Lodeen: Phonology: Syllable Structure: Moderately complex
The syllable structure of Lodeen is: (C)(C)V(C)(C) where V can be a monophtongue or a diphtongue.
Any consonant can begin a syllable and any consonant excepted /w/ can end a syllable. Any sole consonant can appear intervocally.
Besides, the approximant /w/ can never appear in a consonants cluster.
Phonologic constraints on consonants clusters are:
An onset consonants cluster can be comprised of:
* a plosive followed by /s/, /l/ or /j/ except for /t/ which can't be followed by /l/;
* /s/ followed by any plosive;
* /f/ followed by /l/ or /j/;
* a nasal followed by /j/;
* a liquid followed by /j/.
Thus, all consonant clusters allowed at the beginning of a syllable are:
ps, pl, pj, ts, tj, ks, kl, kj, sp, st, sk, fl, fj, mj, nj, lj.
A word-ending coda consonants cluster can be:
kt, st, sk, lt, lk.
A cross-syllable consonants cluster can involve any of the onset and coda clusters plus some others, the whole set of rules being:
* a plosive /p/ or /k/ followed by any consonant excepted nasals and /w/;
* /t/ followed by /p/, fricatives or /j/;
* /f/ followed by /l/ or /j/;
* /s/ followed by any consonant except for /j/ or /w/;
* /m/ followed by any consonants excepted nasals and /w/;
* /n/ followed by a fricative, /t/, /k/ or /j/;
* /l/ followed by any consonant except for /w/;
* /j/ followed by any consonant except for /w/.
Note that, being intervocalic, those consonants clusters will get voiced, and will be written as such; thus, all consonants clusters allowed cross-syllabically are :
bd, bg, bv, bz, bl/pl, bj ; gb, gd, gv, gz, gl/kl, gj ; db, dv, dz, dj ; vl/fl, vj ; zb, zd, zg, zv, zm, zn, zl/sl ; mb, md, mg, mv, mz, ml, mj ; nd, ng, nv, nz, nj ; lb/lp, ld/lt, lg/lk, lv/lf, lz/ls, lm, ln, lj ; jb, jd, jg, jv, jz, jm, jn, jl.
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Note that, a word might be written with two same consonants or vowels, mostly for morphological consistency or for differentiating some homophones; the consonant might then be geminated or the vowel lengthened but such phenomena have no phonemic reality.