Editing Mongolian language (section)

=== Syllable structure and phonotactics ===
The maximal [[syllable]] is CVVCCC, where the last C is a word-final suffix. A single short vowel rarely appears in [[Syllable#Coda|syllable-final position]]. If a word was monosyllabic historically, *CV has become CVV. In native words, the following consonants do not occur word-initially: {{IPA|/w̜/}}, {{IPA|/ɮ/}}, {{IPA|/r/}}, {{IPA|/w̜ʲ/}}, {{IPA|/ɮʲ/}}, {{IPA|/rʲ/}}, {{IPA|/tʰʲ/}}, and {{IPA|/tʲ/}}. {{IPA|[ŋ]}} is restricted to codas (else it becomes {{IPA|[n]}}), and {{IPA|/p/}} and {{IPA|/pʲ/}} do not occur in codas for historical reasons. For two-consonant clusters, the following restrictions obtain:
* a palatalized consonant can be preceded only by another palatalized consonant or sometimes by {{IPA|/ɢ/}} and {{IPA|/ʃ/}}
* {{IPA|/ŋ/}} may precede only {{IPA|/ʃ, x, ɡ, ɡʲ/}} and {{IPA|/ɢ/}}
* {{IPA|/j/}} does not seem to appear in second position
* {{IPA|/p/}} and {{IPA|/pʲ/}} do not occur as first consonant and as second consonant only if preceded by {{IPA|/m/}} or {{IPA|/ɮ/}} or their palatalized counterparts.

Clusters that do not conform to these restrictions will be broken up by an [[Epenthesis|epenthetic]] nonphonemic vowel in a syllabification that takes place from right to left. For instance, {{lang|mn-latn|hoyor}} 'two', {{lang|mn-latn|ajil}} 'work', and {{lang|mn-latn|saarmag}} 'neutral' are, phonemically, {{IPA|/xɔjr/}}, {{IPA|/atʃɮ/}}, and {{IPA|/saːrmɡ/}} respectively. In such cases, an epenthetic vowel is inserted to prevent disallowed consonant clusters. Thus, in the examples given above, the words are phonetically {{IPA|[ˈxɔjɔ̆r]}}, {{IPA|[ˈatʃĭɮ]}}, and {{IPA|[ˈsaːrmăɢ]}}. The phonetic form of the epenthetic vowel follows from vowel harmony triggered by the vowel in the preceding syllable. Usually it is a [[Relative articulation#Centralized vowels|centralized]] version of the same sound, with the following exceptions: preceding {{IPA|/u/}} produces {{IPA|[e]}}; {{IPA|/i/}} will be ignored if there is a nonneutral vowel earlier in the word; and a postalveolar or palatalized consonant will be followed by an epenthetic {{IPA|[i]}}, as in {{IPA|[ˈatʃĭɮ]}}.<ref>Svantesson ''et al.'' (2005): 62–72.</ref>