Phonotactics

Syllables are C(C)V(C)(C). Not all constraints have been found out yet.

Open syllables have longer vowels. Often, the quality is also slightly different, i.e., the vowels are tense in open syllables and lax in closed syllables

There is no phonemic length.

The pairs [i,ɪ], [y,ʏ], [u,ʊ] denote tense/lax distinctions due to open/closed syllables.

The pairs [e,ɛ], [ø,œ], [o,ɔ] and [ɵ,ɜ]denote free variation.

'j' is the voiced palatal approximant [j].

The alveolar phones are laminal (not apical).

'p', 't', 'k' are unaspirated before nasals, liquids, and fricatives.

Furthermore, 'x' is [ks], 'br' is [pχ], 'dr' is [tχ], 'gr' is [kχ].

[ts] uses the grapheme 'z' at the beginning of words, and 'tz' otherwise.

'ch' is palatal after front and center vowels, and uvular after back vowels.

Note: There seems to be no /r/ phoneme anymore. All occurences of |r| are fossilised and actually a different phoneme -- sometimes /x/ (in br, dr, gr) and sometimes /a/ (in diphthongs).

In multisyllabic words, stress is always on the penultimate syllable. The stressed syllable is pronounced with a long vowel (but vowel length is not phonemic). This may sounds strange to German ears: operieren > pächirt ['p_hE:XIO)t]

The history of the development of Da Mätz se Basa is not at all revealed yet, since the language was found only recently and there has not been much research. This section lists some assumed sound changes from Standard High German to Da Mätz se Basa. One of the most More irregular effects must have in earlier times, e.g. fusions of words and certain borrowings often show i-umlaut and sometimes a-umlaut phenomena.

One yet unexplained phenomenon is the strong reduction of consonant clusters.