Phonology
Consonants
The Ruritanian consonants are as follows:
- /m n/
- /p b t d k g/
- /tʃ dʒ/
- /f v s z ʃ h/
- /l r j w/
Vowels
Ruritanian has only the five vowels /a e i o u/, and the diphthongs /ai au/, though other diphthongs may appear in borrowed words. The vowels /e i/ are sometimes realized [ɛ ɪ] in closed syllables, though this is not mandatory. Vowels are never reduced to schwas.
Syllable constraints
In native words, /w/ normally only appears after /k/ or /g/. There are a great number of borrowed words where /w/ follows other consonants, and a few (such as quíui “kiwi”) where it appears intervocalically, but it is never found word-initially; borrowings with initial /w/ invariably replace it with /v/.
Syllables take the form of (C)(C)(C)V(C)(C). The nucleus is a vowel or diphthong. The onset can be:
- any consonant except /w/
- /f/ + /l, r, j/
- /sl/
- /ʃ/ + /l, r/
- /s, ʃ/ + /p, t, k/
- /p, b, t, d, k, g/ + /r, j/
- /p, b, k, g/ + /l/
- /k, g/ + /w, n/
- any other stop or fricative + /w/ (in borrowings)
- /s, ʃ/ + /p, t, k/ + /r, j/
- /s, ʃ/ + /p, k/ + /l/
- /skw/
- any consonant except /h, j, w/
- /p, t, k/ + /s/
- /m/ + /p, b/
- /n/ + /t, d, k, g/
- /s/ + /p, t, k/
Stress
Primary stress normally follows three simple rules:
- Unless the word ends in as, the stress falls on the vowel before the last consonant in the word: MADra, BRIfa, penSIR.
- If a (multisyllabic) word either has no consonants in it, or the only consonants come at the very beginning of the word, the stress falls on the penultimate syllable: DIa, RIo.
- 2. If the word ends in as, the stress falls where it would fall if the final s was not present: MADras, aCIdias, DIas.
The diphthongs ai and au (as well as other falling diphthongs in borrowings) are treated as though they were a single vowel for the purposes of these rules. Words whose stress does not conform to these rules are indicated with an acute accent over the stressed vowel (see spelling for more details).
Secondary stress is completely predictable. If a word has exactly one syllable preceding the stressed syllable, that syllable takes secondary stress (e.g. /ˌskeˈleta/ “skeleton”); if more than one syllable precede the stressed syllable, the secondary stress falls two syllables before the stress (e.g. /ˌnaranˈdʒado/ “orange-colored”). Compound words follow the same stress patterns of the original morphemes (/ˌakwaˌmeˈlona/ “watermelon”, from /ˈakwa/ “water” and /ˌmeˈlona/ “melon”).