Editing Esperanto (section)

=== Phonology ===
{{Main|Esperanto phonology}}

Esperanto typically has 22 to 24 consonants (depending on the phonemic analysis and individual speaker), five vowels, and two [[semivowel]]s that combine with the vowels to form six [[diphthong]]s. (The consonant {{IPA|/j/}} and semivowel {{IPA|/i̯/}} are both written ⟨j⟩, and the uncommon consonant {{IPA|/dz/}} is written with the digraph ⟨dz⟩,<ref>Kalocsay & Waringhien (1985) {{lang|eo|Plena analiza gramatiko de Esperanto}}, §&nbsp;17, 22</ref> which is the only consonant that does not have its own letter.) [[tone (linguistics)|Tone]] is not used to distinguish meanings of words. [[Stress (linguistics)|Stress]] is always on the second-to-last vowel in proper Esperanto words, unless a final vowel {{lang|eo|o}} is [[elided]], a phenomenon mostly occurring in poetry. For example, ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|familio}}'' "family" is {{IPA|[fa.mi.ˈli.o]}}, with the stress on the second ''i'', but when the word is used without the final ''{{lang|eo|o}} ({{lang|eo|famili’}}),'' the stress remains on the second {{lang|eo|i}}: {{IPA|[fa.mi.ˈli]}}.

==== Consonants ====


{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto;" style="text-align:center;"
|+ The 23 consonants
!
! colspan="2" | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|m}}
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|n}}
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" | 
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[stop consonant|Stop]]
| {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|b}}
| {{IPA link|t}} || {{IPA link|d}}
| colspan="2" | 
| {{IPA link|k}} || {{IPA link|ɡ}}
| colspan="2" | 
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
| colspan="2" | 
| {{IPA link|t͡s}} || ({{IPA link|d͡z}})
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} || {{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" | 
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| {{IPA link|f}}
|{{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|s}} || {{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}} || {{IPA link|ʒ}}
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|x}}
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|h}} 
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|l}}
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|j}}
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" | 
|- style="text-align:center;"
! [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" | {{IPA link|r}}
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" | 
| colspan="2" | 
|}

There is some degree of allophony:
* The sound {{IPAslink|r}} is usually rendered as an [[alveolar trill]] {{IPAblink|r}}, but can also be a [[uvular trill]] {{IPAblink|ʀ}},<ref>{{cite web|title=PMEG – Bazaj elparolaj reguloj – Konsonanta variado|url=http://bertilow.com/pmeg/skribo_elparolo/elparolo/bazaj_reguloj.html#i-7fo|website=PMEG|access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=February 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213013903/http://bertilow.com/pmeg/skribo_elparolo/elparolo/bazaj_reguloj.html#i-7fo|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[Voiced uvular fricative|uvular fricative]] {{IPAblink|ʁ}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Fundamento de Esperanto – Gramatiko Franca|url=http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_franca.html|website=Akademio de Esperanto|access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=February 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201075352/http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_franca.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and an [[Alveolar and postalveolar approximants|alveolar approximant]] {{IPAblink|ɹ}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fundamento de Esperanto – Gramatiko Angla|url=http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_angla.html|website=Akademio de Esperanto|access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=May 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530075537/http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_angla.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Many other forms such as an [[alveolar tap]] {{IPAblink|ɾ}} are done and accepted in practice.
* The {{IPAslink|v}} is normally pronounced like English ''v,'' but may be pronounced {{IPAblink|ʋ}} (between English ''v'' and ''w'') or {{IPAblink|w}}, depending on the language background of the speaker.
* A semivowel {{IPA|/u̯/}} normally occurs only in [[diphthong]]s after the vowels {{IPAslink|a}} and {{IPAslink|e̞|e}}, not as a consonant {{IPA|/w/}}.
* Common, if debated, [[assimilation (linguistics)|assimilation]] includes the pronunciation of {{lang|eo|nk}} as {{IPA|[ŋk]}} and {{lang|eo|kz}} as {{IPA|[ɡz]}}.

A large number of consonant clusters can occur, up to three in initial position (as in ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|stranga}}'', "strange") and five in medial position (as in ''ekssklavo'', "former slave"). Final clusters are uncommon except in unassimilated names, poetic elision of final ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|o}},'' and a very few basic words such as ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|cent}}'' "hundred" and ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|post}}'' "after".

==== Vowels ====
Esperanto has the five monophthongs found in such languages as <!--Not Italian: Italian has seven vowels.-->[[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Modern Hebrew]], and [[Modern Greek]].
{| style="margin: 0 auto;"
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+Monophthongs
!
! | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{IPA link|u}}
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|e̞|e}}
| {{IPA link|o̞|o}}
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|ä|a}}
|}
| &nbsp;&nbsp;
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+Diphthongs
!
! | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Close vowel|Close]]
| 
| {{IPA|ui̯}}
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA|ei̯}}, {{IPA|eu̯}}
| {{IPA|oi̯}}
|-
! style="text-align: right;" | [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan=2 | {{IPA|ai̯}}, {{IPA|au̯}}
|}
|}

Since there are only five vowel qualities, significant variation in pronunciation is tolerated. For instance, ''e'' commonly ranges from {{IPA|[e]}} (French {{lang|fr|é}}) to {{IPA|[ɛ]}} (French {{lang|fr|è}}). These details often depend on the speaker's native language. A [[glottal stop]] may occur between adjacent vowels in some people's speech, especially when the two vowels are the same, as in ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|heroo}}'' "hero" ({{IPA|[he.ˈro.o]}} or {{IPA|[he.ˈro.ʔo]}}) and ''{{Wikt-lang|eo|praavo}}'' "great-grandfather" ({{IPA|[pra.ˈa.vo]}} or {{IPA|[pra.ˈʔa.vo]}}).