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Eastern Yiddish (Central)

Phylum: Indo-European

Genus: Germanic

Lat/lon: 50.0, 25.0

ISO code: ydd

Consonants

Basic short series

bilabiallabio-dentalalveolarpostalveolarvelaruvularglottal
stopp, bt, dk, g
trillʀ
fricativef, vs̺, z̺ʃ, ʒxh
affricatets, dztʃ, dʒ
nasalmn
lateral approximantl

Short palatalised series

alveolar
nasal
lateral approximant

Vowels

Basic short series

frontcentralback
closeiu
close-mideo
midə
opena

Long series

frontcentralback
close
open

Diphthongs

/ei/, /ai/, /oi/, /ou/

Licit initial clusters

pt, pl, pʀ, pn, ps̺, pʃ, px, plʲ, pl, bd, bl, bʀ, bg, tʀ, tm, dl, dn, tn, tl, tk, tv, tf, tx, dʀ, dv, kn, kd, kl, ks̺, kʀ, kv, gn, gl, gʀ, gv, gz, fl, fʀ, vl, vʀ, s̺m, s̺f, s̺v, s̺n, s̺t, s̺d, s̺k, s̺p, s̺x, s̺ʀ, s̺l, z̺m, z̺n, z̺g, z̺ʀ, z̺l, z̺b, ʃm, ʃv, ʃf, ʃn, ʃt, ʃp, ʒm, ʒl, ʒlʲ, ʃk, ʃx, ʃl, ʃtʃ, ʃʀ, ʃlʲ, xm, xv, xʃ, xs̺, xl, xk, xts, xnʲ, xʀ, tsl, tsn, tsd, tsv, tʃv, mʀ, ml, ʃpʀ, ʃtʀ, ʃkʀ, ʃkl, s̺pʀ, s̺tʀ, s̺kʀ, s̺kl

Licit finals

p, b, m, f, v, t, d, s̺, z̺, ts, dz, n, l, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ, k, g, x, ʀ, nʲ, lʲ, pt, ps̺, pʃ, ft, fts, fs̺, mp, mb, md, mt, ms̺, lp, lb, lts, lt, ld, ldz, lk, lg, lʃ, lz, tʃt, tst, ʃt, s̺t, s̺p, s̺k, nt, nd, ŋk, ŋg, ns̺, nts, ndz, ntʃ, ʀp, ʀf, ʀt, ʀd, ʀb, ʀm, ʀs̺, ʀʃ, kʃ, ks̺, kt, xt, xts, xs̺, lx, lf, ʀts, ps̺k, ps̺t, pts, fs̺t, ʃs̺t, ks̺t, xs̺t, xts, fts, ftst, ms̺t, mts, ŋgt, ŋkt, ŋks̺, nts, ns̺t, ntst, ns̺k, ntʃt, ls̺t, ltst, lkt, lks̺, ʀs̺t, lʃt, ʀps̺t, ʀks̺t, ŋgs̺t

Licit syllabic templates

(C)(C)V(C)(C)(C), (C)(C)V(C)(C)s̺t, {s̺,ʃ}(C){ʀ,l}V(C)(C)(C)

Source: Jacobs, Neil G. 2005. Yiddish. A Linguistic Introduction. New York: Cambridge University Press

Comments: Vowel nasalization is best explained in segmental terms. Outside Galicia, Volhynia and Podolia /ʀ/ is realized as /r/. /ə/ is only found in unstressed syllables. The phonetic quality of the vowels may be described somewhat inaccurately.

Contributed by: André Nikulin (andre.n.guzman@gmail.com)