Editing Santa language (section)

===Consonants===
Santa has 29 consonants:{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=37}}

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Plosive]]
!{{small|plain}}
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|k}}
|{{IPA link|q}}
|
|-
!{{Small|[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]}}
|{{IPA link|pʰ}}
|{{IPA link|tʰ}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|kʰ}}
|{{IPA link|qʰ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative]]
!{{Small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
|{{IPA link|f}}
|{{IPA link|s}}
|{{IPA link|ʂ}}
|{{IPA link|ɕ}}
|{{IPA link|x}}
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
!{{Small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|
|
|({{IPA link|ʐ}})
|
|
|{{IPA link|ʁ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Affricate]]
!{{small|plain}}
|
|({{IPA link|t͡s}})
|{{IPA link|t͡ʂ}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ɕ}}
|
|
|
|-
!{{Small|aspirated}}
|
|({{IPA link|t͡sʰ}})
|{{IPA link|t͡ʂʰ}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ɕʰ}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant]]
|{{IPA link|w}}
|{{IPA link|l}}
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|{{IPA link|r}}
|
|
|
|
|
|}

* The aspirated stops {{IPA|/pʰ, tʰ, kʰ, qʰ/}}, at varying degrees, tend to be [[Affricate consonant|affricated]] before [[close vowel]]s as {{IPA|[p͡ɸʰ, t͡θʰ, k͡xʰ, q͡χʰ]}} respectively:{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=38}}
** {{IPA|/qʰ/ → [q͡χʰ]}}: This has the most noticeable affrication, seen in {{lang|sce|ghudogvo}} {{IPA|[q͡χʰutoˈʁo]}} (knife).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=47}}
** {{IPA|/pʰ/ → [p͡ɸʰ]}}: Still commonly affricated, e.g. {{lang|sce|pixie}} {{IPA|[p͡ɸʰi̥ˈɕi̯ɛ]}} (belt).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=46}}
** {{IPA|/tʰ/ → [t͡θʰ]}}: Affrication is salient, but seems to be more apparent with {{IPA|[ɯ]}} than {{IPA|[u]}}, as in {{lang|sce|tiigha}} {{IPA|[t͡θʰɯ̥ˈqɑ]}} (chicken).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=46}}
** {{IPA|/kʰ/ → [k͡xʰ]}}: This consonant is the least affricated, but is still attested in {{lang|sce|kiqie}} {{IPA|[k͡xʰi̥ˈt͡ɕi̯ɛ]}} (to lie down).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=47}}
* Likewise, before non-close vowels non-aspirated stops do not show affrication e.g. {{lang|sce|da}} {{IPA|[tʰɑ]}} (to guess), {{lang|sce|korolon}} {{IPA|[kʰoroˈlõŋ]}} (footprint), or {{lang|sce|khalun}} {{IPA|[qʰɑˈlũŋ]}} (hot).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=38}}
* Phonemes {{IPA|/t͡sʰ, t͡s, ʐ/}} are only found in loanwords:
** {{IPA|/t͡sʰ/}} is only found in Chinese-derived words, as in {{lang|sce|cai}} {{IPA|/t͡sʰɑj/}} (vegetable; from Chinese {{lang|zh|菜}} {{lang|zh-Latn-pinyin|cài}}). It is frequently deaffricated to the native {{IPA|[s]}}.{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=48}}
** {{IPA|/t͡s/}} is found within Chinese and Persian borrowings, with Persian {{lang|fa|زمین}} {{lang|fa-Latn|zamin}} (earth) rendered as {{lang|sce|zemin}} {{IPA|/t͡səˈmi(ŋ)/}}.{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=48}}
** {{IPA|/ʐ/}} in the same way is seen in words of Chinese and Arabic origin, as in {{lang|sce|renshen}} {{IPA|/ʐəŋˈʂəŋ/}} (ginseng; Chinese {{lang|zh|人參}} {{lang|zh-Latn-pinyin|rénshēn}}).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=50}}
* The nasals {{IPA|/n, ŋ/}} assimilate to {{IPA|[m]}} before labials, as in {{lang|sce|unba}}  {{IPA|/unˈpɑ/ → [ũmˈpɑ]}} (to swim) and {{lang|sce|banban}} {{IPA|/pɑŋˈpɑŋ/ → [pɑ̃mˈpɑ̃ŋ]}} (cudgel) respectively. {{IPA|/ŋ/}} also has another allophone {{IPAblink|ɴ}} before uvulars, cf. {{lang|sce|zhangha}} {{IPA|/t͡ʂɑŋˈqɑ/ → [t͡ʂɑ̃ɴˈqɑ]}} (walnut).{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=50}}
* Nasals are commonly [[Deletion (phonology)|deleted]] in the coda, which is an areal feature around the border between [[Gansu]] and [[Qinghai]]. Although it is not restricted to word-final situations, it is rarer to find deletion there as the following consonantal onsets somehow reinforce the nasal. It should also be noted that vowels preceding nasal consonants are also [[Nasal vowel|nasalized]] themselves.{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=43}}
* The central approximants {{IPA|/j, w/}} are fricativized {{IPA|[{{IPA link|ʝ}}, {{IPA link|v}}]}} when syllable-initial, mainly before close vowels. {{IPA|/w/}} can further be found before front vowels and even low back vowels. An example of fricatization for each is {{lang|sce|yibai}} {{IPA|[ˈʝipɛi̯]}} (one hundred) and {{lang|sce|weila}} {{IPA|[və̝i̯ˈlɑ]}} (to cry).{{sfnp|Field|1997|pp=39, 51}} This phenomenon can also be found in neighboring languages, including [[Dungan language|Dungan]] and [[Monguor language|Monguor]].{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=39}} 
* {{IPA|/ʁ/}}, which is usually realized as a fricative, can be pronounced as an approximant {{IPA|[ʁ̞]}} in fast speech.{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=50}}
* {{IPA|/r/}} is usually a trill, and length is dependent on the speed of speech; similarly in rapid speech it can become a tap {{IPAblink|ɾ}}.{{sfnp|Field|1997|p=51}}