Phonemic inventory

Syllable structure

(C₁)V(C₂)

C₁: a consonant
V: a vowel
C₂: a consonant

Allophony

• Alveolar stops or nasals [n tʼ ɗ ...] are persistently deleted between a stop or nasal and a stop.
• [p pʼ t tʼ k kʼ ɓ ɓ̰ ɗ ɗ̰ s sʼ] assimilate in glottalisation to a preceding non-nasal consonant other than a resonant.
• Consonants other than resonants [m tʼ ɓ̰ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following consonant other than a resonant. Before a voiceless consonant, [ɓ̰ ɗ̰] become [pʼ tʼ]. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, ejective consonants become non-glottalised; [h] are deleted.
• Non-glottalised non-glottal fricative obstruents [p k ɗ̥ ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding consonant other than a resonant.
• Voiceless obstruents other than [s], i.e. [p tʼ ɓ̥ ...], persistently become aspirated [pʰ tʰ ...] before a glottal fricative. Ejective obstruents become non-glottalised; [sʼ] become [s]; implosives become unaspirated voiced resonants.
• Non-nasal consonants other than resonants or [pʰ tʰ kʰ], i.e. [p k ɗ̥ ...], persistently assimilate in voice to a following consonant other than a resonant and become voiceless word-finally. Before a voiceless consonant or pause, [ɓ̰ ɗ̰] become [pʼ tʼ]. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, ejective consonants become non-glottalised; [h] are deleted.
• Non-nasal consonants other than resonants or [pʰ tʰ kʰ], i.e. [p k ɗ̥ ...], persistently assimilate in voice to a following non-nasal consonant other than a resonant and become voiceless word-finally. Before a voiceless consonant or pause, [ɓ̰ ɗ̰] become [pʼ tʼ]. Before a voiced obstruent, ejective consonants become non-glottalised; [h] are deleted.
• Consonants other than resonants or [pʰ tʰ kʰ], i.e. [m̥ b ɓ ...], persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding consonant other than a resonant. After a voiceless consonant, [ɓ̰ ɗ̰] become [pʼ tʼ]. After a voiced obstruent or nasal, ejective consonants become non-glottalised; [h] are deleted.
• Before a velar stop or nasal, bilabial stops or nasals become non-bilabial velar rounded stops or nasals; [ɓ̥] become [ʔʷ].
• [ɓ ɗ] become [ɓ̰ ɗ̰] after a glottal stop.
• Non-ejective non-nasal voiced vowels and non-glottal stop non-nasal voiced consonants other than non-implosive obstruents or [ɾ w], i.e. [ɓ u ɛ ...], become creaky-voiced [ɓ̰ ṵ ɛ̰ ...] before a creaky-voiced implosive.
• Aspirated stops [pʰ tʰ kʰ kʰʷ] persistently become unaspirated [p t k kʷ].
• Obstruents other than [s z], i.e. [pʰ d gʷ ...], assimilate in aspiration to a following consonant other than a resonant. Before an aspirated consonant, glottalised obstruents other than [ɓ̰] become non-glottalised; [b d g gʷ ɓ ɓ̰] become [pʰ tʰ kʰ kʰʷ ]; [ɓ̥ ɗ̥ ɗ ɗ̰] become [ ɾ ɾ ɾ]; [sʼ] become [s].
• Unaspirated voiceless stops [p tʼ kʷ ...] persistently become aspirated [pʰ tʰ kʰʷ ...] after an aspirated consonant. Ejective stops become non-glottalised; implosives become unaspirated voiced resonants.
• Vowels [i e ɛ̰ ...] become nasal [ĩ ẽ ɛ̰̃ ...] before a nasal.
• Non-creaky-voiced voiced vowels [i e ɛ̃ ...] become creaky-voiced [ḭ ḛ ɛ̰̃ ...] before a glottalised phone.
• Non-sibilant coronal alveolar nasals [n̥ n] persistently become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation to a following obstruent or nasal.
• [w] become [o̯] after a non-high vowel.

Some words

Generated by Gleb version 0.3.2 / 5.0a with seed 1497067771.