Editing Shilha language (section)

==== Syllable types ====
The syllable structure of Shilha was first investigated by Dell and Elmedlaoui in a seminal article (1985). They describe how syllable boundaries can be established through what they call "core syllabification". This works by associating a nucleus with an onset, to form a core syllable CV or CC. Segments that are higher on the sonority scale have precedence over those lower on the scale in forming the nucleus in a core syllable, with vowels and semivowels highest on the scale, followed by liquids and nasals, voiced fricatives, voiceless fricatives, voiced stops and voiceless stops. When no more segments are available as onsets, the remaining single consonants are assigned as coda to the preceding core syllable, but if a remaining consonant is identical to the consonant that is the onset of the following syllable, it merges with it to become a long consonant. A morpheme boundary does not necessarily constitute a syllable boundary.

{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|ddan s yaw wurti kcmn iss ad ccin tazart d waḍil
|they.went to one EA-orchard they.enter into-it to- they.eat EL-figs with EA-grapes
|"they went to an orchard and entered it to eat figs and grapes"}}

{| class="wikitable"
!
| {{mono|ddan s yaw wurti kcmn iss ad ccin tazart d waḍil}}
|-
! Core syllabification
| {{mono|d{{color|#09c|da}}{{color|#9c3|n s}} {{color|#09c|ya}}w {{color|#9c3|wu}}r{{color|#09c|ti}} k{{color|#9c3|cm}}{{color|#09c|n i}}s{{color|#9c3|s a}}{{color|#09c|d c}}{{color|#9c3|ci}}n {{color|#09c|ta}}{{color|#9c3|za}}r{{color|#09c|t d}} {{color|#9c3|wa}}{{color|#09c|ḍi}}l}}
|-
! Coda assignment:
| {{mono|{{color|#09c|d:a}}{{color|#9c3|n s}} {{color|#09c|ya}} {{color|#9c3|w:ur}}{{color|#09c|ti k}}{{color|#9c3|cm}}{{color|#09c|n i}}{{color|#9c3|s: a}}{{color|#09c|d c}}{{color|#9c3|cin}} {{color|#09c|ta}}{{color|#9c3|zar}}{{color|#09c|t d}} {{color|#9c3|wa}}{{color|#09c|ḍil}} }}
|}

Comparative diagram of the following:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|- style="font-size:85%"
!
! colspan="28" |Example of Phonological Processes in Shilha
|-
!Gloss of text
| colspan="3" | they.went
| to
| colspan="2" |one
| colspan="3" | EA-orchard
| colspan="3" |they.enter
| colspan="3" |into-it
| colspan="2" |to-
| colspan="3" |they.eat
| colspan="4" |EL-figs
|with
| colspan="3" |EA-grapes
|-
!Shilha text
| colspan="3" | ddan
|  s|| colspan="2" | yaw|| colspan="3" |  wurti|| colspan="3" | kcmn|| colspan="3" |iss
| colspan="2" |ad
| colspan="3" |ccin
| colspan="4" |tazart
|d
| colspan="3" |waḍil
|-
!Core Syll
|d
| (da)
| colspan="2" |(ns)
|(ya)
|w
| (wu)
| r
| (ti)
| k
|(cm)
| colspan="2" |(ni)
|s
| colspan="2" |(sa)
| colspan="2" |(dc)
|(ci)
|n
|(ta)
|(za)
|r
| colspan="2" |(td)
|(wa)
|(ḍi)
|l
|-
!Coda Assgn.
| colspan="2" | (d:a)
| colspan="2" |(ns)
| (ya)
| colspan="3" |(w:ur)
| colspan="2" | (tik)
| (cm)
| colspan="2" |(ni)
| colspan="3" |(s:a)
| colspan="2" |(dc)
| colspan="2" |(cin)
|(ta)
| colspan="2" |(zar)
| colspan="2" |(td)
|(wa)
| colspan="2" |(ḍil)
|-
!English trans
| colspan="28" |"they went to an orchard and entered it to eat figs and grapes"
|}Application of core syllabification produces the following Shilha syllable types:

{| class="wikitable" border='1'
|-
|width="80"|C V
|width="80"|C: V
|width="80"|
|width="80"|
|-
|C V C
|C: V C
|C V C:
|C: V C:
|-
|C C
|C: C
|C C:
|C: C:
|-
|C C C
|C: C C
|C C C:
|C: C C:
|}

Shilha syllable structure can be represented succinctly by the formula {{Not a typo|CX(C)}}, in which C is any consonant (single/long), and X is any vowel or consonant (single) and with the restriction that in a syllable CXC the X, if it is a consonant, cannot be higher on the resonance scale than the syllable-final consonant, that is, syllables such as [tsk.] and [wrz.] are possible, but not *[tks.] and *[wzr.].

Exceptional syllables of the types X (vowel or single/long consonant) and {{Not a typo|V(C)}} (vowel plus single/long consonant) occur in utterance-initial position:
:{{Lang|shi-latn|rgl t}} [r.glt.] "close it!" (syllable C)
:{{Lang|shi-latn|ffɣat}} [f:.ɣat.] "go out!" (syllable C:)
:{{Lang|shi-latn|awi t id}} [a.wi.tid.] "bring it here!" (syllable V)
:{{Lang|shi-latn|acki d}} [ac.kid.] "come here!" (syllable VC)
Another exceptional syllable type, described by Dell and Elmedlaoui (1985), occurs in utterance-final position, when a syllable of the type CC or CC: is "annexed" to a preceding syllable of the type CV or C:V, for example {{Lang|shi-latn|fssamt}} "be silent!" is [fs.samt.] not *[fs.sa.mt.].

Since any syllable type may precede or follow any other type, and since any consonant can occur in syllable-initial or final position, there are no phonotactical restrictions on consonant sequences. This also means that the concept of the consonant cluster is not applicable in Shilha phonology, as any number of consonants may occur in sequence:

{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|frḥɣ s lmɛrft nnk
|I.am.glad by.means.of the.acquaintance of.you
|"I'm glad to make your acquaintance"}}

:[fr.ḥɣs.lm.ɛrf.tn.nk.] (6 syllables, 14 consonants, no vowels)