25 graphemes

{

a e i o u

b c č d f g h j k l m n p r s š t v z ž

}

accented graphemes:

{

à è ì ò ù

á é í ó ú

ê ô

 }

29 phonemes

/

a e ɛ ə i ɔ o u

b ʦ ʧ d f g h j k l m n p r s ʃ t v z ʒ ʤ

/

The Slovenian Vocalic Trapezium:

	front	central	unrounded back	rounded back
close	i			u [u̯] [u̥]
	[ɪ]			[ʊ]
	e			o
		ə
	ɛ		[ʌ]	ɔ
open		a

Table of the Slovenian consonants:

	bilabial	labiodental	labiovelar	dental	alveolar	alveopalatal	palatalized	palatal	velar
approximant			[ʍ] [w]					j
lateral					l		[lʲ]
tap					ɾ
trill					[r]
nasal	m	[ɱ]		n			[nʲ]		[ŋ]
fricative		f v		s z		ʃ ʒ			x [ɣ]
affricate				ʦ [ʣ]		ʧ [ʤ]
occlusive	p b			t d					k g

The Vowels

They may be short or long.

Short vowels may be stressed or unstressed. When stressed are marked with grave accent: /a ɛ i ɔ u ə ˈa ˈɛ ˈi ˈɔ ˈu ˈə/ written {a e i o u e à è ì ò ù è}.

/ɛ ˈɛ/ and /ə ˈə/ are both written {e è}.

Stressed short vowels may stay only in the last (or only) syllable (excluding the compounds and some exceptions as {kàdar} [ˈkadaɾ]).

Toporišič gives [ˈʌ] as a variant pronunciation for short stressed a {à} /ˈa/, [ˈɪ] as a variant pronunciation for short stressed i {ì} /ˈi /, and [ʊ] as a variant pronunciation for short stressed u {ù} /ˈu/.

Long vowels are always stressed and are /ˈaː ˈɛː ˈeː ˈiː ˈɔː ˈoː ˈuː/. /ˈɛːˈɔː/ are written with circumflex accent {ê ô}, /ˈaː ˈeː ˈiː ˈoː ˈuː/ are written with acute accent {á é í ó ú}. Long vowels (always stressed) may stay in any syllable.

So stressed vowels may be short or long, unstressed are always short. /ə/ may not be long. The stress may stay in any syllable. {e o} / are usually open /ɛ ɔ/, may be close /e o/ only if long and stressed (acute accent).

Tonic Accent

The Slovenian traditional tonal system has an opposition among high and low syllable only in long stresses syllable. Some dialects has the opposition high-low also in short stressed syllable. In other dialects however tonic accent completely disappears even in long syllable.

The graphic marks:

acute accent = stressed, low pitch (rising: next syllable high), long, close {e o}

grave accent = stressed, short, open {e o}

circumflex accent (only on {e o}) = stressed, high pitch (falling: next syllable low), long, open {e o}

none = unstressed, short, open {e o}

Where exists tonal opposition even in short syllable:

grave accent = stressed, low pitch (rising: next syllable high), short, open {e o}

double grave accent = stressed, high pitch (falling: next syllable low), short, open {e o}

Accent marks are not used in normal writing but just in dictionaries and in grammar or phonetics texts.

{r} is syllabic at the beginning of a word before consonant and inside a word between consonants.

Syllabic {r} may be

- stressed: in this case is always long, low (acute accent ŕ , almost always) or high (circumflex accent r̂, almost never);

- unstressed.

Table of vowels: graphemes-phonemes/phones

grapheme	phoneme	example	transcription
á	[_aː]	glás	[_glaːs]
à	[ˈa]	bràt	[ˈbɾat]
a	[a]	kakó	[ka_koː]
é	[_eː]	céna	[_ʦeːnaː]
ê	[‾ɛː]	vesêlje	[vɛ‾sɛːljɛ]
è	[ˈɛ]	pomèn	[pɔˈmɛn]
è	[ˈə]	sèm	[ˈsəm]
e	[ɛ]	denár	[dɛ_naːɾ]
e	[ə]	kônec	[‾kɔːnəʦ]
í	[_iː]	ígra	[_iːgɾa]
ì	[ˈi]	mìš	[ˈmiʃ]
i	[i]	bábica	[_baːbiʦa]
ó	[_oː]	dóm	[_doːm]
ô	[‾ɔː]	člôvek	[‾ʧlɔːvɛk]
ò	[ˈɔ]	kònj	[ˈkɔn]
o	[ɔ]	dodátek	[dɔ_daːtək]
ú	[_uː]	júha	[_juːxa]
ù	[ˈu]	krùh	[ˈkɾux]
u	[u]	ljubíti	[lju_biːti]

Note that the graphic marks {è} and {e} are ambiguous and may respectively represent /ˈɛ ˈə/ and /ɛ ə/.

{e} before /jV, oV, vV/ is always open.

{e} before /jC, j#, vC, v#/ is always medium (phonetically open).

(V = vowel, C = consonant, # = end of word).

(With regard to this I find however disagreement between the various authors)

Table of consonants: graphemes-phonemes-phones

graphemes	phonemes	phones	example	transcription
b	/b/	[b, (p)]	beséda	[bɛ_seːda]
c	/ʦ/	[ʦ, (ʣ)]	césta	[_ʦeːsta]
č	/ʧ/	[ʧ, (ʤ)]	časopís	[ʧasɔ_piːs]
d	/d/	[d, (t)]	dánes	[_daːnəs]
f	/f/	[f, (v)]	fànt	[ˈfant]
g	/g/	[g, (k)]	bogàt	[bɔˈgat]
h	/h/	[x, (ɣ)]	híša	[_xiːʃa]
j	/j/	[j]	diják	[di_jaːk]
k	/k/	[k, (g)]	kmèt	[ˈkmɛt]
l	/l/	[l, u, u̯]	boléti	[bɔ_leːti]
lj	/lj/	[lj, l, lʲ]	dálje	[_daːljɛ]
m	/m/	[m, ɱ]	dvòm	[ˈdvɔm]
n	/n/	[n, ŋ]	dán	[_daːn]
n	/n/	[nj, n, nʲ]	knjíga	[_knjiːga]
p	/p/	[p, (b)]	gospód	[gɔs_poːt]
r	/r, ər/	[ɾ, əɾ, ərː]	bárva	[_baːɾva]
s	/s/	[s, (z)]	mísliti	[_miːsliti]
š	/ʃ/	[ʃ, (ʒ)]	šóla	[_ʃoːla]
t	/t/	[t, (d)]	cvét	[_ʦveːt]
v	/v/	[v, u, u̯, w, u̥, ʍ]	drevó	[dɾɛ_voː]
z	/z/	[z, (s)]	míza	[_miːza]
ž	/ʒ/	[ʒ, (ʃ)]	róža	[_ɾoːʒa]
dž	/ʤ/	[ʤ, (ʧ)]	džúngla	[_ʤuːŋgla]

/v/

Before vowel (in the same word) [v]:

devét [dɛ_veːt], vôda [‾vɔːda];

Before consonant or in the end of a word:

1 - after vowel or syllabic {r} [u] or [u̯]:

cérkev [_ʦeːɾkəu] domóv [dɔ_moːu]

ávtor [_aːutɔɾ] stávba [_staːuba];

2 - at the beginning of a word or after consonant:

a - before voiced consonant [u] or [w]:

vròč [uˈɾɔʧ] vzéti [u_zeːti]

izvléči [izu_leːʧi]

b - before voiceless consonant [u̥] or [ʍ] :

vsè [u̥ˈsɛ]

predvsèm [pɾedu̥ˈsɛm].

/l/

Before vowel (in the same word) [l];

délati [_deːlati]

ládja [_laːdja]

Before consonant or in the end of a word after vowel or {r} [u] or [u̯];

dólg [_doːuk]

kísel [_kiːsəu]

vesél [vɛ_seːu]

vólk [_voːuk]

it is however pronounced [l]:

1. in the genitive plural of feminine and neutre -la and -lo substantive;

besedíl [bɛsɛ_diːl] (da besedílo [bɛsɛ_diːlɔ])

dežêl [dɛ‾ʒɛːl] (da dežêla [dɛ‾ʒɛːla])

dvigál [dvi_gaːl] (da dvigálo [dvi_gaːlɔ])

kríl [_kɾiːl] da (krílo [_kɾiːlɔ])

2. in derivative words coming from feminine and neutre -la and -lo substantive;

šólski [_ʃoːlski] (da šóla [_ʃoːla])

3. in the ending -mi of plural instrumental of feminine -l substantive;

živálmi [ʒi_vaːlmi] (da živál [ʒi_vaːu])

4. in literary or foreign words, in proper nouns.

spòl [ˈspɔl]

apríl [a_pɾiːl]

fílm [_fiːlm]

hotél [xɔ_teːl]

Pável [_paːvəl]

Note the different pronunciation of {hotél} (hotel) [xɔ_teːl] and {hôtel} (wanted) [‾xɔːtɛu] (from hotéti (to want) [xɔ_teːti]).

/r/

- before vowel, in the end of syllable or words after vowel [r];

korísten [kɔ_ɾiːstən]

dôbro [‾dɔːbɾɔ]

čórba [_ʧoːɾba]

dár [_daːɾ]

- as we have seen {r} is syllabic in the beginning of a word before consonant and inside a word between consonants:

ŕ [_ərː]

četŕt [ʧe_tərːt]

čŕn [_ʧərːn]

smŕt [_smərːt]

r̂ [‾ərː] (I could not find examples)

r [əɾ]

potrdíti [pɔtəɾ_diːti]

rdèč [əɾˈdɛʧ]

skrbéti [skəɾ_beːti]

srcé [səɾ_ʦeː]

/m/

- everywhere, except before /v, f/ [m];

imé [i_meː]

- before /v, f/ [ɱ].

simfoníja [siɱfɔ_niːja]

/n/

- everywhere, except before /k, g, h/ [n];

dolína [dɔ_liːna]

- before /k, g, h/ [ŋ].

bánka [_baːŋka]

begúnka [bɛ_guːŋka]

ênkrat [‾ɛːŋkɾat]

džúngla [_ʤuːŋgla]

/j/

- everywhere, except in {lj} and {nj} before consonant or in the end of a word [j];

jêzik [‾jɛːzik]

akademíja [akadɛ_miːja]

- it is not pronounced in {lj}, {nj} before consonant or in the end of a word.

{lj} and {nj} are pronounced [lj] and [nj] before vowels, [l, lʲ] and [n, nʲ] before consonants and in the end of a word.

kónjski [_koːnski]

mánjkati [_maːnkati] o [_maːnʲkati] NOT: [_maːŋkati]

svínjski [_sviːnski]

kònj [ˈkɔn]

ôgenj [‾ɔːgən]

kúhinja [_kuːxinja]

mišljênje [miʃ‾ljɛːnjɛ]

potovánje [pɔtɔ_vaːnjɛ]

prédnji [_pɾeːdnji]

svínja [_sviːnja]

življênje [ʒiu‾ljɛːnjɛ]

najbóljši [naj_boːlʃi]

cílj [_ʦiːl]

čévelj [_ʧeːvɛl]

têmelj [‾tɛːmɛl]

izkljúčiti [iz_kljuːʧiti]

káplja [_kaːplja]

ljubézen [lju_beːzɛn]

ljudjé [lju_djeː]

življênje [ʒiu‾ljɛːnjɛ]

Unvoicing of voiced consonants:

/b, d, g, z, ʒ, ʤ/ unvoice in [p, t, k, s, ʃ, ʧ] :

- in the end of an utterance;

- in the end of a word if the following word begins with vowel or /m, n, r, l, j, v/;

- before /p, f, t, s, ʃ, ʦ, ʧ, k, h/ even in the same word.

Note:

- prepositions are considered as a part of the following word;

- /v/ does not unvoice (see before the various allophones of /v/).

hríb [_xɾiːp]

óbčina [_oːpʧina]

hòd [ˈxɔt]

sládkor [_slaːtkɔɾ]

króg [_kɾoːk]

obràz [ɔˈbɾas]

razpàd [ɾazˈpat]

drobíž [dɾɔ_biːʃ]

Voicing of voiceless consonants:

/p, f, t, s, ʃ, ʦ, ʧ, k, h/ voice in [b, v, d, z, ʒ, ʣ, ʤ, g, ɣ]:

- before /b, d, g, z, ʒ / (in the word or utterance).

glásba [_glaːzba]

účbenik [_uːʤbɛnik]

kdáj [_gdaːj]

References:

Anton Bajec et al., Slovar slovenskega jezika, Ljubljana, Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Ljubljana, 1995

Aldo Cantarini, Lineamenti di fonologia slava, Brescia, La Scuola, 1979

Luciano Canepari, Introduzione alla fonetica, Torino, Einaudi, 1979

Hermina Jug-Kranjec, Slovenščina za tujce, Ljubljana, Filozofska fakulteta, 1992

Tine Logar, Karta slovenskih narečij 1:500000, Ljubljana, Geodetski Zavod Slovenije - Mladinska knjiga, 1990

Jože Toporišič, Slovenska slovnica, Maribor, Založba Obzorja, 1991

Jože Toporišič, Zakaj na po slovensko - Slovene by synthetic method, Ljubljana, Filozofska fakulteta, 1992