Editing Basque language (section)

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|'''i'''<br />{{IPAslink|i}} || || '''u'''<br />{{IPAslink|u}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|'''e'''<br />{{IPAslink|e̞|e}} || || '''o'''<br />{{IPAslink|o̞|o}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
![[Open vowel|Open]]
| || '''a'''<br />{{IPAslink|ä|a}} ||
|}
The Basque language features five vowels: {{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/i/}}, {{IPA|/o/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} (the same that are found in [[Spanish phonology#Vowels|Spanish]], [[Asturian language#Vowels|Asturian]] and [[Aragonese language#Vowels|Aragonese]]). In the [[Zuberoan]] dialect, extra phonemes are featured:
* the [[close front rounded vowel]] {{IPAslink|y}}, graphically represented as {{angbr|ü}};
* a set of contrasting [[nasal vowels]].

There is no distinctive vowel length in Basque, although vowels can be lengthened for emphasis. The mid vowels {{IPA|/e/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} are raised before nasal consonants.{{sfn|de Rijk|2008|p=4}}

Basque has an a-Elision Rule, according to which the vowel {{IPA|/a/}} is elided before any following vowel.{{sfn|de Rijk|2008|p=17}} This does not prevent the existence of diphthongs with {{IPA|/a/}} present.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; float: right;"
|+ caption| '''Basque diphthongs'''{{sfn|de Rijk|2008|p=5}}
! [[Help:IPA|IPA]]
! Example
! Meaning
! [[Help:IPA|IPA]]
! Example
! Meaning
|-
| {{IPA|/ai̯/}} || {{lang|eu|italic=no|bai}} || yes
| {{IPA|/au̯/}}
| {{lang|eu|italic=no|gau}}
| night
|-
| {{IPA|/ei̯/}} || {{lang|eu|italic=no|sei}} || six
| {{IPA|/eu̯/}}
| {{lang|eu|italic=no|euri}}
| rain
|-
| {{IPA|/oi̯/}} || {{lang|eu|italic=no|oin}} || foot
|
|
|
|-
| {{IPA|/ui̯/}}|| {{lang|eu|italic=no|fruitu}} || fruit
|
|
|
|}

There are six [[diphthong]]s in Basque, all falling and with {{IPA|/i̯/}} or {{IPA|/u̯/}} as the second element.{{sfn|de Rijk|2008|p=5}}