Editing Tamil language (section)

== Phonology ==
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{{Main|Tamil phonology}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+Tamil consonants<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Keane|2004|p=111}}</ref>
!
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Dental consonant|Dental]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
![[Alveolo-palatal consonant|Alveolo-palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
![[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}} {{lang|ta|ம்}}
|({{IPA link|n̪}}) {{lang|ta|ந்}}
|{{IPA link|n}} {{lang|ta|ன்}}
|{{IPA link|ɳ}} {{lang|ta|ண்}}
|{{IPA link|ɲ}} {{lang|ta|ஞ்}}
|({{IPA link|ŋ}}) {{lang|ta|ங்}}
|
|-
![[Stop consonant|Stop]]/[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
|{{IPA link|p}} {{lang|ta|ப்}}
|{{IPA link|t̪}} {{lang|ta|த்}}
|({{IPA link|t|trː}} {{lang|ta|ற்ற}})
|{{IPA link|ʈ}} {{lang|ta|ட்}}
|{{IPA link|t͡ɕ}} ~ {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} {{lang|ta|ச்}}
|{{IPA link|k}} {{lang|ta|க்}}
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|-
![[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
|({{IPA link|f}})<sup>1</sup>
|
|({{IPA link|z}}, {{IPA link|s}})<sup>1</sup> {{lang|ta|ஸ்}}
|({{IPA link|ʂ}})<sup>1</sup> {{lang|ta|ஷ்}}
|({{IPA link|ɕ}})<sup>1</sup> {{lang|ta|ஶ்}}
|({{IPA link|x}})<sup>1</sup>
|({{IPA link|h}})<sup>1</sup> {{lang|ta|ஹ்}}
|-
![[Tap consonant|Tap]]
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|[[ɾ]] {{lang|ta|ர்}}
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|-
![[Trill consonant|Trill]]
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|{{IPA link|r}} {{lang|ta|ற்}}
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|-
![[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|{{IPA link|ʋ}} {{lang|ta|வ்}}
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|{{IPA link|ɻ}} {{lang|ta|ழ்}}
|{{IPA link|j}} {{lang|ta|ய்}}
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|-
![[Lateral consonant|Lateral approximant]]
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|{{IPA link|l}} {{lang|ta|ல்}}
|{{IPA link|ɭ}} {{lang|ta|ள்}}
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|}
{{IPA|/h/}}, {{IPA|/x/}}, {{IPA|/f/}}, {{IPA|/z/}}, {{IPA|/ʂ/}} and {{IPA|/ɕ/}} are only found in loanwords and may be considered marginal phonemes, though they are traditionally not seen as fully phonemic.
{| class="wikitable"
|+[[Monophthong]]s<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Keane|2004|pp=114–115}}</ref>
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" |[[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" |[[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan="2" |[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
!<small>short</small>
!<small>long</small>
!<small>short</small>
!<small>long</small>
!<small>short</small>
!<small>long</small>
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|{{IPA link|i}} '''{{lang|ta|இ}}'''
|{{IPA link|iː}} '''{{lang|ta|ஈ}}'''
|
|
|{{IPA link|u}} '''{{lang|ta|உ}}'''
|{{IPA link|uː}} '''{{lang|ta|ஊ}}'''
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}} '''{{lang|ta|எ}}'''
|{{IPA link|eː}} '''{{lang|ta|ஏ}}'''
|
|
|{{IPA link|o}} '''{{lang|ta|ஒ}}'''
|{{IPA link|oː}} '''{{lang|ta|ஓ}}'''
|- style="text-align: center;"
![[Open vowel|Open]]
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|{{IPA link|ä}} '''{{lang|ta|அ}}'''
|{{IPA link|äː}} '''{{lang|ta|ஆ}}'''
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|}
Tamil has two [[diphthong]]s: {{IPA|/aɪ̯/}} '''{{lang|ta|ஐ}}''' and {{IPA|/aʊ̯/}} '''{{lang|ta|ஔ}}''', the latter of which is restricted to a few lexical items.

=== Phonotactics ===
Tamil has no [[consonant cluster]]s at the beginning of words  and the consonant clusters which do occur are: /mp/, /rt/, /ɳʈ/, /Ƞk/, /ṇt/, /ll/, /ɭɭ/, /pp/, /cc/, /tt/, /kk/, /rr/, /ɾk/, /mm/, and /nn/.<ref name=":0" />