Phonology
Sound inventory and phonological rules
23 consonants
8 vowels
Consonant Inventory
| Manner | Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | pb | · | td | · | · | kg | ʔ | |||||||
| Nasal | m | · | n | · | · | ŋ | · | |||||||
| Trill | · | · | r | · | · | · | · | |||||||
| Fricative | · | fv | sz | ʃʒ | · | xɣ | h | |||||||
| Approximant | · | · | · | · | j | w | · | |||||||
| Lateral approximant | · | · | l | · | · | · | · | |||||||
Vowel Inventory
| Height | Front | Central | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ɨ | u |
| Close-mid | e | · | o |
| Mid | · | ə | · |
| Near-open | æ | · | · |
| Open | a | · | · |
Syllable Structure
(C)(C)(C)V(V)(C)(C)Phonological Rules
Intervocalic spirantisation:
/p/ → [ɸ] / V_V
/b/ → [β] / V_V
/t/ → [θ] / V_V
/d/ → [ð] / V_V
/k/ → [x] / V_V
/g/ → [ɣ] / V_V
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Nasal place assimilation:
/n/ → [ŋ] / _{k,g}
/n/ → [m] / _{p,b}
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Tap in regular speech, uvular trill in ritual:
/r/ → [ɾ] / V_V
/r/ → [ʀ] / __ (liturgical register)
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Velar fricative weakens word-finally in rapid speech:
/x/ → [h] / _#
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Vowel reduction in unstressed syllables:
/V/ → [ə] / unstressed
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Gemination contrast in ritual or formal inscriptional speech:
/C/ → [Cː] / morphological emphasis
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Voicing between vowels:
/s/ → [z] / V_V