unaspirated}}
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d}}
|{{IPA link|dʒ}}
|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[breathy voice|breathy]]}}
|{{IPA link|bʱ}}
|{{IPA link|dʱ}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɡʱ}}
|
|-
!colspan=3|[[Fricative]]
|
|{{IPA link|s}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
!colspan=3|[[Tap consonant|Tap]]
|
|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
|
|
|
|-
!colspan=3|[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|
|
|-
!colspan=3|[[Approximant]]
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|}

'''Vowels'''
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|High]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|
|{{IPA link|u}}
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}}
|{{IPA link|ɐ}}
|{{IPA link|o}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Low]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

Note: the central vowel /ɐ/ is transcribed as <nowiki><ə></nowiki> in recent linguistic work on Meitei. However, phonetically it is never [ə], but more usually [ɐ]. It is assimilated to a following approximant: /ɐw/ = [ow], /ɐj/ = [ej].

=== Phonological processes ===
A velar deletion is noted to occur on the suffix -lək when following a syllable ending with a /k/ phoneme.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Meitei has a [[dissimilatory]] process similar to [[Grassmann's law]] found in Ancient Greek and [[Sanskrit]], though occurring on the second aspirate.<ref>Chelliah (1997)</ref> Here, an aspirated consonant is deaspirated if preceded by an aspirated consonant (including {{IPA|/h/, /s/}}) in the previous syllable. The deaspirated consonants are then voiced between sonorants.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}

{{interlinear|indent=3
|/tʰin-/ + /-kʰət/ → /tʰinɡət/
|pierce {} upward {} {pierce upwards}
|}}
{{interlinear|indent=3
|/səŋ/ + /kʰom/ → /səŋɡom/
|cow {} udder {} milk
|}}
{{interlinear|indent=3
|/hi-/ + /-tʰok/ → /hidok/
|trim {} outward {} {trim outwards}
|}}