Choni language explained

Choni language should not be confused with Hbrugchu language.

Choni
Also Known As:	Thewo-Chone Cone Tibetan
Nativename:	tço.ne
Pronunciation:	in Tibetan pronounced as /tɕo.ne/
States:	China
Region:	Gansu, Sichuan
Date:	2004
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Sino-Tibetan
Fam2:	Tibeto-Kanauri ?
Fam3:	Bodish
Fam4:	Tibetic
Fam5:	(Amdo Tibetan)
Iso3:	cda
Glotto:	chon1285
Glottorefname:	Choni
Dia1:	Thewo
Dia2:	Hbrugchu

Choni (Jonê) and Thewo are dialects of a Tibetic language spoken in western China in the vicinity of Jonê County.

Choni has four contrastive aspirated fricatives: pronounced as //sʰ// pronounced as //ɕʰ//, pronounced as //ʂʰ//, pronounced as //xʰ//.^[1]

Phonology

Consonant phonemes of Nyinpa Choni

		Bilabial	Alveolar	Retroflex	(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Plosive	tenuis	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/
	aspirated	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/
	voiced	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/
	prenasalized	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/
Affricate	tenuis		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	aspirated		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	voiced		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	prenasalized		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Fricative	tenuis		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
	aspirated		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	voiced		pronounced as /link/	(pronounced as /link/)	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	(pronounced as /link/)
Sonorant			pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Lateral	fricative		pronounced as /link/
	approximant		pronounced as /link/

• pronounced as //r// is phonetically a fricativized alveolar trill pronounced as /[r̝]/, and may be heard as pronounced as /[ʐ]/ as an allophone.
• A syllable-initial pronounced as //k// can be heard as a uvular fricative pronounced as /[χ]/ before voiceless consonants and as a voiced pronounced as /[ʁ]/ before voiced consonants. A syllable-final pronounced as //k// can be heard as a uvular stop pronounced as /[q]/ after pronounced as //æ// or pronounced as //ɔ// vowel sounds.
• pronounced as /[ʁ]/ can also be heard as an allophone of pronounced as //ɣ// between pronounced as //æ// or pronounced as //ɔ// and another vowel.^[2]

! colspan="2"

Front	Central		Back
short	long	short	long	short	long
Close	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Close-mid	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Mid			pronounced as /link/
Open-mid	pronounced as /link/				pronounced as /link/
Open	pronounced as /link/				pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/

Nasal vowels!!Front!Central!Back

Close	pronounced as /link/		(pronounced as /link/)
Close-mid	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Open		pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/

• pronounced as /[ũː]/ rarely exists as a phoneme, and is only attested in a few words with a palatal or alveolo-palatal initial.

External links

• A phonological profile of Chone

Notes and References

1. Jacques . Guillaume . 2011 . A panchronic study of aspirated fricatives, with new evidence from Pumi . Lingua . 121 . 9 . 1518–1538. 10.1016/j.lingua.2011.04.003 . 56166344 .
2. Web site: Jacques . Guillaume . Guillaume Jacques . A phonological profile of Cone . April 2012 . 20 August 2021 . HAL.