Page:Cambodian system of writing and beginning reader.pdf/13

Chart 2. Initial Consonant Sequences

C1	C2																	C3
	p	t	c	k	q	b	d	m	n	ñ	ŋ	w	y	l	r	s	h	th	kh
p		x	x	x	x		x		x	x	x		x	x	x	x	x
t	x			x	x	x		x	x		x	x	x	x	x		x
c	x			x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x		x	x		x
k	x	x	x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
s	x	x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x		x	x			x
q												x
m		x	x		x		x		x	x				x	x	x	x
l	x			x	x	x		x			x	x					x		x

When the stops /p t c k/ occur as the first member of two-place initial consonant sequences /CC-/, they are unaspirated before /r s h/, slightly aspirated before voiceless stops and all continuants other than /r/ (except in the homorganic sequence /kŋ-/), and released with slight vocalism before /q b d/ and in the sequence /kŋ-/. When the consonants /q m l/ occur as the first consonant of /CC-/ sequences, they are released with slight vocalism.

C. Vowels

There are thirty-one different vowels and vowel combinations which occur as vocalic nuclei of Cambodian syllables. These nuclei are here analyzed as consisting of only thirteen vowel phonemes: ten short vowels and three short diphthongs. In Chart 3 the arrows represent sequences of vowel phonemes (long diphthongs). Long vowels and long diphthongs, which are equivalent in length, are treated as sequences of two short vowels. The long vowels /ɛɛ/ and /ɔɔ/ have no short counterparts. The short diphthongs, which are equivalent in length to short vowels, have no long counterparts, and so must be treated as unit phonemes. They are written with a breve to distinguish them from long diphthongs. The following nuclei occur:

• 10 long vowels: /ii, ee, ɛɛ, ɨɨ, əə, a, ɑɑ, uu, oo, ɔɔ/
• 10 long diphtongs: /iə, ɨə, ue, ei, əɨ, ou, ae, aə, ao, ɔə/
• 08 short vowels: /i, e, ɨ, ə, a, ɑ, u, o/
• 03 short diphtongs: /ĕə, ŭə, ŏə/
• = 31 vowel nuclei.^[1]

1. Other analyses of the vowel system are possible, of course, but whatever