Phonemic inventory

Syllable structure

(C₁)V(C₂)

C₁: a consonant
V: a vowel
C₂: a non-palatal consonant; i.e. a consonant other than /^ɲ͡mɟ͡b ^ɲɟ c͡p ɟ͡b c cʼ ɟ j ʎ/

Allophony

• Non-retroflex coronal consonants [n t͡ʃ z ...] persistently become retroflex [ɳ ʈ͡ʂ̻ ʐ ...] after a retroflex consonant.
• Front vowels and semivowels [j i e ...] become non-front [ ɨ ɘ ...] before a retroflex consonant. [j] are deleted.
• Prenasalised stops [^ɲ͡mɟ͡b ^ŋ͡mg͡b ^ɲɟ ^ŋg] become non-prenasalised [ɟ͡b g͡b ɟ g] after an obstruent.
• Palatal stops [^ɲ͡mɟ͡b c͡p c ...] become alveopalatal [ⁿḏʲ ṯʲ ṯʲ ...] before a palatoalveolar obstruent. Bilabial stops become non-bilabial.
• Non-nasal consonants [^ɲ͡mɟ͡b ʈʼ t͡ʃʼ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following consonant other than an approximant. Before a voiceless consonant, prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, ejective stops become non-ejective; [h] are deleted.
• Before a non-retroflex coronal consonant, back vowels become non-back unrounded; rounded semivowels become non-velar unrounded glottal fricatives.
• Non-affricate coronal stops or nasals [n tʼ ɖ ...] are persistently deleted between a stop or nasal and a stop or nasal.
• Non-nasal approximants [l̥ ɭ ʎ̥ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding consonant other than an approximant.
• Non-nasal consonants [^ɲ͡mɟ͡b ṯʲ ʂ̻ ...] assimilate in voice to a preceding obstruent or nasal. After a voiceless obstruent, prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised. After a voiced obstruent or nasal, ejective stops become non-ejective; [h] are deleted.
• Coronal consonants [n ṯʲʼ ʂ̻ ...] assimilate in laminality to a following coronal consonant. Before an apical consonant, alveopalatal stops become non-front laminal.
• Obstruents [^ɲ͡mɟ͡b ɖ̻ ʈ͡ʂʼ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following obstruent and become voiceless word-finally. Before a voiced obstruent, ejective stops become non-ejective. Before a voiceless obstruent or pause, prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised.
• Semivowels [j̥ j w̥ w] become mid-low [ɛ̯̥ ɛ̯ ɔ̯̥ ɔ̯] before a lax vowel.
• Short non-ejective non-glottal fricative voiceless consonants [c͡p k ʃ̺ ...] become voiced [ɟ͡b g ʒ̺ ...] between a voiced phone and a voiced phone.
• Short non-ejective non-glottal fricative voiceless consonants [c͡p k ʃ̺ ...] become voiced [ɟ͡b g ʒ̺ ...] between a voiced phone and a voiced phone.
• Voiceless stops [c͡p ʈ kʼ ...] persistently assimilate in glottalisation to a preceding consonant other than an approximant. After an ejective stop, bilabial stops become non-ejective voiced.
• Unrounded consonants other than retroflex consonants or uvular semivowels or [j̥ j], i.e. [m t t͡ʃ̺ ...], become retroflex [ɳ ʈ ʈ͡ʂ ...] before a retroflex consonant. Front consonants become non-front; bilabial stops or nasals become non-bilabial; velar stops become non-back non-dorsal; palatal stops become non-dorsal; [ʎ̥ ʎ] become [ɭ̥ ɭ].
• Coronal consonants other than alveolar approximants [n̻ ʈ t͡ʃ̺ ...] persistently assimilate in anteriority and retroflexion to a following obstruent sibilant. Before a retroflex obstruent sibilant, alveopalatal stops become non-front. Before a palatoalveolar obstruent sibilant, approximant laterals become alveolar; [ɭ̻̥ ɭ̻] become [l̥ l].
• Nasals [m n ɳ ...] become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation to a following obstruent or nasal.
• [ŋ͡m m n̻ ṉ ṉ̺ ŋ ^ŋ͡mg͡b ⁿd̻ ⁿḏ ⁿḏ̺ ^ŋg k͡p g͡b p b t̻ tʼ̻ d̻ ṯ ṯʼ ḏ ṯ̺ʰ ṯ̺ ṯ̺ʼ ḏ̺ k kʼ g t͡s̻ t͡sʼ̻ d͡z̻ t͡ʃ t͡ʃʼ d͡ʒ t͡ʃ̺ t͡ʃ̺ʼ d͡ʒ̺ s̻ z̻ ʃ ʒ ʃ̺ ʒ̺ h l̥̻ l̻] become front before a front high vowel or a high palatal semivowel. Apical obstruents or nasals become non-front; apical obstruents or nasals become laminal.

Some words

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