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{{Short description|Phonological assimilation}}
{{Sound change}}
'''Consonant harmony''' is a type of "long-distance" [[phonology|phonological]] [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilation]], akin to the similar assimilatory process involving [[vowel]]s, i.e. [[vowel harmony]].
==Examples==
===In Athabaskan languages===
Various [[Austronesian]] languages exhibit consonant harmony among the [[liquid consonant]]s, with [r] assimilating at a distance to [l] or vice versa. Likewise, in [[Sanskrit]], [n] is retroflexed to [ṇ] if certain consonants precede it in the same word, even at a distance.▼
One of the more common harmony processes is ''coronal harmony'', which affects coronal fricatives, such as ''s'' and ''sh''. Then, all coronal fricatives belong to the [[Alveolar consonant|+anterior]] class (''s''-like sounds) or the [[Postalveolar consonant|-anterior]] class (''sh''-like sounds). Such patterns are found in the Dene ([[Athabaskan]]) languages such as [[Navajo language|Navajo]] (Young and Morgan 1987, McDonough 2003), [[Tahltan]] (Shaw 1991), [[Western Apache language|Western Apache]], and in [[Chumashan languages|Chumash]] on the [[California]] coast ([[Applegate, Michigan|Applegate]] 1972, Campbell 1997). In Tahltan, Shaw showed that coronal harmony affects three coronal fricatives, ''[[Voiceless alveolar fricative|s]]'', ''[[Voiceless postalveolar fricative|sh]]'' and the interdental ''[[Voiceless dental fricative|th]]''. The following examples are given by de Reuse: in Western Apache, the verbal prefix ''si-'' is an [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] [[fricative]], as in the following forms:
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''iką̄ą̄}} "a container and its contents are in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''itłēēd}} "mushy matter is in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''iyį̄į̄}} "a load/pack/burden is in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''inéʼ}} "three or more flexible objects are in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''iłāā}} "a slender flexible object is in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''iʼą̄ą̄}} "a solid roundish object is in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''itsooz}} "a flat flexible object is in position"
* {{lang|apw|'''s'''iziid}} "liquid matter is in position"
However, when the prefix {{lang|apw|si-}} occurs before a verb stem that contains a [[post-alveolar]] [[affricate]], the {{lang|apw|si-}} surfaces as the post-alveolar {{lang|apw|shi-}}:
* {{lang|apw|'''sh'''ijaa}} "three or more solid rigid inanimate objects are in position"
Thus, all sibilant obstruents (fricatives and affricates) in these languages are divided into two groups, +anterior ({{lang|apw|s}}, {{lang|apw|ts}}, {{lang|apw|dz}}) and -anterior ({{lang|apw|sh}}, {{lang|apw|ch}}, {{lang|apw|j}}). In Navajo, as in most languages with consonant harmony, there is a constraint on the shape of roots (a well-formedness constraint) that is identical to the harmony process. All roots with sibilant affricates or fricatives have the same value for anteriority. Shaw (1991) provides a phonological analysis of this process, using data from research on Tahltan.
There are two interesting aspects of the process in Navajo. Firstly, morphemes that participate are ___domain-specific, only the last two [[Phonology|domains]] are affected (conjunct + stem). Verbal morphemes from the outer or 'disjunct' ___domain are not affected by the process: the process is morphologically conditioned. Secondly, the lateral affricate and fricative ({{lang|nv|dl}}, {{lang|nv|tł}} and {{lang|nv|ł}}) appear with both values. Young and Morgan (1987) offer an extensive sets of examples of this type of morpheme alternation in Navajo.
===In Sanskrit===
A different example of coronal harmony, sometimes referred to as ''NATI rule'', occurs in [[Sanskrit]], where {{IPA|[n]}} is retroflexed to {{IPA|[ɳ]}} if it is preceded by a retroflex continuant, mainly {{IPA|[ɽ]}} and {{IPA|[ʂ]}}, in the same word, even at a distance. The retroflexion spreads from left to right affecting any coronal nasal until the word boundary is reached. This phenomenon, however, is blocked whenever a coronal plosive is placed between {{IPA|[ɽ]}}/{{IPA|[ʂ]}} and {{IPA|[n]}}. For instance, in the noun {{lang|sa|ब्राह्मण}} ''brāhmaṇa'' "[[Brahmin]] priest" (derived from the root ''*bṛh'' "to make strong" + the suffix ''-man-'' + the thematic vowel ''-a''), the original coronal {{IPA|[n]}} ([[IAST]]: ''n'') of the action noun suffix ''-man'' changes to a retroflex {{IPA|[ɳ]}} ([[IAST]]: ''ṇ'') due to consonant harmony triggered by {{IPA|[ɽ]}} ([[IAST]]: ''r''). On the other hand, in the word अर्चन ''arcana'' "homage, praising" (from ''*ṛc'' "to praise" + ''-man-'' + ''-a'') consonant harmony is prevented by the coronal stop {{IPA|[t͡ʃ]}} ([[IAST]]: ''c'') which blocks the assimilation.<ref>[https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/ollett/files/assimilation.pdf Feature Spreading in Sanskrit].</ref>
===In Old Chinese===
[[Old Chinese]] probably had some constraint governing the shape of disyllables. According to modern reconstructions of [[Old Chinese phonology]], type A and B syllables almost never co-occur in a disyllabic word. In the latest reconstruction of Old Chinese phonology proposed by [[William H. Baxter|Baxter]] and [[Laurent Sagart|Sagart]] (2014), this type A vs. type B distinction can be traced back to the presence or the absence of [[pharyngealization]] respectively, cf. {{wikt-lang|zh|納}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|nà}} < OC {{IPA|*nˤup}} "to bring into" (type A) and {{wikt-lang|zh|入}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|rù}} < OC {{IPA|*nup}} "to enter" (type B) only differing by the [±pharyngeal] trait of the initial consonant. Onsets of type B syllables, lacking of pharyngealization, are subject to [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]] in [[Middle Chinese]] (indicated by a palatal medial ''-j-'' in Baxter's notation), while type A pharyngealized onsets failed to palatalize. In many ancient disyllabic words type A and type B characters do not mix, there are almost solely bisyllabic morphemes either with type A syllables, such as:
* {{wikt-lang|zh|蝴蝶}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|húdié}} < MC {{transliteration|ltc|hu dep}} < OC {{IPA|*gˤa lˤep}} "butterfly"
* {{wikt-lang|zh|邂逅}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|xièhòu}} < MC {{transliteration|ltc|hɛH huwH}} < OC {{IPA|*gˤre-s gˤro-s}} "carefree"
* {{wikt-lang|zh|窈窕}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|yǎotiǎo}} < MC {{transliteration|ltc|ʔewX dewX}} < OC {{IPA|*ʔˤewʔ lˤewʔ}} "beautiful and gentle (said of a woman)"
or with type B syllables, including:
* {{wikt-lang|zh|麒麟}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|qílín}} < MC {{transliteration|ltc|gi lin}} < OC {{IPA|*gə rən}} "[[Qilin]]" (a mythical beast)
* {{wikt-lang|zh|蟋蟀}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|xīshuài}} < MC {{transliteration|ltc|srit srwit}} < OC {{IPA|*srit srut}} "cricket"
* {{wikt-lang|zh|參差}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|cēncī}} < MC {{transliteration|ltc|tsrhim tsrhje}} < OC {{IPA|*tsʰrum tsʰraj}} "uneven, irregular"
Such pattern seems to suggest the existence of some sort of '''pharyngeal harmony''' in [[Old Chinese]].<ref>{{harvp|Miyake|2015}}.</ref> However, there are notable, though infrequent, exceptions to this tendency, manifesting in ancient compounds that are generally hard to analyze. From this list the following word is often mentioned:
* {{wikt-lang|zh|鳳凰}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|fènghuáng}} < MC ''bjuwngH hwang'' < OC {{IPA|*N-prəm-s ɢʷˤaŋ}} "[[Fenghuang|Chinese phoenix]], fabulous bird"<ref>Possibly an old and opaque compound from {{lang|zh|風皇}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|fēng huáng}} < MC ''pjuwng hwang'' < OC {{IPA|*prəm ɢʷˤaŋ}} "sovereign of the winds" with affixes ({{harvnb|Miyake|2015}}).</ref>
===In Maghrebi Arabic===
Consonant harmony can also be observed in [[Moroccan Arabic]] and some southern dialects of [[Algerian Arabic]] in sequences of [[sibilant]]s:<ref name="guerr34">{{Cite journal |last=Guerrero |first=Jairo |date=2015 |title=Preliminary notes on the current Arabic dialect of Oran (Western Algeria) |journal=Romano Arabica 15 |pages=219–233}}</ref>
* {{wikt-lang|ar|جوج}} {{transliteration|ar|ISO|žūž}} as opposed to {{wikt-lang|ar|زوج}} {{transliteration|ar|ISO|zūž}} ("two")
* {{wikt-lang|ar|شمش}} {{transliteration|zh|ISO|šəmš}} as opposed to {{wikt-lang|ar|شمس}} {{transliteration|ar|ISO|šəms}} ("sun")
===In other languages===
▲Various [[Austronesian
[[Guaraní language|Guaraní]] shows '''nasal harmony''', and certain affixes have alternative forms according to whether the root includes a nasal (vowel or consonant) or not. For example, the [[reflexive verb|reflexive]] [[prefix]] is realized as oral {{lang|gug|je-}} before an oral stem like {{lang|gug|juka}} "kill", but as nasal {{lang|gug|ñe-}} before a nasal stem like {{lang|gug|nupã}} "hit". The ã makes the stem nasal.
Some [[Finnish language|Finnish]]-speakers find it hard to pronounce both 'b' and 'p' in loanwords ({{lang|fi|pubi}}, [[pub]]) and so they voice ({{lang|fi|bubi}}) or devoice ({{lang|fi|pupi}}) the entire word. It should, however, be noted that the distinction between the consonants is not native to Finnish.<ref name="finnote">Finnish has one native [[voiced consonant|voiced]] [[stop consonant|stop]], /d/, but it is not subject to similar behavior: {{lang|fi|tädit}} ("aunts"). That may be because the distinction between {{IPA|/t̪/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} involves the place of articulation (dental vs. alveolar) in addition to voice.</ref> Native Finnish words do not use {{IPA|/b/}}.
In the [[Ngeté-Herdé language]] of Cameroon, voicing of word-medial obstruents is strongly influenced by voicing of the word-initial consonant. Generally, all [[obstruent consonant|obstruents]] in a word are either voiced or voiceless.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sachnine |first1=M |title=Le Lame: Un parler zime du Nord-Cameroun (langue tchadique): Phonologie - Grammaire. |date=1982 |publisher=Societe d'Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France: Langues et Cultures Africaines, 1. With l'Agence de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique.}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Vowel harmony]]
*[[Dissimilation]]
*[[Fusion (phonetics)]]
* [[Consonant gradation]]
* [[Vowel-Consonant harmony]]
==Notes==
{{reflist}}
==Bibliography==
* Applegate, Richard. (1972). Ineseño Chumash Grammar. (Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley).
* {{cite book|last1=Baxter|first1=William H.|last2=Sagart|first2=Laurent|author-link=William H. Baxter|author-link2=Laurent Sagart|title=Old Chinese: A New Reconstruction|year=2014|___location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0199945375}}
* Campbell, Lyle. (1997). ''American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-509427-1}}.
* {{cite journal|last=Miyake|first=Marc|author-link=Marc Miyake|title=Old Chinese type A/type B in areal perspective|url=https://www.academia.edu/25740267|website=www.academia.edu|year=2015}}
* de Reuse, Willem J. (2006). ''A practical grammar of the San Carlos Apache language''. LINCOM Studies in Native American Linguistics 51. LINCOM.
* Rose, S. and R. Walker (2004). "A Typology of Consonant Agreement as Correspondence." Language 80:3: 475–531.
* McDonough, J. M. (2003). The Navajo Sound System. Dordrecht, Kluwer.
*Shaw, P. (1991). Consonant harmony systems: the special status of coronal harmony. The special status of Coronal Harmony Ed. Prunet, Academic Press.
*Young, R. and W. Morgan (1987). The Navajo Language. Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Consonant Harmony}}
[[Category:Assimilation (linguistics)]]
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