<P> Subject / verb inversion is not required in questions, and thus the recognition of declarative or interrogative may depend entirely on intonation . </P> <P> The Spanish phonemic system is originally descended from that of Vulgar Latin . Its development exhibits some traits in common with the neighboring dialects--especially Leonese and Aragonese--as well as other traits unique to Castilian . Castilian is unique among its neighbors in the aspiration and eventual loss of the Latin initial / f / sound (e.g. Cast . harina vs. Leon. and Arag . farina). The Latin initial consonant sequences pl -, cl -, and fl - in Spanish typically become ll - (pronounced (ʎ), (j), (ʝ), (ʒ), or (d͡ʒ)), while in Aragonese they are preserved, and in Leonese they present a variety of outcomes, including (tʃ), (ʃ), and (ʎ). Where Latin had - li - before a vowel (e.g. filius) or the ending - iculus, - icula (e.g. auricula), Modern Spanish produces the velar fricative (x) (hijo, oreja, where neighboring languages have the palatal lateral (ʎ) (e.g. Portuguese filho, orelha; Catalan fill, orella). </P> <P> (See History of the Spanish Language for more information) </P> <P> The Spanish phonemic inventory consists of five vowel phonemes (/ a /, / e /, / i /, / o /, / u /) and 17 to 19 consonant phonemes (the exact number depending on the dialect). The main allophonic variation among vowels is the reduction of the high vowels / i / and / u / to glides--(j) and (w) respectively--when unstressed and adjacent to another vowel . Some instances of the mid vowels / e / and / o /, determined lexically, alternate with the diphthongs / je / and / we / respectively when stressed, in a process that is better described as morphophonemic rather than phonological, as it is not predictable from phonology alone . </P>

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