Editing Navajo language (section)

==Phonology==
{{Main|Navajo phonology}}
{{listen
|pos=right
|filename=Nv-nishłį́.ogg
|title=''nishłį́''
|description = The second syllable of the word ''nishłį́'' (I am) involves the phoneme {{IPA|/ɬ/}}, a high tone, and nasalization.
|format = [[Ogg]]
}}

Navajo has a fairly large consonant inventory. Its [[stop consonant]]s exist in three laryngeal forms: [[aspirated consonant|aspirated]], unaspirated, and [[ejective consonant|ejective]]—for example, {{IPA|/tʃʰ/}}, {{IPA|/tʃ/}}, and {{IPA|/tʃʼ/}}.<ref>{{Harvnb|McDonough|2003|p=3}}</ref> Ejective consonants are those that are pronounced with a [[Airstream mechanism#Glottalic initiation|glottalic initiation]]. Navajo also has a simple [[glottal stop]] used after vowels,<ref name="Kozak 2013 162">{{Harvnb|Kozak|2013|p=162}}</ref> and every word that would otherwise begin with a vowel is pronounced with an initial glottal stop.<ref name="Faltz 1998 3">{{Harvnb|Faltz|1998|p=3}}</ref> Consonant clusters are uncommon, aside from frequent placing {{IPA|/d/}} or {{IPA|/t/}} before [[fricative consonant|fricatives]].<ref name="McDonough 2003 5">{{Harvnb|McDonough|2003|p=5}}</ref>

The language has four vowel qualities: {{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/i/}}, and {{IPA|/o/}}.<ref name="McDonough 2003 5"/> Each exists in both oral and [[nasal vowel|nasalized]] forms, and can be either short or long.<ref>{{Harvnb|McDonough|2003|pp=6–7}}</ref> Navajo also distinguishes for [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] between high and low, with the low tone typically regarded as the default. However, some linguists have suggested that Navajo does not possess true tones, but only a [[pitch-accent language|pitch accent]] system similar to that of [[Japanese language|Japanese]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Yip|2002|p=239}}</ref> In general, Navajo speech also has a slower [[speech tempo]] than English does.<ref name="Kozak 2013 162"/>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Consonants
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="3" |
! rowspan="2" | [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! colspan="3" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Palato-alveolar consonant|Palato-<br />alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-style="font-size: x-small;"
! plain
! [[lateral consonant|lateral]]
! [[affricate consonant|fricated]]
! plain
! [[labialization|lab.]]
! plain
! [[labialization|lab.]]
|-
! rowspan="5" | [[Obstruent]]
! rowspan="3" | [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
! <small>[[tenuis consonant|unaspirated]]</small>
| {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|t}} || {{IPA link|tˡ}} || {{IPA link|ts}} || {{IPA link|tʃ}} || || {{IPA link|k}} || || {{IPA link|ʔ}} ||
|-
! <small>[[aspiration (phonetics)|aspirated]]</small>
| || {{IPA link|tʰ}} || {{IPA link|tɬʰ}} || {{IPA link|tsʰ}} || {{IPA link|tʃʰ}} || || {{IPA link|kʰ}} || ({{IPA link|kʷʰ}}) || ||
|-
! <small>[[ejective consonant|ejective]]</small>
| || {{IPA link|tʼ}} || {{IPA link|tɬʼ}} ||  {{IPA link|tsʼ}} || {{IPA link|tʃʼ}} || || {{IPA link|kʼ}} || || ||
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Continuant]]
! <small>[[fortis and lenis|fortis]]</small>
| || || {{IPA link|ɬ}} || {{IPA link|s}} || {{IPA link|ʃ}} || || {{IPA link|x}} || ({{IPA link|xʷ}}) || ({{IPA link|h}}) || ({{IPA link|hʷ}})
|-
! <small>[[fortis and lenis|lenis]]</small>
| || || {{IPA link|l}} || {{IPA link|z}} || {{IPA link|ʒ}} || || {{IPA link|ɣ}} || ({{IPA link|ɣʷ}}) || ||
|-
! rowspan="4" colspan="2" | [[Sonorant]]
! <small>plain</small>
| {{IPA link|m}} || {{IPA link|n}} || || || || {{IPA link|j}} || || ({{IPA link|w}}) || ||
|-
! <small>[[glottalization|glottalized]]</small>
| ({{IPA|[[Glottalization|mˀ]]}}) || ({{IPA|[[Glottalization|nˀ]]}}) || || || || ({{IPA|[[Glottalization|jˀ]]}}) || || ({{IPA|[[Glottalization|wˀ]]}}) || ||
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Vowels, short / long
! rowspan="2" scope="col" | <span style="position: absolute !important; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);">Vowel height</span><!-- Visible to screenreaders only, for better accessibility, per [[MOS:ACCESS]] -->
! colspan="2" scope="col" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! scope="col" | oral
! scope="col" |[[Nasal vowel|nasal]]
! scope="col" | oral
! scope="col" | nasal
|-
! [[Close vowel|High]]
| {{IPA link|ɪ}} / {{IPA link|i}}ː || {{IPA link|ɪ̃}} / {{IPA link|ĩ}}ː || ||
|-
! [[Open-mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ}} / {{IPA link|e}}ː || {{IPA link|ɛ̃}} / {{IPA link|ẽ}}ː || {{IPA link|ɔ}}~{{IPA link|ɞ}} / {{IPA link|o}}ː || {{IPA link|õ}} / {{IPA link|õ}}ː
|-
! [[Open vowel|Low]]
| || || {{IPA link|ɑ}} / {{IPA link|ɑ}}ː || {{IPA link|ɑ̃}} / {{IPA link|ɑ̃}}ː
|}