Basque Dialects - Phonological Variation

Phonological Variation

Standard Basque consonants
Labial Dental/
Alveolar
Postalveolar
/Palatal
Velar
Nasal m n ɲ
Plosive p t c k
b d ɟ ɡ
Affricate ts̺ ts̻
Fricative f s̺ s̻ ʃ x
Trill r
Tap ɾ
Lateral l ʎ
Standard Basque vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a

Basque dialects diverge from this standard inventory to a larger or lesser extent. The grapheme j (historically /j/) displays by far the most extreme divergence, followed by the fricatives and affricates. Hualde (1991) describes the following:

  • Baztan, an Eastern Navarrese dialect: lack of /x/
  • Arbizu, a dialect in a mixed Gipuzkoan/Western Navarrese dialect area: geminate vowels /i/~/ii/, /e/~/ee/, /a/~/aa/, /o/~/oo/, /u/~/uu/
  • Gernika, a Biscayan dialect: merger of /s̻/ with /s̺/ and /ts̻/ with /ts̺/. Additional phonemes: /ʒ/. Lack of /c/ and /ɟ/.
  • Ondarroa, a Biscayan dialect: merger of /s̻/ with /s̺/ and /ts̻/ with /ts̺/. Additional phonemes: /dz/. Lack of /c/ and /ɟ/.

Read more about this topic:  Basque Dialects