Cittin Sêdubi

Cittin Sêdubi (lit. "the language of the Cidên") is the language spoken by the Cidên people.

Consonants
The velar phonemes /ŋ k ɰ/ are fronted to palatal [ɲ c j] before the front vowels /i iː ɛ ɛː/.

The dentals /t ð/ are assibilated to [t̪ˢ z̪] before the close front vowels /i iː/.

The labial approximant /β/ is labiodental [ʋ] before the close front vowels /i iː/, labiovelar [w] the back vowels /u uː o oː/, and [β̞] elsewhere.

The apical post-alveolar consonants /ʂʶ l̺ʶ/ have a dorsal secondary articulation, ranging from velarized to pharyngealized depending on the dialect. The strength of this secondary articulation also varies with dialect. They are primarily distinguished from the laminal post-alveolar consonants /ʃ l̻/ by their effect on surrounding vowels, which is the same as the effect the uvular consonants /q ʁ/ have on them.

The uvular nasal [ɴ] is a prominent phone that contrasts with other nasal phones. However, its distribution is entirely predictable, and is thus analysed as an allophone of /ŋ/ or /q/, depending on the situation.

Consonant-vowel harmony
Cittin Sêdubi has several processs of consonant-vowel harmony involving the retraction of certain segments that occur in harmony. Each process is explained below in the order in which they are applied.

Regressive sibilant harmony
Through this process, if the rightmost sibilant is a laminal /ʃ/, then all the other sibilants in the word will become /ʃ/, too. In some rare cases, /ʂʶ/ can also be the trigger and result, though the domain is more limited.

Uvular Retraction
The uvular consonants /q ʁ/ retract the advanced vowels /i iː u uː ɛ ɛː/ to their retracted counterparts /ə əː o oː a aː/ when in contact with them. The post-alveolar consonants /ʂʶ l̺ʶ/ do the same, but only to advanced vowels directly before them.

Regressive retraction harmony
This is another vowel retraction process, with the same targets and results as uvular retraction. However, in this, the triggers are the retracted vowels /ə əː o oː a aː/. The retraction spreads backward within a word, but can be blocked by the velars /k ɰ/.