87

(see 6-3.2). Nonfinal independent suffixes (7-2.21)
and final sentence suffixes (7-2.22) are of the form
CV(CV). Verb subordinating suffixes (7-4.2) take the
form (V)CV(CV) in which the first V, if any, is /i/.

3-2.4 Restrictions on phoneme occurrence

3-2.41 Individual phonemes

The postvelar fricative /x/ occurs in root-initial
position in only a few dialects and very rarely. The

examples are

xaxchi.fia noun/verb ‘bobbin, already threaded;
to wind thread on a bobbin'
(La Paz/Tiahuanaco)

xarsa.ni.fia ‘to have asthma, be out of
breath' (Vitocota)

Jupa.x__Xarsa.n.i.w. ‘He's out of breath.’
——— (Vitocota)

A phoneme that does not occur initially in native
Aymara roots is /r/. (A voiced fricative allophone of
Spanish or Quechua /r/ may occur initially in loanwords. )
The velar nasal may occur initially in suffixes
but not initially in roots, even in the dialect where
it is attested in roots. Evidence for the nonexistence
of roots with /nh/ in Carangas, where suffixes with
the phoneme do occur, is the pronunciation given

by a speaker from Jopoqueri to the following Jaqaru