Editing Scythian languages (section)

==Phonology==
The Pontic Scythian language possessed the following phonemes:{{sfn|Novák|2013|p=10}}

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Vowels
! 
!colspan=2| Front
!colspan=2| Back
|-
! Close
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|i}} || style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|iː}}
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|u}} || style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! Mid
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|eː}}|| style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|oː}}|| style=border-left-width:0|
|-
! Open
|style=border-width:0|
|style=border-width:0|{{IPA link|a}}
|style=border-width:0|{{IPA link|aː}}
|style=border-width:0|
|}

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+ Consonants
!
!colspan=2|[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
!colspan=2|[[Dental consonant|Dental]]
!colspan=2|[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
!colspan=2|[[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]]
!colspan=2|[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
!colspan=2|[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
!colspan=2|[[Labialized velar consonant|Labiovelar]]
!colspan=2|[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
![[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|p}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|b}}
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|t}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|d}} (earliest)
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|k}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|-
![[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|t͡s}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|colspan=2|
|-
![[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|f}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|θ}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|ð}} (earlier)
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|s}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|z}}
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|ʃ}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|ʒ}}
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|x}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|xʷ}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|h}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|-
![[Sonorant]]
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|m}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|l}} (later)||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|n}}||style=border-left-width:0|{{IPA link|r}}
|colspan=2|
|style=border-right-width:0|{{IPA link|j}}||style=border-left-width:0|
|style=border-right-width:0|({{IPA link|ŋ}})||style=border-left-width:0|
|colspan=2|{{IPA link|w}}
|colspan=2|
|}

''This article uses cursive theta {{angbr|ϑ}} to denote the Scythian [[voiceless dental fricative]] (IPA {{IPAslink|θ}}), and regular theta {{angbr|θ}} to denote the Greek [[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]], [[voiceless dental plosive]] (IPA {{IPAslink|tʰ}}).''

The western dialects of the Scythian languages had experienced an evolution of the Proto-Iranic sound {{IPA|/d/}} into the Proto-Scythian sound {{IPA|/ð/}}, which in the [[Cimmerian language|Cimmerian]] and Pontic dialects of Scythian became the sound {{IPA|/l/}}. Scythian shares the evolution of Proto-Iranic sound {{IPA|/d/}} into {{IPA|/ð/}} with all Eastern Iranic languages with the exception of [[Ossetian language|Ossetian]], [[Yaghnobi language|Yaghnobi]], and [[Ishkashimi language|Ishkashimi]]; and the later evolution of {{IPA|/ð/}} into {{IPA|/l/}} is also present in several Eastern Iranic languages such as [[Bactrian language|Bactrian]], [[Pashto]], [[Munji language|Munjani]], and [[Yidgha language|Yidgha]].{{sfn|Ivantchik|1999a|p=156-158}}{{sfn|Novák|2013|p=10}}