Editing Marshallese language (section)

===Consonants===
Marshallese has a large consonant inventory, and each consonant has some type of secondary articulation ([[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]], [[velarization]], or [[Labialization|rounding]]).<ref name="w1">{{harvp|Willson|2003|p=1}}</ref> The palatalized consonants are regarded as "light", and the velarized and rounded consonants are regarded as "heavy", with the rounded consonants being both velarized and [[labialization|labialized]].<ref name="MEDSounds" /> (This contrast is similar to that between "slender" and "broad" consonants in [[Goidelic languages]], or between "soft" and "hard" consonants in [[Slavic languages]].) The "light" consonants are considered more relaxed articulations.
<ref name="MEDSounds" />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Consonant phonemes of Marshallese
! rowspan="3" |
! colspan="2" |[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="3" |[[Coronal consonant|Coronal]]
! colspan="2" |[[Dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
|-
!<small>Light</small>
!<small>Heavy</small>
!<small>Light</small>
! colspan="2" |<small>Heavy</small>
! colspan="2" |<small>Heavy</small>
|-
!{{small|[[Palatalization (phonetics)|Palatalized]]}}
!{{small|[[Velarization|Velarized]]}}
!{{small|[[Palatalization (phonetics)|Palatalized]]}}
!{{small|[[Velarization|Velarized]]}}
!{{small|[[Labialization|Labialized]]}}
!{{small|(Velar)}}
!{{small|[[Labialization|Labialized]]}}
|-
![[Stop consonant|Stop]]
|{{IPA link|pʲ}}
|{{IPA link|pˠ}}
|{{IPA link|tʲ}}
|{{IPA link|tˠ}}
|
|{{IPA link|k}}
|{{IPA link|kʷ}}
|-
![[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|mʲ}}
|{{IPA link|mˠ}}
|{{IPA link|nʲ}}
|{{IPA link|nˠ}}
|{{IPA link|nʷ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋʷ}}
|-
![[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
|
|
|{{IPA link|rʲ}}
|{{IPA link|rˠ}}
|{{IPA link|rʷ}}
|
|
|-
![[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
|
|{{IPA link|lʲ}}
|{{IPA link|lˠ}}
|{{IPA link|lʷ}}
|
|
|-
![[Glide consonant|Glide]]
|
|
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|({{IPA link|ɰ}})
|{{IPA link|w}}
|}
Although Marshallese has no [[consonant voicing and devoicing|voicing]] contrast in consonants,<ref name="w1" /> stops may be allophonically [[partial voicing|partially voiced]] ({{IPA|[p → b]}}, {{IPA|[t → d]}}, {{IPA|[k → ɡ]}}),<ref name="c14">{{harvp|Choi|1992|p=14}}</ref> when they are between vowels and not [[geminated]]. (Technically, partially voiced stops would be {{IPA|[p̬~b̥]}}, {{IPA|[t̬~d̥]}}, {{IPA|[k̬~ɡ̊]}}, but this article uses voiced transcriptions {{IPAblink|b}}, {{IPAblink|d}}, {{IPAblink|ɡ}} for simplicity.)<ref name="alph" /> Final consonants are often [[unreleased stop|unreleased]].<ref name="c14" />

Glides {{IPA|/j ɰ w/}} vanish in many environments, with surrounding vowels assimilating their [[backness]] and [[roundedness]].<ref name="b21-22" /> That is motivated by the limited surface distribution of these phonemes as well as other evidence that backness and roundedness are not specified phonemically for Marshallese vowels.<ref name="b21-22" /> In fact, the consonant {{IPA|/ɰ/}} never surfaces phonetically but is used to explain the preceding phenomenon.<ref name="c14"/> ({{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/w/}} may surface phonetically in word-initial and word-final positions and, even then, not consistently.<ref name="c14" />)

Bender (1968) explains that it was once believed there were six bilabial consonants because of observed surface realizations, {{IPA|/p pʲ pʷ m mʲ mʷ/}}, but he determined that two of these, {{IPA|/p m/}}, were actually allophones of {{IPA|/pʲ mʲ/}} respectively before front vowels and allophones of {{IPA|/pˠ mˠ/}} respectively before back vowels.<ref name="b16">{{harvp|Bender|1968|p=16}}</ref> Before front vowels, the velarized [[labial consonant]]s {{IPA|/pˠ mˠ/}} actually tend to have rounded (labiovelarized) articulations {{IPA|[pʷ mʷ]}}, but they remain unrounded on the phonemic level, and there are no distinct {{IPA|/pʷ mʷ/}} phonemes.<ref name="b16" /><ref name="bxvi-xvii">{{harvp|Bender|1969|pp=xvi-xvii}}</ref> The pronunciation guide used by ''Naan'' (2014) still recognizes {{IPA|[p m]}} as allophone symbols separate from {{IPA|[pʲ pˠ mʲ mˠ]}} in these same conditions while recognizing that there are only palatalized and velarized phonemes.<ref name="naan" /> This article uses {{IPA|[pʲ pˠ mʲ mˠ]}} in phonetic transcriptions.

The consonant {{IPA|/tʲ/}} may be phonetically realized as {{IPAblink|tʲ}}, {{IPA|[t͡sʲ]}}, {{IPAblink|sʲ}}, {{IPA|[t͡ɕ]}}, {{IPAblink|ɕ}}, {{IPAblink|c}}, or {{IPAblink|ç}} (or any of their [[voiced consonant|voiced]] variants {{IPAblink|dʲ}}, {{IPA|[d͡zʲ]}}, {{IPAblink|zʲ}}, {{IPA|[d͡ʑ]}}, {{IPAblink|ʑ}}, {{IPAblink|ɟ}}, or {{IPAblink|ʝ}}), in [[free variation]].<ref name="MEDSounds" /><ref name="c14" /><ref name="alph" /> Word-internally it usually assumes a [[voiced consonant|voiced]] [[fricative consonant|fricative]] articulation as {{IPAblink|zʲ}} (or {{IPAblink|ʑ}} or {{IPAblink|ʝ}}) but not when [[gemination|geminated]].<ref name="alph" /> {{IPA|/tʲ/}} is used to adapt foreign [[sibilant]]s into Marshallese. In phonetic transcription, this article uses {{IPAblink|tʲ}} and {{IPAblink|zʲ}} as voiceless and voiced allophones of the same phoneme.

Marshallese has no distinct {{IPA|/tʷ/}} phoneme.

The [[dorsal consonant]]s {{IPA|/k ŋ kʷ ŋʷ/}} are usually [[velar consonant|velar]] but with the tongue a little farther back {{IPA|[k̠ ɡ̠ ŋ̠ k̠ʷ ɡ̠ʷ ŋ̠ʷ]}}, making them somewhere between velar and [[uvular consonant|uvular]] in articulation.<ref name="alph" /> All dorsal phonemes are "heavy" (velarized or rounded), and none are "light" (palatalized).<ref name="MEDSounds" /> As stated before, the [[palatal consonant]] articulations {{IPAblink|c}}, {{IPAblink|ɟ}}, {{IPAblink|ç}} and {{IPAblink|ʝ}} are treated as allophones of the palatalized ''[[coronal consonant|coronal]]'' obstruent {{IPA|/tʲ/}}, even though palatal consonants are physically dorsal. For simplicity, this article uses unmarked {{IPA|[k ɡ ŋ kʷ ɡʷ ŋʷ]}} in phonetic transcription.

Bender (1969) describes {{IPA|/nˠ/}} and {{IPA|/nʷ/}} as being 'dark' ''r''-colored, but is not more specific.<ref name="bxvii">{{harvp|Bender|1969|p=xvii}}</ref> The Marshallese-English Dictionary (MED) describes these as heavy [[dental nasal]]s.<ref name="MEDSounds" />

Consonants {{IPA|/rʲ/}}, {{IPA|/rˠ/}} and {{IPA|/rʷ/}} are all [[coronal consonant]]s and full [[trill consonant|trill]]s. {{IPA|/rˠ/}} is similar to [[Spanish language|Spanish]] {{lang|es|rr}} with a trill position just behind the [[alveolar ridge]], a [[postalveolar trill]] {{IPA|[r̠ˠ]}},<ref name="bxvii" /> but {{IPA|/rʲ/}} is a palatalized [[dental trill]] {{IPA|[r̪ʲ]}}, articulated further forward behind the [[front teeth]].<ref name="alph" /> The MED and Willson (2003) describe the rhotic consonants as "[[retroflex consonant|retroflex]]", but are not clear how this relates to their dental or alveolar trill positions.<ref name="MEDSounds" /><ref name="w6">{{harvp|Willson|2003|p=6}}</ref> (See [[retroflex trill]].) This article uses {{IPAblink|rʲ}}, {{IPAblink|rˠ}} and {{IPAblink|rʷ}} in phonetic transcription.

The heavy lateral consonants {{IPA|/lˠ/}} and {{IPA|/lʷ/}} are [[dark l|dark ''l'']] like in English ''feel'', articulated {{IPAblink|ɫ}} and {{IPAblink|ɫʷ}} respectively.<ref name="alph" /> This article uses {{IPAblink|lˠ}} and {{IPAblink|lʷ}} in phonetic transcription.

The velarized consonants (and, by extension, the rounded consonants) may be velarized or [[pharyngealization|pharyngealized]]<ref name="MEDSounds" /> like the [[emphatic consonant]]s in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] or [[Mizrahi Hebrew]].