User:Aiyaa
Phonology
Vowels
a ŏ /a ɒ/
i y /i ɪ/
e ē /ɛ ɛ:/
o ō /ɔ ɔ:/
u ū /u u:/
- Notes
/ɪ ɛ/ are often merged into [ə] word-finally.
/u/ is usually [ʊ] before the nasal /ŋ/ or before /k/ when it appears word finally.
There are no true diphthongs, vowel sequences tend to be avoided.
Consonants
p t k /p t k/
d g /d g/
kw gw /kʷ gʷ/
s š h /s ʃ x/
m n ng /m n ŋ/
r l ly /ɾ l ʎ/
w y /w j/
c ngs /ts ŋks/
- Notes
/ptk/ are slightly aspirated, they are unreleased word-finally and before another stop.
/t/ is dental.
/d/ is geminated word-medially, and is further back than the English d.
/g/ is often realized as [ŋ] word-intially, and [ŋŋg] word-medially.
/gʷ/ behaved the same way as /g/, often being pronounced [ŋgʷ].
/s/ is often slightly palatalized, especially before /i ɪ/.
/ʃ/ is post-alveolar, like /d/, but slightly further back than the English /ʃ/.
/ŋ/ is always followed by /k/ or /g/ word-medially.
/ɾ/ is also post-alveolar, often devoiced word-finally and before other voiceless consonants.
/l/ is always a 'dark l' [ɫ] in contrast to /ʎ/.
/w j/ are geminated between vowels.
/ŋks/ may be [ŋgz] for some speakers between vowels.
Phonological Constraints
Any vowel or single consonant [apart from ng] may begin a word.
Initial consonants clusters permitted: /ps ts ks kt pt/
Any consonant may appear word-medially, /ŋ/ is always followed by /k/ or /kʷ/.
Medial consonant clusters: /kt pt ts ks ps rts mts ŋk ŋks ŋkʷ kn tn pn sn lŋg/
Words may end in the vowels: /a ɒ ɪ ɛ u/
Word-final consonants: /p t k ʃ n m ŋ r ʎ/
Word-final clusters: /ps ts ks mts ŋks rts/
Stress
Stress is primarily word-initial, although it tends to be very slight. Words with a long-vowel have stress on the long vowel, if there is more than one long-vowel the first is stressed or both stressed equally.
Longer words can have secondary stress.
Examples
Here are some words and their transcriptions in IPA:
ktelyōr /ktɛ'ʎɔ:r/ [ktʰɛ'ʎɔ:ɾ̥]
gwēleks /'gʷɛ:lɛks/ ['ŋwʷɛ:ɫɛks]
psily /'psilɪ/ ['psʲiɫə]
wērangs /'wɛ:raŋks/ ['wɛ:ɾ̥aŋks]
doš /dɔʃ/ [d̠ɔʃ̠]
