This article is about the phonology and phonetics of the Galician language.
Galician has seven vowel phonemes, which are represented by five letters in writing. Similar vowels are found under stress in standard Catalan and Italian. It is likely that this 7-vowel system was even more widespread in the early stages of Romance languages.
Phoneme ( IPA) | Grapheme | Examples |
---|---|---|
/a/ | a | nada |
/e/ | e | tres |
/ɛ/ | ferro | |
/i/ | i | min |
/o/ | o | bonito |
/ɔ/ | home | |
/u/ | u | rúa |
Some characteristics of the vocalic system:
Galician language possesses a large set of falling diphthongs:
falling | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
[aj] | caixa | 'box' | [aw] | autor | 'author' |
[ɛj] | papeis | 'papers' | [ɛw] | deu | 'he/she gave' |
[ej] | queixo | 'cheese' | [ew] | bateu | 'he/she hit' |
[ɔj] | bocoi | 'barrel' | |||
[oj] | loita | 'fight' | [ow] | pouco | 'little' |
There are also a certain number of rising diphthongs, but they are not characteristic of the language and tend to be pronounced as hiatus. [10]
Labial | Dental | Alveolar |
Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||||||
Plosive/ Affricate | p | b | t | d | tʃ | ɟ | k | ɡ | ||
Fricative | f | θ | s | ʃ | ||||||
Approximant | w | l | j | |||||||
Trill | r | |||||||||
Flap | ɾ |
Phoneme ( IPA) | Main allophones [11] [12] | Graphemes | Example |
---|---|---|---|
/b/ | [b], [β̞] | b, v | bebo [ˈbeβ̞ʊ] '(I) drink', alba [ˈalβ̞ɐ] 'sunrise', vaca [ˈbakɐ] 'cow', cova [ˈkɔβ̞ɐ] 'cave' |
/θ/ | [θ] (dialectal [s]) | z, c | macio [ˈmaθjʊ] 'soft', cruz [ˈkɾuθ] 'cross' |
/tʃ/ | [tʃ] | ch | chamar [tʃaˈmaɾ] 'to call', achar [aˈtʃaɾ] 'to find' |
/d/ | [d], [ð̞] | d | vida [ˈbið̞ɐ] 'life', cadro [ˈkað̞ɾʊ] 'frame' |
/f/ | [f] | f | feltro [ˈfɛltɾʊ] 'filter', freixo [ˈfɾejʃʊ] 'ash-tree' |
/ɡ/ | [ɡ], [ɣ] (dialectal [ħ]) | g, gu | fungo [ˈfuŋɡʊ] 'fungus', guerra [ˈɡɛrɐ] 'war', o gato [ʊ ˈɣatʊ] 'the cat' |
/ɟ/ | [ɟ], [ʝ˕], [ɟʝ] | ll, i | mollado [moˈɟað̞ʊ] 'wet' |
/k/ | [k] | c, qu | casa [ˈkasɐ] 'house', querer [keˈɾeɾ] 'to want' |
/l/ | [l] | l | lúa [ˈluɐ] 'moon', algo [ˈalɣʊ] 'something', mel [ˈmɛl] 'honey' |
/m/ | [m], [ŋ] [13] | m | memoria [meˈmɔɾjɐ] 'memory', campo [ˈkampʊ] 'field', álbum [ˈalβuŋ] |
/n/ | [n], [m], [ŋ] [13] | n | niño [ˈniɲʊ] 'nest', onte [ˈɔntɪ] 'yesterday', conversar [kombeɾˈsaɾ] 'to talk', irmán [iɾˈmaŋ] 'brother' |
/ɲ/ | [ɲ] [13] | ñ | mañá [maˈɲa] 'morning' |
/ŋ/ | [ŋ] [13] | nh | algunha [alˈɣuŋɐ] 'some' |
/p/ | [p] | p | carpa [ˈkaɾpɐ] 'carp' |
/ɾ/ | [ɾ] | r | hora [ˈɔɾɐ] 'hour', coller [koˈʎeɾ] 'to grab' |
/r/ | [r] | r, rr | rato [ˈratʊ] 'mouse', carro [ˈkarʊ] 'cart' |
/s/ | [s̺, z̺] (dialectal [s̻, z̻]) [14] | s | selo [ˈs̺elʊ] 'seal, stamp', cousa [ˈkows̺ɐ] 'thing', mesmo [ˈmɛz̺mʊ] 'same' |
/t/ | [t] | t | trato [ˈtɾatʊ] 'deal' |
/ʃ/ | [ʃ] | x [15] | xente [ˈʃentɪ] 'people', muxica [muˈʃikɐ] 'ash-fly' |
Voiced plosives (/ɡ/, /d/ and /b/) are lenited (weakened) to approximants or fricatives in all instances, except after a pause or a nasal consonant; e.g. un gato 'a cat' is pronounced [uŋ ˈɡatʊ], whilst o gato 'the cat' is pronounced [ʊ ˈɣatʊ].
During the modern period, Galician consonants have undergone significant sound changes that closely parallel the evolution of Spanish consonants, including the following changes that neutralized the opposition of voiced fricatives / voiceless fricatives:
For a comparison, see Differences between Spanish and Portuguese: Sibilants. Additionally, during the 17th and 18th centuries the western and central dialects of Galician developed a voiceless fricative pronunciation of /ɡ/ (a phenomenon called gheada). This may be glottal [h], pharyngeal [ħ], uvular [χ], or velar [x]. [16]
The distribution of the two rhotics /r/ and /ɾ/ closely parallels that of Spanish. Between vowels, the two contrast (e.g. mirra [ˈmirɐ] 'myrrh' vs. mira [ˈmiɾɐ] 'look'), but they are otherwise in complementary distribution. [ ɾ] appears in the onset, except in word-initial position (rato), after /l/, /n/, and /s/ (honra, Israel), where [ r] is used.
As in Spanish, /ɟ/ derives from historical / ʎ/ ( yeísmo) and from syllable-initial /j/. In some dialects, it lenites to approximant [ ʝ˕] in the same environments where /b, d, ɡ/ lenite. It may also be realized as [ ɟʝ] where it derives from /j/. The realization [ʎ] remains in select older speakers in isolated regions. [12]
This article is about the phonology and phonetics of the Galician language.
Galician has seven vowel phonemes, which are represented by five letters in writing. Similar vowels are found under stress in standard Catalan and Italian. It is likely that this 7-vowel system was even more widespread in the early stages of Romance languages.
Phoneme ( IPA) | Grapheme | Examples |
---|---|---|
/a/ | a | nada |
/e/ | e | tres |
/ɛ/ | ferro | |
/i/ | i | min |
/o/ | o | bonito |
/ɔ/ | home | |
/u/ | u | rúa |
Some characteristics of the vocalic system:
Galician language possesses a large set of falling diphthongs:
falling | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
[aj] | caixa | 'box' | [aw] | autor | 'author' |
[ɛj] | papeis | 'papers' | [ɛw] | deu | 'he/she gave' |
[ej] | queixo | 'cheese' | [ew] | bateu | 'he/she hit' |
[ɔj] | bocoi | 'barrel' | |||
[oj] | loita | 'fight' | [ow] | pouco | 'little' |
There are also a certain number of rising diphthongs, but they are not characteristic of the language and tend to be pronounced as hiatus. [10]
Labial | Dental | Alveolar |
Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||||||
Plosive/ Affricate | p | b | t | d | tʃ | ɟ | k | ɡ | ||
Fricative | f | θ | s | ʃ | ||||||
Approximant | w | l | j | |||||||
Trill | r | |||||||||
Flap | ɾ |
Phoneme ( IPA) | Main allophones [11] [12] | Graphemes | Example |
---|---|---|---|
/b/ | [b], [β̞] | b, v | bebo [ˈbeβ̞ʊ] '(I) drink', alba [ˈalβ̞ɐ] 'sunrise', vaca [ˈbakɐ] 'cow', cova [ˈkɔβ̞ɐ] 'cave' |
/θ/ | [θ] (dialectal [s]) | z, c | macio [ˈmaθjʊ] 'soft', cruz [ˈkɾuθ] 'cross' |
/tʃ/ | [tʃ] | ch | chamar [tʃaˈmaɾ] 'to call', achar [aˈtʃaɾ] 'to find' |
/d/ | [d], [ð̞] | d | vida [ˈbið̞ɐ] 'life', cadro [ˈkað̞ɾʊ] 'frame' |
/f/ | [f] | f | feltro [ˈfɛltɾʊ] 'filter', freixo [ˈfɾejʃʊ] 'ash-tree' |
/ɡ/ | [ɡ], [ɣ] (dialectal [ħ]) | g, gu | fungo [ˈfuŋɡʊ] 'fungus', guerra [ˈɡɛrɐ] 'war', o gato [ʊ ˈɣatʊ] 'the cat' |
/ɟ/ | [ɟ], [ʝ˕], [ɟʝ] | ll, i | mollado [moˈɟað̞ʊ] 'wet' |
/k/ | [k] | c, qu | casa [ˈkasɐ] 'house', querer [keˈɾeɾ] 'to want' |
/l/ | [l] | l | lúa [ˈluɐ] 'moon', algo [ˈalɣʊ] 'something', mel [ˈmɛl] 'honey' |
/m/ | [m], [ŋ] [13] | m | memoria [meˈmɔɾjɐ] 'memory', campo [ˈkampʊ] 'field', álbum [ˈalβuŋ] |
/n/ | [n], [m], [ŋ] [13] | n | niño [ˈniɲʊ] 'nest', onte [ˈɔntɪ] 'yesterday', conversar [kombeɾˈsaɾ] 'to talk', irmán [iɾˈmaŋ] 'brother' |
/ɲ/ | [ɲ] [13] | ñ | mañá [maˈɲa] 'morning' |
/ŋ/ | [ŋ] [13] | nh | algunha [alˈɣuŋɐ] 'some' |
/p/ | [p] | p | carpa [ˈkaɾpɐ] 'carp' |
/ɾ/ | [ɾ] | r | hora [ˈɔɾɐ] 'hour', coller [koˈʎeɾ] 'to grab' |
/r/ | [r] | r, rr | rato [ˈratʊ] 'mouse', carro [ˈkarʊ] 'cart' |
/s/ | [s̺, z̺] (dialectal [s̻, z̻]) [14] | s | selo [ˈs̺elʊ] 'seal, stamp', cousa [ˈkows̺ɐ] 'thing', mesmo [ˈmɛz̺mʊ] 'same' |
/t/ | [t] | t | trato [ˈtɾatʊ] 'deal' |
/ʃ/ | [ʃ] | x [15] | xente [ˈʃentɪ] 'people', muxica [muˈʃikɐ] 'ash-fly' |
Voiced plosives (/ɡ/, /d/ and /b/) are lenited (weakened) to approximants or fricatives in all instances, except after a pause or a nasal consonant; e.g. un gato 'a cat' is pronounced [uŋ ˈɡatʊ], whilst o gato 'the cat' is pronounced [ʊ ˈɣatʊ].
During the modern period, Galician consonants have undergone significant sound changes that closely parallel the evolution of Spanish consonants, including the following changes that neutralized the opposition of voiced fricatives / voiceless fricatives:
For a comparison, see Differences between Spanish and Portuguese: Sibilants. Additionally, during the 17th and 18th centuries the western and central dialects of Galician developed a voiceless fricative pronunciation of /ɡ/ (a phenomenon called gheada). This may be glottal [h], pharyngeal [ħ], uvular [χ], or velar [x]. [16]
The distribution of the two rhotics /r/ and /ɾ/ closely parallels that of Spanish. Between vowels, the two contrast (e.g. mirra [ˈmirɐ] 'myrrh' vs. mira [ˈmiɾɐ] 'look'), but they are otherwise in complementary distribution. [ ɾ] appears in the onset, except in word-initial position (rato), after /l/, /n/, and /s/ (honra, Israel), where [ r] is used.
As in Spanish, /ɟ/ derives from historical / ʎ/ ( yeísmo) and from syllable-initial /j/. In some dialects, it lenites to approximant [ ʝ˕] in the same environments where /b, d, ɡ/ lenite. It may also be realized as [ ɟʝ] where it derives from /j/. The realization [ʎ] remains in select older speakers in isolated regions. [12]