Editing Cheyenne language (section)

=== Voicing ===

Cheyenne has 14 orthographic letters representing 13 phonemes. {{IPA|[x]}} is written as {{Grapheme|x}} orthographically but is not a phoneme. This count excludes the results of allophonic devoicing, which are spelled with a [[dot (diacritic)|dot over vowels]]. Devoicing naturally occurs in the last vowel of a word or phrase but can also occur in vowels at the penultimate and prepenultimate positions within a word. Non-high {{IPA|[a]}} and {{IPA|[o]}} is also usually devoiced preceding ''h'' followed by a stop. Phonemic {{IPA|/h/}} is absorbed by a preceding voiceless vowel. Examples are given below.

==== Penultimate devoicing ====
* {{IPA|/hohkoʃ/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|hohk'''ȯ'''xe}} 'ax'; 
* {{IPA|/tétahpetáht/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|tsét'''ȧ'''hpét'''ȧ'''htse}} 'the one who is big';
* {{IPA|/mótehk/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|motš'''ė'''ške}} 'knife'

Devoicing occurs when certain vowels directly precede the consonants {{IPA|[t]}}, {{IPA|[s]}}, {{IPA|[ʃ]}}, {{IPA|[k]}}, or {{IPA|[x]}} followed by an {{IPA|[e]}}. The rule is linked to the rule of ''e''-[[epenthesis]], which states simply that [e] appears in the environment of a consonant and a word boundary.{{sfn|Leman|1979|p=215}}

==== Prepenultimate devoicing ====
* {{IPA|/tahpeno/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|t'''ȧ'''hpeno}} 'flute';
* {{IPA|/kosáné/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|k'''ȯ'''sâne}}  'sheep (pl.)';
* {{IPA|/mahnohtehtovot/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|m'''ȧ'''hn'''ȯ'''hts'''ė'''stovȯtse}} 'if you ask him'

A vowel that does not have a high pitch is devoiced if it is followed by a voiceless fricative and not preceded by {{IPA|[h]}}.{{sfn|Leman|1979|p=215}}

==== Special {{IPA|[a]}} and {{IPA|[o]}} devoicing ====
* {{IPA|/émóheeohtéo/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|émôhee'''ȯ'''htseo'o}} 'they are gathering'; 
* {{IPA|/náohkeho'sóe/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|ná'''ȯ'''hkėho'soo'e}} 'I regularly dance'; 
* {{IPA|/nápóahtenáhnó/|lang=chy}} {{Lang|chy|nápô'''ȧ'''htsenáhno}} 'I punched him in the mouth'

Non-high {{IPA|[a]}} and {{IPA|[o]}} become at least partially devoiced when they are preceded by a voiced vowel and followed by an {{IPA|[h]}}, a consonant, and two or more syllables.{{sfn|Leman|1979|p=218}}

==== Consonant devoicing ====
{{Lang|chy|émane}} {{IPA|[ɪmaṅɪ]|lang=chy}} 'He is drinking.'

Before a voiceless segment, a consonant is devoiced.{{sfn|Leman|1979|p=218}}

==== ''h''-absorption ====
* {{Lang|chy|-pėhévoéstomo'he}} 'kind' + {{Lang|chy|-htse}} 'imperative suffix' > {{Lang|chy|-pėhévoéstomo'ėstse}}
* {{Lang|chy|tsé-}} 'conjunct prefix' + {{Lang|chy|-éna'he}} 'old' + {{Lang|chy|-tse}} '3rd pers. suffix' > {{Lang|chy|tsééna'ėstse}} 'the one who is old'
* {{Lang|chy|né}} + 'you' + {{Lang|chy|-one'xȧho'he}} 'burn' + {{Lang|chy|tse}} 'suffix for some 'you-me' transitive animate forms' > {{Lang|chy|néone'xȧho'ėstse}} ' you burn me'

The {{IPA|[h]}} is absorbed if it is preceded or followed by voiceless vowels.{{sfn|Leman|1979|p=217}}