ësh

ësh is a sequence in Albanian orthography consisting of the vowel letter ë followed by the consonant digraph sh. It is not a separate letter, but a common combination that appears in many Albanian words and in some loanwords written with the standard alphabet.

Phonetics and phonology: In Albanian, ë represents a mid-central vowel, roughly [ə]. The digraph sh represents the voiceless postalveolar fricative [ʃ], as in the English word ship. Together, ësh is typically realized as [əʃ] or [ɜʃ], depending on dialect and phonetic context. Phonetically, the sequence behaves as a closed syllable: the nucleus is the vowel ë and the coda is the sound [ʃ].

Orthography and morphology: The combination occurs in native words and in inflected forms. It may appear at the end of a syllable or be part of a larger morpheme. Because Albanian spelling is phonemic, ësh consistently reflects the underlying sounds of the word rather than representing a new morpheme.

Usage and examples: Since this is a general linguistic sequence, ësh is encountered in a variety of syntactic positions, from word roots to affixed forms. The exact pronunciation and stress depend on the surrounding vowels and dialect.

See also: Albanian language, Albanian orthography, digraphs.