Editing Shelta (section)

=== Phonology ===
Shelta has 27 consonants and 6 phonemic vowels.

Many words are complex by incorporating numerous consonants within, as in the word {{lang|sth|skraꭕo}} for 'tree, bush' with the consonant /ꭕ/ being a hissing sound that is held in the back of the throat, and is held longer than other consonants.<ref name="Velupillai 2015 381" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
|+Consonants<ref name="Velupillai 2015 381" />
!rowspan="2" colspan="2"| 
!colspan="2" | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
!colspan="2" | [[Coronal consonant|Coronal]]
!rowspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
!colspan="2" | [[Dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
!rowspan="2" | [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
|- class=small
! [[velarization|broad]]
! [[Palatalization (phonetics)|slender]]
! [[velarization|broad]]
! [[Palatalization (phonetics)|slender]]
! [[velarization|broad]]
! [[Palatalization (phonetics)|slender]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| {{IPAlink|m}} || {{IPAlink|mʲ}}
| {{IPAlink|n}} || {{IPAlink|nʲ}}
| || || ||
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|p}} || {{IPAlink|pʲ}}
| {{IPAlink|t}} || {{IPAlink|tʲ}}
|
| {{IPAlink|k}} || {{IPAlink|kʲ}}
|
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPAlink|b}}|| {{IPAlink|bʲ}}
| {{IPAlink|d}}|| {{IPAlink|dʲ}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɡ}}|| {{IPAlink|ɡʲ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiceless]]</small>
| ||
| {{IPAlink|θ}} || {{IPAlink|ʃ}}
| || || ||
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| ||
| {{IPAlink|ð}} ||
| || ||
| {{IPAlink|χ}}
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Affricate]]
| ||
| || {{IPAlink|tʃ}}
| || || ||
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
| ||
| {{IPAlink|r}} || {{IPAlink|rʲ}}
| || || ||
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
| ||
| {{IPAlink|l}} ||
| {{IPAlink|ʎ}}
| || ||
|-
!colspan=2| [[Approximant]]
| ({{IPAlink|w}}) ||
| ||
| {{IPAlink|j}}
| {{IPAlink|w}} || ||
|}
The vowel system features phonemic lengthening for all vowels except for /{{IPAlink|ə}}/. Additionally, [ey, iy, ow, uw] can be realized as diphthongs in certain varieties of Shelta. <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Aceto |first1=Michael |last2=Bakker |first2=Peter |last3=Mous |first3=Maarten |date=December 1995 |title=Mixed Languages: 15 Case Studies in Language Intertwining |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/415772 |journal=Language |volume=71 |issue=4 |pages=842 |doi=10.2307/415772|jstor=415772 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Vowels<ref name="Velupillai 2015 381" />
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPAlink|i}}
|
| {{IPAlink|u}}
|-
! [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPAlink|e}}
|{{IPAlink|ə}}
| {{IPAlink|ɔ}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}