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Use base consonants only
View positions
Labial
Coronal
Dorsal
Radical
Laryngeal
Bilabial
Labio-dental
Dental
Alveolar
Palato-alveolar
Retroflex
Palatal
Velar
Uvular
Pharyngeal
Epi-glottal
Glottal
Plosive
   b     t̪ʰ d̪           ɖ̰     kʰ ɡ   ɢ
 
 
 
 
 ʔ
 
Affricates
                 tʃ                  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nasal
   m           n                    
 
 
 
 
 
 
Trill
                            
 
 
    
 
 
    
 
 
Tap, Flap
               ɾ                                
Lateral flap
 
 
 
 
                    
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fricative
     f       s   ʃ           x       ħ ʕ     h  
Lateral fricative
 
 
 
 
                            
 
 
 
 
 
 
Approximant
                           j   w                
Lateral approximant
 
 
 
 
       l                    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Front
Near-front
Central
Near-back
Back
 
Close
Near-close
Close-mid
Mid
Open-mid
Near-open
Open
Selected languages: Somali
UPSID number: 4358
Alternate name(s): N/A
Classification: Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic
The languages has 32 segments
Frequency index: N/A
Sounds: [b] [t̪ʰ] [d̪] [ɖ̰] [kʰ] [ɡ] [ɢ] [ʔ] [s] [ʃ] [f] [x] [ħ] [ʕ] [tʃ] [ɾ] [l] [w] [j] [m] [n] [ɪ] [i] [ʊ̈] [ʊ] [e̞] [ə̹] [ɛ] [ɔ] [æ] [ä] [h]
Comments:

All vowels may appear long and short. Long
rounded vowels are not centralized and long /I/ is
indistinguishable from long /i/. There is vowel harmony,
possibly based on pharyngeal cavity size (Farnetani,
1981).
Sources:

Andrzejewsky, B.W. 1955. The problem of vowel
representation in the Isaaq dialect of Somali. Bulletin of
the School of Oriental and African Studies 17: 567-80.

Andrzejewsky, B.W. 1956. Accentual patterns in verbal
forms in the Isaaq dialect of Somali. School of Oriental
and African Studies 18: 103-129.

Armstrong, L.E. 1964. The phonetic structure of Somali.
Mitteilungen des Seminars fur Orientalische Sprachen
(Berlin) 37/3: 116-61.

Cardona, G.R. 1981. Profilo fonologico del somalo. In
G.R. Cardona and F. Agostini (eds.), Studi Somali I:
Fonologia e Lessico. Ministero degli affari esteri -
Dipartmento per la cooperazione allo sviluppo; Comitato
tecnico linguistico per l'universita nazionale somala.

Farnetani, E. 1981. Dai tratti ai parametri: introduzione
all'analisi strumentale della lingua somala. In G.R.
Cardona and F. Agostini (eds.), Studi Somali I: Fonologia
e Lessico. Ministero degli affari esteri - Dipartmento
per la cooperazione allo sviluppo; Comitato tecnico
linguistico per l'universita nazionale somala.