Editing Marshallese language (section)

===Phonotactics===
Syllables in Marshallese follow CV, CVC, and VC patterns.<ref name="w7">{{harvp|Willson|2003|p=7}}</ref> Marshallese words always underlyingly begin and end with consonants.<ref name="b22" /> Initial, final, and long vowels may be explained as the results of underlying glides not present on the phonetic level.<ref name="b22" /> Initial vowels are sometimes realized with an onglide {{IPAblink|j}} or {{IPAblink|w}} but not consistently:<ref name="c22">{{harvp|Choi|1992|p=22}}</ref>
* {{IPA|/jætʲ/ → [<!--æ̯-->ætʲ ~ jætʲ]}} 'weave'<ref name="c23">{{harvp|Choi|1992|p=23}}</ref>

Only [[homorganic consonants|homorganic]] consonant sequences are allowed in Marshallese,<ref name="w4-5">{{harvp|Willson|2003|pp=4–5}}</ref> including geminate varieties of each consonant, except for glides.<ref name="c14" /> Non-homorganic clusters are separated by vowel [[epenthesis]] even across word boundaries.<ref name="w4-5" /> Some homorganic clusters are also disallowed:<ref name="w4-5" />
* [[obstruent consonant|Obstruent]]-obstruent, [[nasal consonant|nasal]]-nasal, [[liquid consonant|liquid]]-liquid, nasal-obstruent, and nasal-liquid clusters undergo assimilation of the secondary articulation except if the first consonant is a rounded coronal or a rounded dorsal. Then, the clusters undergo assimilation of the rounded articulation.<ref name="w5">{{harvp|Willson|2003|p=5}}</ref>
* †Obstruent-liquid and liquid-obstruent clusters besides {{IPA|/lʲtˠ/}} and {{IPA|/lˠtˠ/}} undergo epenthesis.<ref name="w5" />
* Liquid-nasal clusters undergo nasal assimilation.<ref name="w5" />
* Obstruent-nasal clusters undergo epenthesis (if coronal) or nasal assimilation (if non-coronal).<ref name="w5" />
* Clusters involving any glides undergo epenthesis, including otherwise homorganic clusters of two of the same glide.

The following assimilations are created, with empty combinations representing epenthesis.

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Bilabials
|-
| ↓→
! {{IPA|/p/}}
! {{IPA|/m/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/p/}}
| {{IPA|/pː/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/mː/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/m/}}
| {{IPA|/mp/}}
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Coronals
|-
| ↓→
! {{IPA|/t/}}
! {{IPA|/n/}}
! {{IPA|/r/}}
! {{IPA|/l/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/t/}}
| {{IPA|/tː/}}
! colspan="3" | 
|-
! {{IPA|/n/}}
| {{IPA|/nt/}}
| rowspan="3" | {{IPA|/nː/}}
| {{IPA|/nr/}}
| {{IPA|/nl/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/r/}}
! 
| {{IPA|/rː/}}
| {{IPA|/rl/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/l/}}
| †
| {{IPA|/lr/}}
| {{IPA|/lː/}}
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Dorsals
|-
| ↓→
! {{IPA|/k/}}
! {{IPA|/ŋ/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/k/}}
| {{IPA|/kː/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/ŋː/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/ŋ/}}
| {{IPA|/ŋk/}}
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Secondary
|-
| ↓→
! {{IPA|/◌ʲ/}}
! {{IPA|/◌ˠ/}}
! {{IPA|/◌ʷ/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/◌ʲ/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/◌ʲ◌ʲ/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/◌ˠ◌ˠ/}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/◌ʷ◌ʷ/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/◌ˠ/}}
|-
! {{IPA|/◌ʷ/}}
| colspan="3" | {{IPA|/◌ʷ◌ʷ/}}
|}
{{col-end}}

The [[vowel height]] of an epenthetic vowel is not phonemic as the epenthetic vowel itself is not phonemic, but is still phonetically predictable given the two nearest other vowels and whether one or both of the cluster consonants are glides.<ref name="b22" /><ref name="w7" /> Bender (1968) does not specifically explain the vowel heights of epenthetic vowels between two non-glides, but of his various examples containing such vowels, none of the epenthetic vowels has a height lower than the highest of either of their nearest neighboring vowels, and the epenthetic vowel actually becomes {{IPA|/ɛ̯/}} if the two nearest vowels are both {{IPA|/æ/}}. ''Naan'' (2014) does not take the heights of epenthetic vowels between non-glides into consideration, phonetically transcribing all of them as a [[schwa]] {{IPAblink|ə}}.<ref name="naan" /> But when one of the consonants in a cluster is a glide, the height of the epenthetic vowel between them follows a different process, assuming the same height of whichever vowel is on the opposite side of that glide, forming a long vowel with it across the otherwise silent glide.<ref name="b22-23" /> Epenthetic vowels do not affect the rhythm of the spoken language, and can never be a stressed syllable.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} Phonetic transcription may indicate epenthetic vowels between two non-glides as non-syllabic,<ref name="b8">{{harvp|Bender|1968|p=8}}</ref> using IPA notation similar to that of [[semi-vowel]]s. Certain Westernized Marshallese placenames spell out the epenthetic vowels:
* [[Ebeye]], from earlier ''Eb'''e'''je'', from {{lang|mh|Epjā}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Erikub|Er'''i'''kub]], from {{lang|mh|Ādkup}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Kwajalein|Kwaj'''a'''lein]], from {{lang|mh|Kuwajleen}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Majuro|Maj'''u'''ro]], from {{lang|mh|Mājro}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Namorik|Nam'''o'''rik]], from {{lang|mh|Naṃdik}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Omelek|Om'''e'''lek]], from {{lang|mh|Koṃle}} ("{{lang|mh|K<u>oṃle, K</u>oṃle}}")<ref name="MED" />
* [[Rongelap|Rong'''e'''lap]], from {{lang|mh|Roñḷap}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Rongerik|Rong'''e'''rik]], from {{lang|mh|Roñdik}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Ujelang|Uj'''e'''lang]], from {{lang|mh|Wūjlañ}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Uliga|Ul'''i'''ga]], from {{lang|mh|Wūlka}}<ref name="MED" />
* [[Utirik|Ut'''i'''rik]], from {{lang|mh|Utrōk}}<ref name="MED" />
Epenthetic vowels in general can be omitted without affecting meaning, such as in song or in enunciated syllable breaks. This article uses non-syllabic notation in phonetic IPA transcription to indicate epenthetic vowels between non-glides.