Editing Faroese language (section)

== Phonology ==
{{main|Faroese phonology}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto:" style=text-align:center
|+Faroese vowels
!rowspan=3|
!colspan=4| [[Front vowel|Front]]
!rowspan=2 colspan=2| [[Central vowel|Central]]
!rowspan=2 colspan=2| [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-class=small
!colspan=2| [[Roundedness|unrounded]]
!colspan=2| [[Roundedness|rounded]]
|-class=small
! [[Short vowel|short]]
! [[Long vowel|long]]
! short
! long
! short
! long
! short
! long
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|ɪ}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| {{IPA link|ʏ}}
| {{IPA link|yː}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ʊ}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ}}
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| {{IPA link|œ}}
| {{IPA link|øː}}
| 
| 
| {{IPA link|ɔ}}
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|a}}
| {{IPA link|aː}}
|
|
|}
As with most other Germanic languages, Faroese has a large number of vowels, with 26 in total. Vowel distribution is similar to other North Germanic languages in that short vowels appear in closed syllables (those ending in consonant clusters or long consonants) and long vowels appearing in open syllables.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+caption|Faroese vowel alternations<ref>{{citation|last=Árnason|first=Kristján|year=2011|title=The Phonology of Icelandic and Faroese|place=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=68}}</ref>
!colspan=7|Monophthongs
|-
! colspan="4" |Long vowel
! colspan="3" |Short vowel
|- style="text-align:center;"
| {{IPA|/i/}} ||''linur'' ||{{IPA|[ˈliːnʊɹ]}} || 'soft' 
|''lint'' ||{{IPA|[lɪn̥t]}} || 'soft ([[grammatical gender|N.]])'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/e/}} ||''frekur'' ||{{IPA|[ˈfɹeː(ʰ)kʊɹ]}} || 'greedy' 
|''frekt'' ||{{IPA|[fɹɛʰkt]}} || 'greedy (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/y/}} ||''mytisk'' ||{{IPA|[ˈmyːtɪsk]}} || 'mythological' 
|''mystisk'' ||{{IPA|[ˈmʏstɪsk]}} || 'mysterious'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/ø/}} ||''[[wikt:høgur|høgur]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈhøːʋʊɹ~ˈhøœʋʊɹ]}} || 'high (M.)' 
|''[[wikt:høgt|høgt]]'' ||{{IPA|[hœkt]}} || 'high (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/u/}} ||''[[wikt:gulur|gulur]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈkuːlʊɹ]}} || 'yellow' 
|''[[wikt:gult|gult]]'' ||{{IPA|[kʊl̥t]}} || 'yellow (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/o/}} ||''[[wikt:tola|tola]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈtʰoːla]}} || 'to endure' 
|''toldi'' ||{{IPA|[ˈtʰɔltɪ]}} || 'endured'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/a/}} ||''[[wikt:Kanada|Kanada]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈkʰaːnata]}} || 'Canada' 
|''[[wikt:land|land]]'' ||{{IPA|[lant]}} || 'land'
|- style="text-align:center;"
!colspan=7|Diphthongs
|-
! colspan="4" |Long vowel
! colspan="3" |Short vowel
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/ʊi/}} ||''[[wikt:hvítur|hvítur]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈkvʊiːtʊɹ]}} || 'white (M.)' 
|''[[wikt:hvítt|hvítt]]'' ||{{IPA|[kvʊiʰtː]}} || 'white (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|{{IPA|/ɛi/}} ||''[[wikt:deyður|deyður]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈteiːjʊɹ]}} || 'dead (M.)' 
|''deytt'' ||{{IPA|[tɛʰtː]}} || 'dead (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|{{IPA|/ai/}} ||''[[wikt:feitur|feitur]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈfaiːtʊɹ]}} || 'fat (M.)' 
|''feitt'' ||{{IPA|[faiʰtː~fɔiʰtː]}} || 'fat (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|{{IPA|/ɔi/}} ||''[[wikt:gloyma|gloyma]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈklɔiːma]}} || 'to forget' 
|''gloymdi'' ||{{IPA|[ˈklɔimtɪ]}} || 'forgot'
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{IPA|/ɛa/}} ||''spakur'' ||{{IPA|[ˈspɛaː(ʰ)kʊɹ]}} || 'calm (M.)' 
|''spakt'' ||{{IPA|[spakt]}} || 'calm (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|{{IPA|/ɔa/}} ||''[[wikt:vátur|vátur]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈvɔaːtʊɹ]}} || 'wet (M.)' 
|''vátt'' ||{{IPA|[vɔʰtː]}} || 'wet (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|{{IPA|/ʉu/}} ||''fúlur'' ||{{IPA|[ˈfʉuːlʊɹ]}} || 'foul (M.)' 
|''fúlt'' ||{{IPA|[fʏl̥t]}} || 'foul (N.)'
|- style="text-align:center; white-space:nowrap;"
|{{IPA|/ɔu/}} ||''[[wikt:tómur|tómur]]'' ||{{IPA|[ˈtʰɔuːmʊɹ~ˈtʰœuːmʊɹ]}} || 'empty (M.)' 
|''tómt'' ||{{IPA|[tʰœm̥t~tʰɔm̥t]}} || 'empty (N.)'
|}

Faroese shares with Icelandic and Danish the feature of maintaining a contrast between stops based exclusively on aspiration, not voicing. Geminated stops may be pre-aspirated in intervocalic and word-final position. Intervocalically the aspirated consonants become pre-aspirated unless followed by a closed vowel. In clusters, the preaspiration merges with a preceding nasal or apical approximant, rendering them voiceless.

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+Faroese consonants
! colspan=2 rowspan=2|
! colspan=2|[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan=2|[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan=2|[[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
! colspan=2|[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan=2|[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan=2|[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
! {{small|[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
! {{small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|-
! colspan=2| [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m̥}} || {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n̥}} || {{IPA link|n}}
|({{IPA link|ɳ̊}}) || ({{IPA link|ɳ}})
| {{IPA link|ɲ̊}} || {{IPA link|ɲ}}
| {{IPA link|ŋ̊}} || {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan=2| [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
! {{small|plain}}
| {{IPA link|p}}
|
| {{IPA link|t}}
|
| ({{IPA link|ʈ}})
|
| {{IPA link|tʃ}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[Aspirated consonant|aspirated]]}}
| {{IPA link|pʰ}}
|
| {{IPA link|tʰ}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|tʃʰ}}
|
| {{IPA link|kʰ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan=2| [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! {{small|[[Central consonant|central]]}}
| {{IPA link|f}}
| {{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
|
| ({{IPA link|ʂ}})
|
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! {{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɬ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan=2| [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
! {{small|[[Central consonant|central]]}}
| 
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɹ}}
|
| ({{IPA link|ɻ}})
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
| {{IPA link|w}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
| ({{IPA link|ɭ}})
|
|
|
|
|
|}

There are several [[phonology|phonological]] processes involved in Faroese, including:
*Nasals generally assume the place of articulation and laryngeal settings of following consonants.
*Velar stops palatalize to postalveolar affricates before {{IPA|/j/ /eː/ /ɛ/ /iː/ /ɪ/}} and {{IPA|/ɛi/}}
*{{IPA|/v/}} becomes {{IPA|[f]}} before voiceless consonants
*{{IPA|/sk/}} becomes {{IPA|[ʃ]}} after {{IPA|/ɛi, ai, ɔi/}} and before {{IPA|/j/}}
*{{IPA|/ɹ/}} becomes retroflex before consonants in consonant clusters, yielding the allophones {{IPA|[ʂ ɭ ʈ ɳ]}} while {{IPA|/ɹ/}} itself becomes {{IPA|[ɻ]}}, example: {{IPA|/rt/}} is realized as {{IPA|[ɻ̊ʈ]}}.
*[[Pre-occlusion]] of original {{IPA|/ll/}} to {{IPA|[tl]}} and {{IPA|/nn/}} to {{IPA|[tn]}}.
*Pre-aspiration of original voiceless stops {{IPA|[ʰp ʰt ʰk ʰtʃ]}} after non-high long vowels and diphthongs {{IPA|/ɛaː/ /ɔaː/ /eː/ /oː/ /øː/}} or when a voiceless stop is followed by {{IPA|/n, l, r/}}. All long voiceless stops are pre-aspirated when doubled or in clusters {{IPA|[ʰpː ʰtː ʰkː ʰtʃː]}}.