Editing Lakota language (section)

===Phonological processes===

A common phonological process which occurs in rapid speech is ''vowel contraction'', which generally results from the loss of an intervocalic glide. Vowel contraction results in phonetic long vowels ([[phoneme|phonemically]] a sequence of two identical vowels), with falling pitch if the first underlying vowel is stressed, and rising pitch if the second underlying vowel is stressed: ''kê:'' (falling tone), "he said that", from {{lang|lkt|kéye}}; ''hǎ:pi'' (rising tone), "clothing", from {{lang|lkt|hayápi}}. If one of the vowels is nasalized, the resulting long vowel is also nasalized: ''čhaŋ̌:pi'', "sugar", from {{lang|lkt|čhaŋháŋpi}}.<ref name="rood96" />

When two vowels of unequal height contract, or when feature contrasts exist between the vowels and the glide, two new phonetic vowels, {{IPA|[æː]}} and {{IPA|[ɔː]}}, result:<ref name="rood96" /> ''iyæ̂:'', "he left for there", from {{lang|lkt|iyáye}}; ''mitȟa:'', "it's mine", from {{lang|lkt|mitȟáwa}}.

The plural [[clitic|enclitic]] ''=pi'' is frequently changed in rapid speech when preceding the enclitics ''=kte'', ''=kiŋ'', ''=kštó'', or ''=na''. If the vowel preceding ''=pi'' is high/open, ''=pi'' becomes [u]; if the vowel is non-high (mid or closed), ''=pi'' becomes [o] (if the preceding vowel is nasalized, then the resulting vowel is also nasalized): ''hi=pi=kte'', "they will arrive here", [hiukte]; ''yatkáŋ=pi=na'', "they drank it and...", {{IPA|[jatkə̃õna]}}.<ref name="rood96" />

Lakota also exhibits some traces of sound symbolism among fricatives, where the [[point of articulation]] changes to reflect intensity: {{lang|lkt|zí}}, "it's yellow", {{lang|lkt|ží}}, "it's tawny", {{lang|lkt|ǧí}}, "it's brown".<ref>{{cite book|last=Mithun |first=Marianne |year=2007 |title=The Languages of Native North America|location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=33}}</ref> (Compare with the similar examples in [[Mandan language#Vocabulary|Mandan]].)