Editing Marshallese language (section)

=== Timing ===
The short vowel phonemes {{IPA|/æ ɛ e i/}} and the approximant phonemes {{IPA|/j ɰ w/}} all occupy a roughly equal duration of time.<ref name="c27">{{harvp|Choi|1992|p=27}}</ref> Though they occupy time, the approximants are generally not articulated as glides, and Choi (1992) does not rule out a deeper level of representation.<ref name="c71">{{harvp|Choi|1992|p=71}}</ref> In particular, {{IPA|/V/}} short vowels occupy one unit of time, and {{IPA|/VGV/}} long vowels (for which {{IPA|/G/}} is an approximant phoneme) are three times as long.<ref name="c65">{{harvp|Choi|1992|p=65}}</ref>

As a matter of [[prosody (linguistics)|prosody]], each {{IPA|/C/}} consonant and {{IPA|/V/}} vowel phonemic sequence carries one [[mora (linguistics)|mora]] in length, with the exception of {{IPA|/C/}} in {{IPA|/CV/}} sequences where the vowel carries one mora for both phonemes. All morae are thus measured in {{IPA|/CV/}} or shut {{IPA|/C/}} sequences:<ref name="w8">{{harvp|Willson|2003|p=8}}</ref>
* {{IPA|/CVC/}} is two morae: {{IPA|/CV-C/}}. It is also the shortest possible length of a Marshallese word.
* {{IPA|/CVCVC/}} is three morae: {{IPA|/CV-CV-C/}}. Since approximants are also consonants, long vowel sequences of {{IPA|/CVGVC/}} are also three morae.
* {{IPA|/CVCCVC/}} is four morae: {{IPA|/CV-C-CV-C/}}.
* Prefixes like {{lang|mh|ri-}} are {{IPA|/CV-/}} sequences occupying only one mora but are attached to words rather than standing as words on their own.
* Suffixes like {{lang|mh|-in}} are {{IPA|/-VC/}} sequences. The syllable itself occupies two morae but adds only one mora to the word because the vowel attaches itself to the last consonant phoneme in the word, changing {{IPA|/-C/}} into {{IPA|/-C‿V-C/}}.

That makes Marshallese a mora-rhythmed language in a fashion similar to [[Finnish language|Finnish]], [[Gilbertese language|Gilbertese]], [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]], and [[Japanese language|Japanese]].