1.1 Vowels

Tailaa's vowel inventory is characteristic of Faeic languages, featuring a relatively large number of vowel distinctions, with 9 short vowel phonemes, with extensive front rounding distinctions. Tailaa has a phonological contrast between short (/a e i ø y ɑ o u ʊ/) and double (/aː eː iː ɑː oː uː ʊː/) vowels. Phonetically long vowels are single continuous sounds, usually taking two morae of length. Long mid vowels are non-present, due to a sound change that made /eː øː oː/ shift to diphthongs /ie̯ yø̯ uo̯/, with diphthong /yø̯/ later merging with /yː/ to form diphthong /ui̯/. Short vowels are usually realized as reduced forms, especially in unstressed positions.

There are 8 phonemic diphthong sequences in Tailaa. In speech, a diphthong does not surface as a sequence of two separate vowels; instead, the two portions of the diphthong are not broken by a pause or stress pattern. In Tailaa, diphthongs contrast with both long vowels and short vowels. Among the phonological processes operating in Tailaa dialects are diphthongization and diphthong reduction. For example, most eastern dialects have the phonemic contrast of /o/ vs. /ɑo/ vs. /uo̯/ instead of standard language contrast of /o/ vs. /oː/ vs. /ou̯/.

Tailaa also features the phenomenon called vowel harmony, wherein the coöccurrence of certain vowels with each other is restricted. (cf. 3 Morphophonology § 3.1 Vowel Harmony)

1.2 Consonants

*Allophonic variation of single underlying phoneme, most commonly analyzed as /ʋ/, from a merger of /w/ and /v/. /w/ appears in the case of gradation of /ʋ/, wherein it is written ⟨u⟩.
†Unvoiced coronals are most commonly realized as dentals.
‡[ŋ] is the phonemic surfacing of nasals before /k/.
§/d, r/ may sometimes be pronounced as a tap or flap [ɾ], especially between vowels in rapid speech.

Tailaa has a relatively simple consonant inventory, featuring 16-19 consonant phonemes. All phonemes except /d/, /ç/, /t͡s/, /l̥/, /ʋ/, and /j/ can occur geminated or doubled phonemically as a phonetic increase in length, usually taking two morae of length. Consonant doubling always occurs at the boundary of a syllable, and are unable to be found word-initially. These are phonemic, contrasting meaning, for example: lira 'song', lirra 'to think', liraa 'edge, limit'.

1.3 Phonotactics

The phonemic template of a syllable in Tailaa is (C)(L)V(C), in which L is a liquid consonant. V can be realized as a long vowel or a diphthong. A final consonant of a word, though not a syllable, must be either /m/, /n/, /r/, /l/, or /s̪/; Tailaa does not allow more than two consonants in a cluster (incl. cross-syllable clusters; /ʋ/ and /j/ sometimes can be exceptions, being more semi-vowel like). Two geminate consonants are disallowed from coöccuring in a single cluster. Allowed clusters are nasal or fricative initial (e.g., nd, st), or approximant final (e.g., kr, hv). Clusters with two of the same manner adϳacent (e.g., tc, nm). These don't apply to /ʋ/ and /j/ as consistently, as they are viewed more as semi-vowel off-glides (e.g., iltva, alciaa with triple clusters /ltʋ/, /lkj/)

All consonants may occur word initially. Any vowels or vowel sequences can appear in any position in accordance with vowel harmony restrictions. Vowel hiatus or any non-phonemic diphthongs are not allowed under Tailaa phonotactics, with illegal vowel sequences repaired via epenthesis (cf. 3 Morphophonology § 3.4 Epenthesis).

1.4 Prosody

1.4.1 Stress

Stress in Tailaa is non-phonemic. Tailaa primary stress always occurs on the first syllable of a word. Secondary stress normally falls on every other syllable, on odd-numbered syllables. Contrary to primary stress, Tailaa secondary stress is quantity sensitive. Thus, if secondary stress would normally fall on a heavy syllable (polymoraic syllables, see below), the secondary stress moves one syllable to the right until a light syllable (monomoraic syllable) is found. So, aliaraiati ('above a/the holy emperor') contains light syllables only and has primary stress on the first syllable and secondary on the third and fifth, as expected: á.lia.rà.ia.tì. On the other hand, aliaralla ('monarchical, royal') has a heavy third syllable (ral) and a light fourth syllable (lia, so secondary stress falls on the fourth syllable: á.lia.ral.là. Finally, as in aliarammen ('collective of emperors') has a heavy third syllable (ram) and a heavy fourth syllable (men), so there is no secondary stress: a.lia.ram.men.

Tailaa stress utilizes a pitch-accent system, unlike languages where stress is differentiated by volume or time. There are three levels of stress: puiolä ('strong level'), a high tone, in primarily stressed syllables, puiouldo ('weak level'), a medium or rising tone, in secondarily stressed syllables, and puioändä ('empty level'), a low, unmarked, or neutral tone in unstressed syllables. Most monosyllabic words lack stress, being with puioändä tone. Because stress is syllable-based and not by morae, these pitches may last across multiple morae in polymoraic syllables.

1.4.2 Timing

Tailaa is moraic and isochronic. While stress is syllable-based, timing is based on morae, i.e., infrasyllabic smallest units of timing in some spoken languages in which phonetic length (such as vowel length) matters significantly. For example, the word ilyn 'insect' while two syllables has three morae: i-ly-n. Thus, a short vowel contains one mora and is called monomoraic, while a long vowel contains two and is called bimoraic. Trimoraic syllables like in tä-ä-r-tä exist but are relatively rarer.

In Tailaa, diphthongs, doubled or long vowels count as two morae, as in mi-i-la, o-ä-lä, lasting twice as long as a short vowel. Codas count as their own morae, as in u-n-do-m, where -n- and -m function as their own mora. Likewise, doubled consonants or geminates count as two, as in tä-m-mu, acting like a coda. All open syllables without a long vowel are considered a single mora, including purely V syllables as in i-ne, and CCV syllables as in ni-cva.

1.5 Sandhi

Tailaa sandhi surfaces occasionally, appearing between various words and morphemes, in formal and colloquial registers. It is almost never written down in non-phonetic transcriptions. There are two main forms of sandhi in Tailaa: assimilation and cross-word epenthesis. Phonetic assimilations occur mainly with nasals: ilyn palppa [ˈilym ˈpalpːa], nesien ciilssi [ˈneçe̯ŋ ˈkiiːlsːi].

Tailaa also showcases intrusive iuliä, a sandhi phenomenon that functions like intrusive r, with semivowel /j/. It occurs across word boundaries when illegal vowel sequences occur across words. For example, in the sentence "Ine se undör loä ela!", sequence e u isn't a valid diphthong, oä e illegal, thus the sentence is pronounced: "Ine se-j-undör loä-j-ela!".

Likewise, in some dialects, though less commonly, cross-word illegal consonant sequences sometimes see the deletion of one or two of the consonant sounds, most commonly at the beginning of the succeeding word, as in veildis siyl [ˈvei̯ldis yl].