Editing Tanacross language (section)

== Phonology ==
Tanacross is one of four Athabaskan [[Tone (linguistics)|tone languages]] spoken in Alaska. The others are [[Gwichʼin language|Gwichʼin]], [[Hän language|Han]], and [[Upper Tanana]]. Tanacross is the only Alaska Athabaskan language to exhibit high tone as a reflex of Proto-Athabaskan constriction.

=== Vowels ===
There are six phonemic vowels:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[High vowel|High]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
|
| {{IPA link|u}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|e}}
| {{IPA link|ə}}
| {{IPA link|o}}
|-
! [[Low vowel|Low]]
|
| {{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

The [[vowel]]s {{IPA|i}}, {{IPA|e}}, {{IPA|a}}, and {{IPA|u}} may be distinguished for length, indicated in the practical [[orthography]] by doubling the vowel. The [[reduced vowel]] {{IPA|ä}} is indicated via the letter {{angbr|e}}. Thus, the practical orthography does not distinguish short {{IPA|e}} from {{IPA|ə}}.

Vowels may be marked for high (á), rising (ǎ), falling (â) or extra-high (á́) [[Tone (linguistics)|tone]]. Low tone is unmarked.

=== Consonants ===
The [[consonant]]s of the Tanacross practical orthography are shown below. This practical orthography follows standard Athabaskan conventions, in particular, [[Stop consonant|stops]] and [[Affricate consonant|affricates]] are grouped together phonologically. Also, voiceless [[Aspiration (phonetics)|unaspirated]] stops/affricates consonants are indicated using, for the most part, the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] symbols for [[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]] consonants, while voiceless aspirated consonants are indicated using the IPA symbols for voiceless consonants. Note that in [[syllable coda|coda]] position the unaspirated/aspirated distinction reverts to a voiceless/voiced distinction, providing further motivation for the choice of symbols in the practical orthography.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="2" | 
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[Plosive]]/<br />[[Affricate]]
! <small>unaspirated</small>
| 
| {{IPA link|t}} {{angbr|d}}
| {{IPA link|t͜s}} {{angbr|dz}}
| {{IPA link|t͜θ}} {{angbr|ddh}}
| {{IPA link|t͜ɬ}} {{angbr|dl}}
| {{IPA link|t͜ʃ}} {{angbr|j}}
| {{IPA link|k}} {{angbr|g}}
| {{IPA link|ʔ}} {{angbr|'}}
|-
! <small>aspirated</small>
| 
| {{IPA link|tʰ}} {{angbr|t}}
| {{IPA link|t͡sʰ}} {{angbr|ts}}
| {{IPA link|t͡θʰ}} {{angbr|tth}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ɬʰ}} {{angbr|tl}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}} {{angbr|ch}}
| {{IPA link|kʰ}} {{angbr|k}}
| 
|-
! <small>ejective</small>
| 
| {{IPA link|tʼ}} {{angbr|t'}}
| {{IPA link|t͡sʼ}} {{angbr|ts'}}
| {{IPA link|t͡θʼ}} {{angbr|tth'}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ɬʼ}} {{angbr|tl'}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃʼ}} {{angbr|ch'}}
| {{IPA link|kʼ}} {{angbr|k'}}
| 
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[Fricative]]
! <small>voiced</small>
| 
| 
| {{IPA link|z}} {{angbr|z}}
| {{IPA link|ð}} {{angbr|dh}}
| {{IPA link|ɮ}} {{angbr|l}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}} {{angbr|zh}}
| {{IPA link|ɣ}} {{angbr|gh}}
| 
|-
! <small>semi-voiced</small>
| 
| 
| {{IPA link|z̥}} {{angbr|<u>s</u>}}
| {{IPA link|ð̥}} {{angbr|<u>th</u>}}
| {{IPA link|ɮ̊}} {{angbr|<u>ł</u>}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ̊}} {{angbr|<u>sh</u>}}
| {{IPA link|ɣ̊}} {{angbr|<u>x</u>}}
| 
|-
! <small>voiceless</small>
| 
| 
| {{IPA link|s}} {{angbr|s}}
| {{IPA link|θ}} {{angbr|th}}
| {{IPA link|ɬ}} {{angbr|ł}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}} {{angbr|sh}}
| {{IPA link|x}} {{angbr|x}}
| {{IPA link|h}} {{angbr|h}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Sonorant]]
! <small>voiced</small>
| {{IPA link|m}} {{angbr|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}} {{angbr|n}}
| 
| 
| 
| {{IPA link|j}} {{angbr|y}}
| 
| 
|-
! <small>voiceless</small>
| 
| {{IPA link|n̥}} {{angbr|nh}}
| 
| 
| 
| {{IPA link|j̊}} {{angbr|yh}}
| 
| 
|}

=== Semi-voiced fricatives ===
One of the distinguishing features of Tanacross is the presence of so-called '''semi-voiced''' [[Fricative consonant|fricatives]], a unique type of segment which appear to begin voiceless and transition to fully voiced. Acoustically, semi-voiced fricatives are characterized by lower intensity of high-frequency frication.<ref name="Holton, Gary 2001">Holton, Gary. 2001. Fortis and lenis fricatives in Tanacross Athapaskan. International Journal of American Linguistics 67 (4): 396-414.</ref> Semi-voiced fricatives occur in stem-initial position in lieu of fully voiced fricatives. Even though they are essentially [[Allophone|allophonic]] variants of the voiced fricatives, semi-voiced fricatives are indicated in the practical [[orthography]] via an underscore beneath the corresponding voiceless segment.

{| align="center" border="0" cellpadding="3"
|-
| łii
| 'dog'
|-
| sh<u>ł</u>ǐig'
| 'my dog' ({{Audio|my dog TCB.ogg|listen}})
|-
|}