Eastern Halfling language

The Eastern Halfling language is a collection of mutually intelligible Halfling dialects spoken in the Kingdom of Etrand. It is an oral language without a written form - however, the Antanath Standard is a written standard based off the Eastern Halfling dialects. As a rule of thumb, Eastern Halfling dialects are phonologically more conservative than their Western counterparts.

Consonants

 * The consonantal system of Halfling traditionally divides consonants into two categories: Broad and Slender. The earlier can only appear before and after back and central vowels (never before or after front vowels), while the latter can appear before and after any vowel.
 * There are two exceptions to this rule: and, despite being classified as Broad consonants, also appear before front vowels.
 * The voiced fricatives originated from the postvocalic lenition of the corresponding stops, therefore do not appear word-initially or after nasal vowels in native Halfling words. They do appear word-initially and after nasal vowels in loanwords though.
 * and are not distinguished anymore in any variant of Halfling. Both of them are generally pronounced as an approximant  in all positions.
 * Under the influence of other local languages (such as High Elven and Etrandish), are often pronounced as labiodental  rather than the recommended bilabial.
 * cannot appear word-initially or geminated. Both word-initially and when geminated, they are replaced by
 * can only appear word-initially, or between two vowels. It cannot appear after nasal vowels.
 * Nasal vowel +  clusters are usually pronounced as nasal vowel +   clusters instead. For example,  and  can be respectively pronounced as  and.

Vowels

 * The open front vowels exist in only a few of the most conservative dialects and have disappeared in every other variant of the language, having shifted to  in all positions, except after, where they became  instead.
 * Nasal vowels lose their nasalization if they are proceeded by a nasal+vowel cluster.
 * Nasal vowels tend to be dissimilated into vowel + nasal clusters before stop consonants and rhotic consonants, turning, , , , , , , into , , , , , , ,  respectively. This doesn't effect nasal vowels word-finally or before other kinds of consonants.