Editing Marshallese language (section)

== Variation ==
The [[Republic of the Marshall Islands]] contains 34 [[atolls]] that are split into two chains, the eastern [[Ratak Chain]] and the western [[Rālik Chain]].<ref name="hgb" /> These two chains have different dialects, which differ mainly [[Lexicon|lexically]], and are [[mutually intelligible]].<ref name="eth" /><ref name="hgb" /> The atoll of [[Ujelang]] in the west was reported to have "slightly less homogeneous speech",<ref name="eth" /> but it has been uninhabited since 1980.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=International Legal Materials|volume=39|issue=5|year=2000|title=Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal: In the Matter of the People of Enewetak|pages=1214–1233|doi=10.1017/S0020782900008640|s2cid=232252215}}</ref>

The Ratak and Rālik dialects differ phonetically in how they deal with stems that begin with double consonants.<ref name="hgb" /> Ratak Marshallese inserts a vowel to separate the consonants, while Ralik adds a vowel before the consonants (and pronounced an unwritten consonant phoneme {{IPA|/j/}} before the vowel).<ref name="hgb" /> For example, the stem {{lang|mh|kkure}} 'play' becomes {{lang|mh|ikkure}} in Rālik Marshallese and {{lang|mh|kukure}} in Ratak Marshallese.<ref name="hgb" /><ref>[http://www.trussel2.com/MOD/MED2K.htm#kukure MED: {{lang|mh|kukure}}]</ref>