Editing Tswana language (section)

=== Consonants ===
The [[consonant|consonant inventory]] of Tswana can be seen below.<ref>{{Harvnb|University of Botswana|2001|p=10}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="3" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!{{small|plain}}
!{{small|[[sibilant]]}}
!{{small|[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}} {{grapheme|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}} {{grapheme|n}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɲ}} {{grapheme|ny}}
| {{IPA link|ŋ}} {{grapheme|ng}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Plosive]]/<br />[[Affricate]]
!{{small|voiceless}}
| {{IPA link|p}} {{grapheme|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}} {{grapheme|t}}
| {{IPA link|ts}} {{grapheme|ts}}
| {{IPA link|tɬ}} {{grapheme|tl}}
| {{IPA link|tʃ}} {{grapheme|tš}}
| {{IPA link|k}} {{grapheme|k}}
|
|
|-
!{{small|voiced}}
| {{IPA link|b}} {{grapheme|b}}
| {{IPA link|d}} {{grapheme|d}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|dʒ}} {{grapheme|j}}
|
|
|
|-
!{{small|aspirated}}
| {{IPA link|pʰ}} {{grapheme|ph}}
| {{IPA link|tʰ}} {{grapheme|th}}
| {{IPA link|tsʰ}} {{grapheme|tsh}}
| {{IPA link|tɬʰ}} {{grapheme|tlh}}
| {{IPA link|tʃʰ}} {{grapheme|tšh}}
| {{IPA link|kʰ}} {{grapheme|kh}}
| {{IPA link|kχʰ}} {{grapheme|kg}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
| {{IPA link|f}} {{grapheme|f}}
|
| {{IPA link|s}} {{grapheme|s}}
|
| {{IPA link|ʃ}} {{grapheme|š}}
|
| {{IPA link|χ}} {{grapheme|g}}
| {{IPA link|h}} {{grapheme|h}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Liquid consonant|Liquid]]
|
| {{IPA link|r}} {{grapheme|r}}
|
| {{IPA link|l}} {{grapheme|l}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Semivowel]]
| {{IPA link|w}} {{grapheme|w}}
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|j}} {{grapheme|y}}
|
|
|
|}

The [[consonant]] {{IPA|/d/}} is merely an [[allophone]] of {{IPA|/l/}}, when the latter is followed by the [[vowel]]s {{IPA|/i/}} or {{IPA|/u/}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|University of Botswana|2001|p=3}}</ref> Two more sounds, '''v''' {{IPA|/v/}} and 
'''z''' {{IPA|/z/}}, exist only in loanwords.

Tswana also has three [[click consonant]]s, but these are only used in [[interjection]]s or [[ideophones]], and tend only to be used by the older generation, and are therefore falling out of use. The three click consonants are the [[dental click]] {{IPA|/ǀ/}}, orthographically {{angle bracket|c}}; the [[lateral click]] {{IPA|/ǁ/}}, orthographically {{angle bracket|x}}; and the [[alveolar click]] {{IPA|/ǃ/}}, orthographically {{angle bracket|q}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|University of Botswana|2001|pp=11–12}}</ref>

There are some minor [[dialect|dialectal variations]] among the consonants between speakers of Tswana. For instance, {{IPA|/χ/}} is realised as either {{IPA|/x/}} or {{IPA|/h/}} by many speakers; {{IPA|/f/}} is realised as {{IPA|/h/}} in most dialects; and {{IPA|/tɬ/}} and {{IPA|/tɬʰ/}} are realised as {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/tʰ/}} in northern dialects.<ref>{{Harvnb|University of Botswana|2001|pp=14–15}}</ref>

The consonant {{IPA|/ŋ/}} can exist at the end of a word without being followed by a vowel (as in [[Jwaneng]] and [[Barolong Seboni]]).