Editing Abkhaz language (section)

== Phonology ==
{{main|Abkhaz phonology}}

===Consonants===
Abkhaz has a very large number of consonants (58 in the literary dialect), with three-way [[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]/[[voicelessness|voiceless]]/[[ejective consonant|ejective]] and [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]]/[[labialization|labialized]]/plain distinctions. By contrast, the language has only two phonemically distinct vowels, which have several [[allophone]]s depending on the palatal and/or [[labial consonant|labial]] quality of adjacent consonants.

Labialised alveolo-palatal fricatives are found in the Bzyp and Sadz dialects of Abkhaz, but not in Abzhywa. Plain alveolo-palatal consonants and the pharyngealised and labialised-pharyngealised uvular fricatives are unique to the Bzyp dialect.

The consonants highlighted in <span style="color:red;">red</span> and in brackets are the 4 kinds of labialisation described by Chirikba.<ref>Chirikba 2003, p.19</ref>

{| + class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ class="nowrap" | Consonant phonemes
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | 
! rowspan=2 | [[labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="3" | [[alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan=2 | [[palatoalveolar consonant|Palato-<br />alveolar]]
! colspan=2 | [[alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-<br />palatal]]
! rowspan=2 | [[retroflex consonant|Retro-<br />flex]]
! colspan="3" |[[velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="5" |[[uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! colspan=2 | [[pharyngeal consonant|Pharyngeal]]
|- class=small
! {{Small|plain}}
!{{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
!{{small|[[Sibilant consonant|sib.]]}}
! {{Small|plain}}
! {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{Small|plain}}
! {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{Small|plain}}
!{{small|[[Palatalization (phonetics)|pal.]]}}
! {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{Small|plain}}
!{{small|[[Palatalization (phonetics)|pal.]]}}
! {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
! {{small|[[Pharyngealization|phar.]]}}
! {{Small|lab. + phar.}}
! {{Small|plain}}
! {{small|[[Labialization|lab.]]}}
|-
! colspan=2 | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
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! rowspan=3 | [[Stop consonant|Stop]]/
[[Affricate]]
! <small>[[ejective consonant|ejective]]</small>
| {{IPA link|pʼ}}
| {{IPA link|tʼ}}
| {{IPA link|tʷʼ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(t͡pʼ)}}</span>
|{{IPA link|t͡sʼ}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ʃʼ}}
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|<span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|t͡ɕʼ}}'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
|{{IPA link|t͡ɕʷʼ}} <span style="color:red;">(t͡ɕᶠ’)</span>
|{{IPA link|ʈ͡ʂʼ}}
| {{IPA link|kʼ}}
|{{IPA link|kʲʼ}}
| {{IPA link|kʷʼ}}
| {{IPA link|qʼ}}
|{{IPA link|qʲʼ}}
| {{IPA link|qʷʼ}}
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! <small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|pʰ}}
| {{IPA link|tʰ}}
| {{IPA link|tʷʰ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(t͡pʰ)}}</span>
|{{IPA link|t͡sʰ}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}}
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|<span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|t͡ɕʰ}}</span><span style="color:blue;">'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
|{{IPA link|t͡ɕʷʰ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(t͡ɕᶠ)}}</span>
|{{IPA link|ʈ͡ʂʰ}}
| {{IPA link|kʰ}}
|{{IPA link|kʲʰ}}
| {{IPA link|kʷʰ}}
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! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPA link|b}}
| {{IPA link|d}}
| {{IPA link|dʷ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(d͡b)}}</span>
|{{IPA link|d͡z}}
|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}
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|<span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|d͡ʑ}}'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
|{{IPA link|d͡ʑʷ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(d͡ʑᵛ)}}</span>
|{{IPA link|ɖ͡ʐ}}
| {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|{{IPA link|ɡʲ}}
| {{IPA link|ɡʷ}}
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! rowspan="2" | [[fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|f}}
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|{{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| {{IPA link|ʃʷ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(ʃᶣ)}}</span>
| <span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|ɕ}}'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
| <span style="color:#008000;">{{IPA link|ɕʷ}}''{{Efn|Found in the Bzyp and Sadz dialects of Abkhaz, but not in Abzhywa.|name=no-abzhywa|group=lower-greek}}''</span> <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(ɕᶠ)}}</span>
| {{IPA link|ʂ}}
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| {{IPA link|χ}}
|{{IPA link|χʲ}}
| {{IPA link|χʷ}}
| <span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|χˤ}}'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
| <span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|χˤʷ}}'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
| {{IPA link|ħ}}
| {{IPA link|ħʷ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(ħᶣ)}}</span>
|-
! <small>[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPA link|v}}
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|{{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
| {{IPA link|ʒʷ}} <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(ʒᶣ)}}</span>
| <span style="color:blue;">{{IPA link|ʑ}}'''{{Efn|Unique to the Bzyp dialect|name=bzyp|group=lower-greek}}'''</span>
| <span style="color:#008000;">{{IPA link|ʑʷ}}''{{Efn|Found in the Bzyp and Sadz dialects of Abkhaz, but not in Abzhywa.|name=no-abzhywa|group=lower-greek}}''</span> <span style="color:red;">{{IPA|(ʑᵛ)}}</span>
| {{IPA link|ʐ}}
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| {{IPA link|ʁ}}
|{{IPA link|ʁʲ}}
| {{IPA link|ʁʷ}}
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! colspan="2" | [[approximant consonant|Approximant]]
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| {{IPA link|l}}
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| {{IPA link|ɥ}}
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! colspan="2" | [[trill consonant|Trill]]
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| {{IPA link|r}}
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{{Notelist|group=lower-greek}}

===Vowels===
The nature of the vowels of Abkhaz is not clear. Some linguists,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chirikba|first=A. Viacheslav|title=Abkhaz|year=2003|pages=20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vaux|first=Bert|title=The Phonetics and Phonology of Secondary Articulations in Abkhaz|journal=10th Non-Slavic Languages Conference|pages=2|citeseerx=10.1.1.17.6362}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hewitt|first=B.G.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/18961122|title=Abkhaz|date=1989|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-03883-9|oclc=18961122}}</ref> characterise the vowel system as a 2 degree [[vertical vowel system]]; with the two vowels being distinguished by height, 'ә' being the high/close vowel, and 'а' being the low/open. This system would very closely resemble the one found in [[Adyghe language|Adyghe]]. The quality of 'ә' in this case, is usually represented as [ɨ] if the vowel is in a stressed position, and being unaffected by its neighbouring consonants.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ class="nowrap" | 
!
!Vowel
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|ɨ}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPA link|a}}
|}
Other linguists<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pozdnyakov|first=V.I.|date=2017|title=ФОНОЛОГО-ФОНЕТИЧЕСКАЯ СИСТЕМА ЯЗЫКА – ОСНОВА ОБУЧЕНИЯ БИЛИНГВА ВТОРОМУ ЯЗЫКУ|url=https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=30456371|journal=АБХАЗСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ|pages=420}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Грамматика абхазского языка : Фонетика и морфология|pages=13–14}}</ref> however, mainly Russian ones, describe the vowels differently. They describe the sound of 'ә' being completely different from [ɨ], and by their descriptions being closer to [ə]. The 'а' is described as being particularly back, likely [ɑ].
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ class="nowrap" |
!
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|ə}}
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! [[Open vowel|Open]]
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| {{IPA link|ɑ}}
|}