High glides [j w] are in complementary distribution with high vowels [i u], respectively. The underlying phoneme is realized as a full vowel when serving as the nucleus of a syllable, and is realized as a glide otherwise.
| j-attuj | ‘it is high’ | i-skr | ‘he does’ |
| imi-nn-un | ‘your mouths’ | i-krz-a-wn | ‘he ploughed for you’ |
Below there are syllabicity alternations in the initial consonant of verbs.
| 3m.sg. | 3f.sg | |
|---|---|---|
| il.di | tl.di | ‘pull’ |
| ir.ba | tr.ba | ‘carry on one’s back’ |
| in.da | tn.da | ‘shake (milk)’ |
| im.da | tm.da | ‘be worn out’ |
| iz.di | tz.di | ‘put together’ |
| iʒ.la | tʒ.la | ‘get lost’ |
| iʁ.za | tʁ.za | ‘dig’ |
| iɦ.da | tɦ.da | ‘give (gift)’ |
| is.ti | ts.ti | ‘select’ |
| if.si | tf.si | ‘untie’ |
| ix.si | tx.si | ‘go out (fire)’ |
| iħ.ba | tħ.ba | ‘cover’ |
Below there are syllabicity alternations in the last consonant of verbs. On each line the form on the left is the 2 sg. perfective (the 2 sg. marker is/t- … -t) and that on the right is 3 f. sg. perfective (3 f. sg. is /t-/) with a dat. 3 m. sg. object (/-a-s/).
| 2.sg perfective | 3f.sg. perfective | |
|---|---|---|
| tr.glt | trg.las | ‘lock’ |
| ts.krt | tsk.ras | ‘do’ |
| tx.znt | txz.nas | ‘store’ |
| tz.dmt | tzd.mas | ‘gather wood’ |
| !tl.bzt | !tlb.zas | ‘step onto’ |
| tl.bʒt | tlb.ʒas | ‘idem’ |
| tr.kst | trk.sas | ‘hide’ |
| tn.ʃft | tnʃ.fas | ‘graze (skin)’ |
| tm.sxt | tms.xas | ‘transform’ |
Here are some especially interesting cases.
| Underlying | Surface | |
|---|---|---|
| /t-agrur-t/ | tag.rurt | ‘stable’ |
| /saul-x/ | sa.wlx | ‘I spoke’ |
| /ra-t-lul-t/ | rat.lult | ‘you will be born’ |
| /ra-t-rgl-t/ | ra.tr.glt | ‘you will lock’; ra- future, t- … -t 2sg |
Notice that ITB permits syllables syllables of the form CVC (tag) and CVCC (rurt), as well as CV (sa) and CCC with glide in onset position and a sonorant consonant as a peak (wlx).
Why then is /ra-t-lul-t/ syllabified as [rat.lult] instead of [ra.tl.wlt]?
D&E page 110: “Call GR syllables (G a mnemonic for”glide" and R for “resonant”) those syllables which, like [wlx] in (7), have a HV as their onset and a consonantal sonorant as their peak. In ITB words, GR syllables only occur immediately after a syllabic peak."
| Underlying | Surface | |
|---|---|---|
| /t-iun-t-a-s/ | ti.wn.tas | ‘you climbed on him’ |
| /ra-i-mmʁl/ | ra.jmm.ji | ‘he will grow’ |
| /ra-i-!rz/ | !ra. jrz | ‘it will be broken’ |
| /ħaul-tn/ | ħa.wl.tn | ‘make them (m.) plentiful’ |
Additional Examples
| Underlying | Surface | |
|---|---|---|
| ra-t-kti | ra.tk.ti | ‘she will remember’ |
| t-ftk-t | tf.tkt | ‘she suffered a sprain’ |
| ugl-x-tnt | u.glx.tnt | ‘I hung them (f.)’ |
| ħaul-tn | ħa.wl.tn | ‘make them (m.) plentiful’ |
| rgl-x | r.glx | ‘I locked’ |
| sxxn | sx.xn | ‘dip (in sauce)’ |
| t-xzn-t | tx.znt | ‘you (sg.) stored’ |
| t-xzn-a-s | txz.nas | ‘you (sg.) stored for him’ |
| ar-i-stai=i=lqqaid | a.ris.ta.ji.lq.qa.jd | ‘he selects for the chief’ |
voiceless stop < voiced stop < voiceless fricative < voiced fricative < nasal < liquid < HV < low vowel