Codas and Tone

Syllables can end with three consonantal/pseudoconsantal elements, in this order:

• r
• n : Can be realized as a consonantal /n/, or just as nasalization; as a consonant, assimilates in place to a following stop;  fully assimilates to a following /l/; so n + [p,k,m,l,ŋ] = [mp,ŋk,ll,ŋŋ].
• ' : Glottal stop, when in isolation, but fully assimilates to any following voiceless consonant so ' + [p,t,k,f,s,š] = [pp,tt,kk,ff,ss,šš], or to the place of articulation of any sonorant, so ' + [m,n,l,ŋ] = [pm,tn,lt,kŋ].

But the most salient realization of ' is tonal.  Lexical syllables ending with ' have a high tone aligned with the end of the syllable.  Other lexical syllables have a high tone aligned with the start of the syllable.  This means that in isolation, syllables ending with ' are rises, and others are falls. Rises can be clipped depending on context, starting at a midpoint in the pitch range, or just ending up a high tone; falls tend to be a full H->L transition. In lexical+lexical compounds, contours are simplified, preserving pitch movement on the first syllable.

Grammatical prefixes just have level tone, high if preceding a fall (syllable without '), low if preceding a rise (syllable with '); suffixes are a mirror image of this.

Some schematic examples:  (...) = a syllable; with following glottals written as ', lexicality/stress is indicated by bold; tone contours represented with H(igh) and L(ow) inside the (...).

• (HL)
• ([L|M]H)'
• (HL) + (LL)
• (HL) + (LH)'
• ([L|M|H]H) + (HL)
• (LH)' + (HH)
• (LL) + (LH)'
• (HL) + (LL)
• (HH) + (HL) + (LH)' + (HH)