Phonemic inventory

Syllable structure

(C)V

C: a consonant
V: a vowel

Allophony

• [j ɯ ɤ] become rounded after a rounded semivowel. [j] are deleted.
• Non-bilabial consonants other than [w], i.e. [n d s ...], become rounded [nʷ dʷ sʷ ...] before a rounded semivowel. [j] are deleted.
• Consonants [ŋ͡m q͡pʰ q ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding consonant other than a resonant and become voiceless word-initially. After a voiceless consonant or pause, nasals become non-nasal; prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised. After a voiced obstruent or nasal, aspirated consonants become unaspirated.
• Voiceless stops [k͡pʰ t kʰ ...] assimilate in aspiration to a preceding consonant other than a resonant.
• Velar or uvular stops or nasals [ŋ͡m ^ɴɢ g ...] persistently assimilate in uvularity to a following back stop or nasal.
• Velar or uvular stops or nasals [ŋ͡m ^ɴɢ g ...] assimilate in labiality and labiodentality to a following consonant other than [h hʷ]. Before a bilabial stop or nasal, rounded stops or nasals become unrounded.
• High vowels and semivowels [j̥ w̥ i ...] persistently become non-high [e̯̥ o̯̥ e ...] before a non-near-high vowel or an uvular consonant except a vowel.
• Alveolar consonants [n tʰʷ r̥ ...] become retroflex [ɳ ʈʰʷ ɽ̥ ...] after a retroflex consonant. Trills become taps.
• Obstruents [^ŋ͡mg͡b pʰ g ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding obstruent. After a voiceless obstruent, prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised. After a voiced obstruent, aspirated stops become unaspirated.
• Obstruents [^ŋ͡mg͡b pʰ g ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following consonant other than a resonant and become voiceless word-finally. Before a voiceless consonant other than a resonant or pause, prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, aspirated stops become unaspirated.
• Voiceless stops [k͡pʰ t kʰ ...] persistently assimilate in aspiration to a following consonant other than a resonant and become unaspirated word-finally.
• Short non-glottal stop non-prenasalised voiced stops other than [g͡b ɢ͡b], i.e. [b ɖ gʷ ...], become fricatives [β ʐ ...] between a vowel or semivowel and a vowel or semivowel. Velar or uvular stops become stops; retroflex stops become sibilants.
• Semivowels [j̥ w̥ e̯ ...] become lax [ɪ̯̥ ʊ̯̥ ɛ̯ ...] after a lax vowel.
• Retroflex consonants [ɳ ʈʰʷ ɽ̥ ...] persistently become non-retroflex alveolar [n tʰʷ ɾ̥ ...] before a non-retroflex alveolar obstruent or nasal except a non-affricate stop or nasal.
• Unaspirated voiceless stops [k͡p t k ...] become aspirated [k͡pʰ tʰ kʰ ...] before a voiceless fricative.
• Coronal obstruents other than retroflex fricative sibilants [ⁿd tʰʷ ʈʷ ...] assimilate in sibilancy to a following fricative other than [β]. Before a fricative sibilant, stops become affricates; aspirated stops become unaspirated.
• Bilabial obstruents or nasals [ŋ͡m ^mb q͡p ...] assimilate in dorsality and uvularity and palatalisation and whether palatal or palatalised velar to a following obstruent or nasal. Before a back stop or nasal, [β] are deleted.
• Front vowels and semivowels [j̥ ɪ̯ ɛ̯̥ ...] become non-front [h h ...] before an uvular stop or nasal. Semivowels become glottal fricatives.
• Vowels and semivowels other than [a], i.e. [j̥ e̯̥ i ...], assimilate in frontness or palatalisation to a following consonant. Before a consonant, unrounded semivowels become glottal fricatives. Before a front semivowel, velar or uvular semivowels become unrounded non-front glottal fricatives; rounded vowels become unrounded.
• Mid-low semivowels [ɛ̯̥ ɛ̯ ɔ̯̥ ɔ̯] become low [h ɒ̯̥ ɒ̯] after a low vowel. Palatalised uvular semivowels become non-front glottal fricatives.
• Consonants [ŋ͡m ʈʰʷ h ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following consonant other than a resonant. Before a voiceless consonant other than a resonant, prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised; nasals become non-nasal. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, aspirated consonants become unaspirated.
• Nasals [ŋ͡m n ŋ ...] become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation to a following obstruent or nasal.

Some words

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