Phoneme inventory
Consonants
|
labial |
dental |
alveolar |
palatal |
velar
|
| nasal
|
m |
n |
|
|
|
| plain plosive
|
p |
t |
|
|
k
|
| nasal-trigger plosive
|
Np |
Nt |
|
|
Nk
|
| aspirated plosive
|
pʰ |
tʰ |
|
|
kʰ
|
| plain continuant
|
f |
|
s |
ʃ |
x
|
| nasal-trigger continuant
|
Nʋ |
|
Nz |
|
|
| voiced continuant
|
ʋ |
l |
z |
j |
|
- Nasal-trigger consonants are phonetically identical to their non-nasal-trigger correspondents, but trigger nasalization of a preceding vowel, even if that vowel is part of another word (this does not apply across clause boundaries, however). Additionally, all nasals automatically trigger nasalization of a preceding vowel.
- All labial, dental, and alveolar consonants have palatalized allophones after a front vowel within words.
- Plain and nasal-trigger stops are voiced intervocalically within words.
Orthographically, the consonants will be represented as follows:
|
labial |
dental |
alveolar |
palatal |
velar
|
| nasal
|
m |
n |
|
|
|
| plain plosive
|
p |
t |
|
|
k
|
| nasal-trigger plosive
|
p |
t |
|
|
k
|
| aspirated plosive
|
ph |
th |
|
|
kh
|
| plain continuant
|
f |
|
s |
x |
h
|
| nasal-trigger continuant
|
v |
|
z |
|
|
| voiced continuant
|
v |
l |
z |
y |
|
- In the dictionary and when a word is given alone, nasal-trigger plosives and continuants are notated with a preceding <n> word-initially.
Vowels
|
front |
central |
back
|
| high
|
i ḭ |
ɨ̃ ɨ̰̃ |
u ṵ
|
| mid
|
e ḛ |
|
o o̰
|
| low
|
ɛ̃ ɛ̰̃ |
a a̰ |
ɔ̃ ɔ̰̃
|
- Tense-lax allophony: a,e,i,o,u and their laryngeal counterparts > ǝ,ɛ,ɩ,ɔ,ʊ / unstressed
- Nasalization: before a nasal-trigger consonant or a nasal consonant, a,e,i,o,u and their laryngeal counterparts > ɔ̃,ɛ̃,ɨ̃,ɔ̃,ɨ̃
- Additionally, unstressed /a/ and /a̰/ > ɨ̃ ɨ̰̃ before a nasal-trigger or nasal consonant.
Orthographically, the vowels will be represented as follows:
|
front |
central |
back
|
| high
|
i iq |
in inq |
u uq
|
| mid
|
e eq |
|
o oq
|
| low
|
en enq |
a aq |
on onq
|
However, since the vowels are nasalized by default before a nasal, the <n> will not be written before a nasal.
Tones and Stress
- Low, high? High implies stress, low can imply stress
- how do we indicate all this in the orthography?
- Allophony based on phonation and _V/_C/_#
|
high stressed <á> |
low stressed <â> |
mid unstressed <a> |
low unstressed <à>
|
| modal other
|
44 |
22 |
3 |
21
|
| modal prevocalic
|
5 |
1 |
3 |
1
|
| laryngeal other
|
34 |
23 |
23 |
21
|
| laryngeal prevocalic
|
5 |
1 |
3 |
1
|
Phonotactics
The maximum syllable is (C)V(C), where the initial consonant can be any consonant, and the final consonant is restricted to /j/ or /ʋ/. Syllables with low tone, nasalization, and/or laryngeal quality seldom have a coda.
Prosody