Haisla phonology

Haisla is closely related to the other North Wakashan languages, Oowekyala, Heiltsuk, Kwak'wala, and to a lesser extent Nuuchahnulth (Nootka), Nitinat, and Makah. Typical of languages spoken on the Northwest Coast, these languages consist of multiple consonants with limited allophonic variation. The phonological inventory is familiar to other Northern Wakashan languages.

Consonants

		Bilabial	Alveolar		Palatal	Velar		Uvular		Glottal
			central	lateral		plain	lab.	plain	lab.
Nasal	plain	m	n		ɲ	ŋ	ŋʷ	ɴ	ɴʷ
	glottalized	mˀ	nˀ		ɲˀ	ŋˀ		ɴˀ
Plosive	voiceless	p	t		c	k	kʷ	q	qʷ	ʔ
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ		cʰ	kʰ	kʷʰ	qʰ	qʷʰ
	ejective	pʼ	tʼ		cʼ	kʼ	kʼʷ	qʼ	qʼʷ
Affricate	voiceless		ts	tɬ
	aspirated		tsʰ	tɬʰ
	ejective		tsʼ	tɬʼ
Fricative	plain	ɸ	s	ɬ	ç	x	xʷ	χ	χʷ	h
	glottalized	ɸˀ	sˀ	ɬˀ	çˀ	xˀ		χˀ		hˀ
Approximant	plain		ɹ	l	j	ɰ	w
	glottalized		ɹˀ	lˀ	jˀ	ɰˀ	wˀ

Haisla has a wide range of consonants, with the plain plosives being either voiced or voiceless. Similar to the other Wakashan languages, Haisla does not have large vowel systems. The vowels seen in the language are /i/, /a/, /u/, /o/, /e/ and /ə/. /ə/ also exists in Kwakwala, and absent from Southern Wakashan languages. The two languages are also characterized by their open /i u/.

Dorsals can either be front /k ɡ x/ or back, /q ɢ χ/, and can also be rounded. Plosives can be further altered by aspiration, glottalization, and voicing. Resonants also experience further augmentation through glottalization. Fricatives and plain plosives are generally aspirated within Northern Wakashan languages, whereas the voiced plosives can be either phonetically voiced or voiceless un-aspirated.

Voicing and glottalization are active components, seen in consonant mutations, while aspiration is not. Aspirated plosives, alongside fricatives, have All aspirated and glottalized plosives in Haisla are voiceless. All fricatives are voiceless as well.

External links

• Haisla language