Editing Mingrelian language (section)

==Phonology==

===Vowels===
Mingrelian has five vowel [[Phoneme|phonemes]] /i ɛ a ɔ u/. The Zugdidi-Samurzaqano dialect has a sixth /ə/ which is the result of [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilation]] of /i/ and /u/.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+Mingrelian vowels
! rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|- 
! <small>unrounded</small>
! <small>rounded</small>
|-
! [[Close vowel|High]]
| i {{IPAblink|i}} ი
| (ə {{IPAblink|ə}}) ჷ
| u {{IPAblink|u}} უ
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| e {{IPAblink|ɛ}} ე
|
| o {{IPAblink|ɔ}} ო
|-
! [[Open vowel|Low]]
|
| a {{IPAblink|ɑ}} ა
|
|}

===Consonants===
The consonant inventory of Mingrelian contains series of [[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]] and [[Ejective consonant|ejective]] consonants that contrast with voiced consonants. The inventory and is almost identical to that of [[Laz language|Laz]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], and [[Svan language|Svan]]. The table below shows the consonants of Mingrelian in [[Romanization|romanized]] script, phonetic symbols from the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]], and in [[Georgian scripts|Mkhedruli]] script.

{| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Mingrelian consonants
! colspan=2 |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| m {{IPAblink|m}} მ
| n {{IPAblink|n}} ნ
| 
| 
| 
| 
|-
! rowspan=3 | [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| b {{IPAblink|b}} ბ
| d {{IPAblink|d}} დ
| 
| g {{IPAblink|ɡ}} გ
| 
| 
|-
! <small>[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]</small>
| p {{IPAblink|pʰ}} ფ
| t {{IPAblink|tʰ}} თ
| 
| k {{IPAblink|kʰ}} ქ
| 
| 
|- 
! <small>[[ejective consonant|ejective]]</small>
| p̌ {{IPAblink|pʼ}} პ
| ţ {{IPAblink|tʼ}} ტ
| 
| ǩ {{IPAblink|kʼ}} კ
| qʼ {{IPAblink|qʼ}} ყ
| ɔ {{IPAblink|ʔ}} ჸ
|-
! rowspan=3 | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| 
| ž {{IPAblink|d͡z}} ძ
| dj {{IPAblink|d͡ʒ}} ჯ
| 
| 
| 
|- 
! [[Aspirated consonant|<small></small>]]<small>[[voicelessness|aspirated]]</small>
| 
| ʒ {{IPAblink|t͡sʰ}} ც
| ç  {{IPAblink|t͡ʃʰ}} ჩ
| 
| 
| 
|-
! <small>[[ejective consonant|ejective]]</small>
| 
| ǯ {{IPAblink|t͡sʼ}} წ
| č {{IPAblink|t͡ʃʼ}} ჭ
| 
| 
| 
|-
! rowspan=2 | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| v {{IPAblink|v}} ვ
| z {{IPAblink|z}} ზ
| j {{IPAblink|ʒ}} ჟ
| colspan=2 | ɣ {{IPAblink|ɣ}} ღ
|
|-
! <small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| 
| s {{IPAblink|s}} ს
| ş  {{IPAblink|ʃ}} შ
| colspan=2 | x {{IPAblink|x}} ხ
| h {{IPAblink|h}} ჰ
|- 
! colspan=2 | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| 
| r {{IPAblink|r}} რ
|
| 
| 
| 
|- 
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| 
| l {{IPAblink|l}} ლ
| y {{IPAblink|j}} ჲ
| 
| 
| 
|}

===Phonetic processes===

====Vowel reduction====
Certain pairs of vowels reduce to single vowels:{{clarify|reason=are "ee aa uu" supposed to be historical forms, underlying forms or what?|date=April 2013}}
*''ae'' and ''ai'' → ''ee'' → ''e''
*''ao'', ''oa'' and ''oo'' → ''aa'' → ''a''
*''ou → uu → u''

In Zugdidi-Samurzaqano dialect the vowels ''i'' and ''u'' also often reduce to ''ə''.

====Pre-consonant change of velar ''g''====
Before consonants, ''g'' → ''r''.

====Positional change of uvular ''q''' sound====
In word-initial prevocalic and intervocalic positions, ''q' → ʔ''. Before the consonant ''v'', ''q' → ɣ/ǩ''.

====Regressive assimilation of consonants====
The common types are:
*voicing/devoicing of voiceless/voiced consonants before voiced/voiceless ones (respectively).
*glottalization of consonants before the glottalized ones and the glottal stop.

====Progressive dissimilation====
If the stem contains ''r'' then the suffixes ''-ar'' and ''-ur'' transform to ''-al'' and ''-ul'', e.g. {{Lang|xmf|xorga}} ''({{Interlanguage link|Gaghma Pirveli Khorga|ka|გაღმა პირველი ხორგა}}, the village)→'' {{Lang|xmf|xorg-ul-i}} ("Khorgan").
The rule is not valid if in the stem with ''r'' an ''l'' appears later, e.g. {{Lang|xmf|marṫvili}} ''("[[Martvili]]", the town) dj'' {{Lang|xmf|marṫvil-ur-i}} ''(adj. "Martvilian")''

In a stem with voiceless affricates or voiceless sibilants, a later ''ǯ'' is [[Deaffrication|deaffricated]] to ''d'', e.g. {{Lang|xmf|orcxondji}} ''dj'' {{Lang|xmf|orcxondi}} "comb", {{Lang|xmf|ç̌andji}} ''dj'' {{Lang|xmf|ç̌andi}} "fly (insect)", {{Lang|xmf|isindji}} ''dj'' {{Lang|xmf|isindi}} "arrow", etc.

====The transformation of ''l''====
*in all dialects of Mingrelian, before consonants ''l'' → ''r''.
*in the Martvili subdialect in word-initial prevocalic position, ''l  → y → ∅'' and in intervocalic position ''l → ∅'' {{elucidate|reason=how do these differ?|date=February 2011}}

====Intervocalic deletion of ''v''====
Between the vowels the organic{{Clarify|date=February 2011}} ''v'' disappears, e.g. {{Lang|xmf|xvavi}} ''(Geo. "abundance, plenty") →'' {{Lang|xmf|*xvai}} ''→'' {{Lang|xmf|xvee}} (id.), {{Lang|xmf|mṭevani}} ''(Geo. "raceme") →'' {{Lang|xmf|ţiani}} (id.), etc.

====Phonetic augmentation ''n''====
Before the stops and affricates, an inorganic{{Clarify|date=February 2011}} augmentation ''n'' may appear (before labials ''n → m'').