Editing Etruscan language (section)

==Phonology==
In the tables below, conventional letters used for transliterating Etruscan are accompanied by likely pronunciation in [[help:IPA|IPA]] symbols within the square brackets, followed by examples of the early [[Etruscan alphabet]] which would have corresponded to these sounds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Etruscan alphabet and language |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/etruscan.htm |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Omniglot }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Adelle |date=2018 |title=Theories on the Origin of the Etruscan Language |url=https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2655&context=open_access_theses |access-date=November 6, 2023 |website=Purdue University}}</ref>

===Vowels===
The Etruscan [[vowel|vowel system]] consisted of four distinct vowels. The vowels ''o'' and ''u'' appear to have not been phonetically distinguished based on the nature of the writing system, as only one symbol is used to cover both in loans from Greek (e.g. Greek {{lang|grc|κώθων}} {{Transliteration|grc|kōthōn}} > Etruscan {{Transliteration|ett|qutun}} 'pitcher').

Before the [[front vowel]]s {{angbr|c}} is used, while {{angbr|k}} and {{angbr|q}} are used before respectively unrounded and rounded [[back vowel]]s.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ caption | Vowels{{sfnp|Agostiniani|2013|p=470|ps=: "We believe that for the Archaic period, the /a/ was a back vowel (as in French ''pâte'')".}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" |[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[unrounded]]
![[Roundedness|rounded]]
|- align="center"
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| i<br>{{IPAblink|i}}<br>[[File:EtruscanI-01.svg|14px|I]]
|
| o<br>{{IPAblink|u}}<br>[[File:EtruscanO-01.svg|14px|U]]
|- align="center"
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| e<br>{{IPAblink|e}}<br>[[File:EtruscanE-01.svg|14px|E]]
|a<br>{{IPAblink|ɑ}}<br>[[File:EtruscanA-01.svg|14px|A]]
|
|}

===Consonants===

====Table of consonants====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! colspan="2" | [[Bilabial]]
! colspan="2" | [[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
!| [[glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|- align=center
![[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| colspan="2" |m<br>{{IPAblink|m}}<br>[[File:EtruscanM-01.svg|14px|M]]
| colspan="2" |n<br>{{IPAblink|n̪}}<br>[[File:EtruscanN-01.svg|14px|N]]
||
| colspan="2" |
||
|- align=center
![[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
|p<br>{{IPAblink|p}}<br>[[File:EtruscanP-01.svg|14px|P]]
|φ<br>{{IPAblink|pʰ}}<br>[[File:EtruscanPH-01.svg|14px|Φ]]
|t<br>{{IPAblink|t̪}}<br>[[File:EtruscanT-01.svg|14px|T]]
|θ<br>{{IPAblink|t̪ʰ}}<br>[[File:EtruscanTH-03.svg|14px|Θ]]
|
|c, k, q<br>{{IPAblink|k}}<br>[[File:EtruscanC-01.svg|14px|C]] [[File:EtruscanK-01.svg|14px|K]] [[File:EtruscanQ-01.svg|14px|Q]]
|χ<br>{{IPAblink|kʰ}}<br>[[File:EtruscanKH-01.svg|x16px]]
|
|- align=center
![[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" | z<br>{{IPAblink|t̪͡s̪}}<br>[[File:EtruscanZ-01.svg|14px|Z]]
|
| colspan="2" |
|
|- align=center
![[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| colspan="2" | p²<br>{{IPAblink|ɸ}}<br>[[File:EtruscanF-02.svg|14px|F]]
| colspan="2" |s<br>{{IPAblink|s̪}}<br>[[File:EtruscanS-01.svg|14px|S]]
|ś<br>{{IPAblink|ʃ}}<br>[[File:EtruscanSH-01.svg|14px|Ś]] [[File:EtruscanSH-02.svg|14px|Ś]]
| colspan="2" |
|h<br>{{IPAblink|h}}<br>[[File:EtruscanH-01.svg|14px|H]]
|- align=center
![[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |l<br>{{IPAblink|l̪}}<br>[[File:EtruscanL-01.svg|14px|L]]
|i<br>{{IPAblink|j}}<br>[[File:EtruscanI-01.svg|14px|I]]
| colspan="2" |v<br>{{IPAblink|w}}<br>[[File:EtruscanF-01.svg|14px|V]]
|
|- align=center
![[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |r<br>{{IPAblink|r̪}}<br>[[File:EtruscanR-03.svg|14px|R]]
|
| colspan="2" |
||
|}

Etruscan also might have had consonants ʧ and ʧʰ, as they might be represented in the writing by using two letters, like in the word {{Transliteration|ett|prumaθś}} ('great-nephew' or 'great-grandson'). However, this theory is not widely accepted.

====Absence of voiced stops====
The Etruscan consonant system primarily distinguished between aspirated and non-aspirated stops. There were no voiced stops. When words from foreign languages were borrowed into Etruscan, voiced stops typically became unvoiced stops; one example is Greek {{Lang|grc-latn|thriambos}}, which became Etruscan {{Transliteration|ett|triumpus}} and Latin {{Lang|la|triumphus}}.<ref>J.H. Adams pp. 163–164.</ref> Such a lack of voiced stops is not particularly unusual; it is found e.g. in modern [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]], in [[Scottish Gaelic]], and in most [[Chinese languages]]. Even in English, aspiration is often more important than voice in the distinction of [[Fortis and lenis|fortis-lenis]] pairs.

====Syllabic theory====
Based on standard spellings by Etruscan scribes of words without vowels or with unlikely consonant clusters (e.g. {{Transliteration|ett|cl}} 'of this (gen.)' and {{Transliteration|ett|lautn}} 'freeman'), it is likely that {{IPA|/m, n, l, r/}} were sometimes syllabic [[sonorant]]s (cf. English ''litt'''le''''', ''butto'''n'''''). Thus {{Transliteration|ett|cl}} {{IPA|/kl̩/}} and {{Transliteration|ett|lautn}} {{IPA|/ˈlɑwtn̩/}}.

Rix postulates several syllabic consonants, namely {{IPA|/l, r, m, n/}} and palatal {{IPA|/lʲ, rʲ, nʲ/}} as well as a labiovelar fricative {{IPA|/xʷ/}}, and some scholars such as [[Mauro Cristofani]] also view the aspirates as palatal rather than aspirated but these views are not shared by most Etruscologists. Rix supports his theories by means of variant spellings such as {{Transliteration|ett|amφare}}''/''{{Transliteration|ett|amφiare}}, {{Transliteration|ett|larθal}}''/''{{Transliteration|ett|larθial}}, {{Transliteration|ett|aranθ}}''/''{{Transliteration|ett|aranθiia}}.