Phonemic inventory
Consonants
| | Labial | | Laminal alveolar | | Laminal alveolar sibilant | | Pal. / vel. | | Glottal |
| Nasal | | | | m | | | | n̻ | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Stop | | pʰ | p | mb | | t̻ʰ | t̻ | nd̻ | | t͡s̻ʰ | t͡s̻ | nd͡z̻ | | kʰ | k | ŋg | | | | |
| Fricative | | | f | | | | | | | | s̻ | | | | x | | | h | | |
| Trill | | | | | | | | r̻ | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Approximant | | | | | | | | l̻ | | | | | | | | j | | | | |
Vowels
| | Front | | Central | | Back |
| High | | i | | | | u |
| Mid-high | | e | | | | o |
| Low | | | | a | | ɑ |
Syllable structure
(C1)V(C2)
C1: a consonant
V: a vowel
C2: one of /m n̻ f h r̻ l̻ j/
Allophony
- After a non-labial obstruent, [m f] become [w̃ w].
- [ɑ] become [ɒ] before a rounded semivowel.
- Labial obstruents or nasals [m mb p ...] assimilate in labiodentality to a following labial obstruent or nasal.
- Before a velar obstruent, [ɱ ɱb p̪ʰ p̪ ɸ] become [m mb pʰ p f].
- Consonants [m p̪ʰ ɸ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following obstruent or nasal. Before an obstruent, resonants become obstruents; prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised; [m ɱ n̻] become [p p̪ t̻]; [w̃] become [ŋʷ]. Before a voiced stop or nasal, aspirated consonants become unaspirated.
- Consonants [m b̪ ɸ ...] assimilate in voice to a following obstruent or nasal. Before a voiceless consonant other than [h], resonants become obstruents; prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised; nasal consonants other than [w̃] become non-nasal; [w̃] become [ŋʷ]. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, aspirated consonants become unaspirated.
- Consonants [m t̻ʰ d͡z̻ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following obstruent or nasal and become voiceless word-finally. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, aspirated consonants become unaspirated. Before a voiceless consonant other than [h] or pause, resonants become obstruents; prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised; nasal consonants other than [w̃] become non-nasal; [w̃] become [ŋʷ].
- After a non-nasal voiceless consonant, resonants become non-glottal stop unaspirated voiceless obstruents; [w̃] become [ŋʷ].
- Alveolar obstruents [nd̻ nd͡z̻ t͡s̻ ...] assimilate in laterality to a following alveolar consonant other than a stop or nasal. Before [l̻], obstruent sibilants become non-sibilant coronal; non-affricate stops become affricates.
- Non-front vowels and velar or uvular semivowels [w̃ u a ...] assimilate in backness or velarisation to a following one of [w̃ j w]. Before [j], rounded vowels become unrounded; semivowels are deleted.
- Nasals [m ɱ n̻ ŋʷ] become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation to a following obstruent or nasal.
- Front vowels and semivowels [j i e] persistently become central [ ɨ ɘ] before a velar semivowel. [j] are deleted.
- Short voiced consonants [m b d͡z̻ ...] become voiceless [p p t͡s̻ ...] after a voiceless aspirated consonant. Prenasalised stops become non-prenasalised; nasal consonants other than [w̃] become non-nasal; resonants become obstruents; [w̃] become [ŋʷ].
- Before a labial obstruent or nasal, alveolar obstruents or nasals become non-labial rounded obstruents or nasals; velar obstruents or nasals become non-velar non-palatal or velar obstruents or nasals; non-prenasalised non-labial voiced obstruents become voiceless obstruents; [ɲ c ɟ] are deleted.
- Non-front vowels and velar or uvular semivowels [w̃ u a ...] become front [j̃ i ɛ ...] before a front consonant. Rounded vowels and semivowels become unrounded; lax vowels become non-low.
- Non-back vowels and non-velarised semivowels [j̃ i ɘ ...] assimilate in frontness or palatalisation to a following approximant other than [l̻]. Before one of [w̃ w], semivowels are deleted. Before one of [j̃ j], [a] become [ɛ].
- Short non-glottal stop non-prenasalised stops other than [t̻ d̻ tʷ̻], i.e. [pʰ c t͡ɬ̻ʰ ...], become fricatives [ɸ ç ɬ̻ ...] between a vowel or resonant and a vowel or resonant. Aspirated stops become unaspirated; non-lateral non-sibilant coronal stops become stops.
- High semivowels [j̃ w̃ j w] become mid-high [ẽ̯ õ̯ e̯ o̯] before a non-high vowel.
- Aspirated stops [pʰ tʷ̻ʰ t͡ɬʷ̻ʰ ...] become unaspirated [p tʷ̻ t͡ɬʷ̻ ...].
- Nasals [m ɱ ɲ ...] become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation between an obstruent or nasal and an obstruent or nasal.
- Back vowels and semivowels [w̃ w o ...] become central [ ɘ ...] before a front semivowel. Semivowels are deleted; vowels other than [ɑ] become unrounded.
- Non-pharyngeal consonants other than uvular semivowels or [ɲ c ɟ ç ʝ j̃ w̃ j w], i.e. [m t̻ t͡s̻ ...], persistently assimilate in palatalisation to a following consonant and become non-front word-finally. Before a front consonant, rounded obstruents or nasals become unrounded.
- Central vowels [ɨ ɘ ɜ a] become front [i e ɛ ɛ] after a front consonant. [a] become [ɛ].
Some words
| /l̻ɑmbi/ | [l̻ɑmbi] |
| /s̻ijxan̻/ | [s̻icxat̻] |
| /n̻ijt̻al̻/ | [n̻ict̻at͡ɬ̻] |
| /t͡s̻ʰuun̻/ | [t͡s̻ʰuut̻] |
| /l̻un̻xij/ | [l̻ut̻xic] |
| /t̻ofjir̻/ | [t̻ofʲcit̻] |
| /l̻al̻/ | [l̻at͡ɬ̻] |
| /ajt̻o/ | [ɛct̻o] |
| /amɑm/ | [amɑp] |
| /jal̻u/ | [e̯ɛl̻u] |
| /an̻r̻ij/ | [an̻r̻ic] |
| /r̻ojt̻e/ | [r̻ect̻e] |
| /mboxɑl̻/ | [mboxɑt͡ɬ̻] |
| /hofun̻um/ | [hofun̻up] |
| /s̻af/ | [s̻af] |
| /l̻us̻uf/ | [l̻us̻uf] |
| /amum/ | [amup] |
| /xal̻in̻/ | [xal̻it̻] |
| /l̻apu/ | [l̻aɸu] |
| /fo/ | [fo] |
| /un̻t̻a/ | [ut̻t̻a] |
| /fol̻nd͡z̻a/ | [fol̻nd͡z̻a] |
| /faɑm/ | [faɑp] |
| /s̻il̻s̻am/ | [s̻it͡θs̻ap] |
| /l̻it̻ɑj/ | [l̻it̻ɛc] |
| /an̻/ | [at̻] |
| /l̻an̻in̻/ | [l̻an̻it̻] |
| /s̻ufam/ | [s̻ufap] |
| /iffal̻/ | [iffat͡ɬ̻] |
| /afs̻uf/ | [afs̻uf] |
Generated by Gleb version 0.3.2 / 5.0a with seed 36891891409.