Editing Niellim language (section)

==Phonology==

The consonants are:

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!colspan=2|
! [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!rowspan=4|[[Stop consonant|Stop]]
!<small>[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|p}}
| {{IPAlink|t}}
| {{IPAlink|c}}
| {{IPAlink|k}}
| {{IPAlink|ʔ}}
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|plain voiced]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|b}}
| {{IPAlink|d}}
| {{IPAlink|ɟ}}
| {{IPAlink|g}}
| 
|-
!<small>[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasalized]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|ᵐb}}
| {{IPAlink|ⁿd}}
| {{IPAlink|ᶮɟ}}
| {{IPAlink|ᵑɡ}}
|
|-
!<small>[[Implosive consonant|Implosive]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|ɓ}}
| {{IPAlink|ɗ}}
|
|
|
|-
!colspan=2|[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|
| {{IPAlink|s}}
|
|
| {{IPAlink|h}}
|-
!colspan=2|[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPAlink|m}}
| {{IPAlink|n}}
| {{IPAlink|ɲ}}
| {{IPAlink|ŋ}}
|
|-
!colspan=2|[[Nasal stop|Nasal]] [[approximant]]
| 
| 
| 
| {{IPA|w̃}}
|
|-
!colspan=2|[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
| {{IPAlink|l}}
| {{IPAlink|j}}
| {{IPAlink|w}}
|
|-
!colspan=2|[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
| {{IPAlink|r}}
|
|
|
|}

The vowels are {{IPA|/i/, /ɨ/, /u/, /e/, /ə/, /a/}}, and {{IPA|/o/}} as well as the diphthongs, {{IPA|/ja/}} and  {{IPA|/wa/}};  all except {{IPA|/ɨ/}} can also be given contrastive length and nasalization.  Complex [[vowel harmony]], rather similar to that found in [[Laal language|Laal]], is observable.

There are three tone levels: low, mid, high.  Any syllable must bear at least one tone; it may bear any combination of two tones, or one of three three-tone combinations: LML, MLH, or HLH.