Vowels[]
Shoshoni has a typical Numic vowel inventory of five vowels. In addition, there is the common diphthong /ai/, which functions as a simple vowel and varies rather freely with [e]; however, certain morphemes always contain [ai] and others always contain [e]. All vowels occur as short or long, but [ai:]/[e:] is rare.
| Short | Long | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Central | Back | Front | Central | Back | ||||
| unr. | rnd. | unr. | rnd. | ||||||
| Monophthongs | High | i | ï /ɨ/ | ü /ʉ/ | u | i: | ɨ: | ʉ: | u: |
| Mid | e | ë /ɘ/ | ö /ɵ/ | o | e: | ɘ: | ɵ: | o: | |
| Mid-low | œ | ɛ /ɜ/ | ɔ /ɞ/ | ʌ | œ: | ɜ: | ɞ: | ʌ: | |
| Low | æ | a | ä /ɒ̈/ | y /ɒ/ | æ: | a: | ɒ̈: | ɒ: | |
| Diphthongs | ai | ai: | |||||||
Consonants[]
Shoshoni has a typical Numic consonant inventory.
| Bilabial | Dental | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | |||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ŋʷ | |||
| Stop | voiceless | p | t | c | k | kʷ | q /ʔ/ | |
| voiced | ɡ | ɡʷ | ||||||
| Affricate | r /ts/ | |||||||
| Fricative | b /ɸ/ | ð /θ/ | d /s/ | ç | x | xʷ | h | |
| Approximant | l /ɹ/ | j | ɣ /ɰ/ | w | ||||
| Trill | voiceless | f /ʙ̥/ | s /r̥/ | |||||
| voiced | v /ʙ/ | z /r/ | ||||||
Syllable structure[]
Shoshoni syllables are of the form (C)V(V)(C). For instance: nɨkka "dance" (CVC CV), ɨkkoi "sleep" (VC CVV), and paa "water" (CVV). Shoshoni does not allow onset clusters.
Typical Shoshoni roots are of the form CV(V)CV(V). Examples include kasa "wing" and papi "older brother."
Stress[]
Stress in Shoshoni is regular but not distinctive. Primary stress usually falls on the first syllable (more specifically, the first mora) of a word; however, primary stress tends to fall on the second syllable if that syllable is long. For instance, natsattamahkantɨn [ˈnazattamaxandɨ] "tied up" bears primary stress on the first syllable; however, kottoohkwa [kotˈto:xˌwa] "made a fire" bears primary stress on the second syllable, with long vowel [o:], instead of the first syllable with short vowel [o].
As in other Numic languages, stress in Shoshoni is distributed based on mora-counting. Short Shoshoni vowels have one mora, while long vowels and vowel clusters ending in [a] have two morae. Following the primary stress, every other mora receives secondary stress. If stress falls on the second mora in a long vowel, the stress is transferred to the first mora in the long vowel and mora counting continues from there. For example, natsattamahkantɨn "tied up" bears the stress pattern [ˈnazatˌtamaˌxandɨ], with stress falling on every other mora.
With some dialectical variation, mora counting resets at the border between stems in compound words. Final syllables need not be stressed and may undergo optional final vowel devoicing.
Phonological processes[]
Given here are a few examples of regular, well-documented phonological rules in Shoshoni:
- Short, unclustered, unstressed vowels, when part of final syllables and followed by /h/, are devoiced. These same vowels, when preceded by /h/, are usually devoiced. These processes represent Shoshoni "organic devoicing." For instance, /tɨkkahkwan/ → [tɨkkAxwa] "ate up".
- Final vowels may be devoiced optionally, representing Shoshoni "inorganic devoicing." If the final vowel is devoiced, the long or short consonant preceding it is also devoiced. Thus, /kammu/ → [kamMU] "jackrabbit".
- Stops, affricates, and nasals are voiced and lenited between vowels. The stops and affricate become voiced fricatives; the nasals become nasalized glides. Thus /papi/ → [paβi] "brother," /tatsa/ → [taza] or [tadza] "summer," and /ima:/ → [iw̃a:] "tomorrow".
- Stops, affricates, and nasals are lenited, but remain unvoiced, when they are preceded by underlying /h/. This /h/ is deleted in the surface form. Thus, /paikkahkwa/ → [pekkaxwa] "killed".
- Stops, affricates, and nasals are voiced when part of an intervocalic nasal cluster. Thus, /pampi/ → [pambi] "head" and /wantsi/ → [wandzi] "antelope".