Editing Mongolic languages (section)

=====Vowels=====
The standard view is that Proto-Mongolic had ''{{IPA|*i, *e, *y, *ø, *u, *o, *a}}''. According to this view, ''{{IPA|*o}}'' and ''{{IPA|*u}}'' were [[pharyngealization|pharyngealized]] to {{IPA|/ɔ/}} and {{IPA|/ʊ/}}, then ''{{IPA|*y}}'' and ''{{IPA|*ø}}'' were [[velarization|velarized]] to {{IPA|/u/}} and {{IPA|/o/}}. Thus, the vowel harmony shifted from a velar to a pharyngeal paradigm. ''{{IPA|*i}}'' in the first syllable of back-vocalic words was [[Assimilation (linguistics)|assimilated]] to the following vowel; in word-initial position it became {{IPA|/ja/}}. ''{{IPA|*e}}'' was rounded to {{IPA|*ø}} when followed by ''{{IPA|*y}}''. VhV and VjV sequences where the second vowel was any vowel but ''{{IPA|*i}}'' were monophthongized. In noninitial syllables, short vowels were deleted from the phonetic representation of the word and long vowels became short;<ref>Svantesson ''et al.'' (2005): 181, 184, 186–187, 190–195.</ref> e.g. ''{{IPA|*imahan}}'' (''{{IPA|*i}}'' becomes {{IPA|/ja/}}, ''{{IPA|*h}}'' disappears) > ''{{IPA|*jamaːn}}'' (unstable ''n'' drops; vowel reduction) > /jama(n)/ 'goat', and ''{{IPA|*emys-}}'' (regressive rounding assimilation) > ''{{IPA|*ømys-}}'' (vowel velarization) > ''{{IPA|*omus-}}'' (vowel reduction) > /oms-/ 'to wear'

This reconstruction has recently{{When|date=November 2016}} been opposed, arguing that vowel developments across the Mongolic languages can be more economically explained starting from basically the same vowel system as Khalkha, only with ''{{IPA|*[ə]}}'' instead of ''*[e]''. Moreover, the sound changes involved in this alternative scenario are more likely from an [[Articulatory phonetics|articulatory]] point of view and early Middle Mongol loans into [[Korean language|Korean]].<ref>Ko (2011)</ref>