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Kovai language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kovai
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionUmboi Island, Morobe Province
Native speakers
6,000 (2011)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3kqb
Glottologkova1243

Kovai (Kobai, Kowai) is a Papuan language spoken on Umboi Island, halfway between mainland Papua New Guinea and the island of New Britain, and mostly within the caldera of that volcanic island.

Phonology

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Vowels

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Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e o
Open a
  • Vowels may be heard as lax [ɪ ɛ ʌ ɔ ʊ] when in closed syllables.[2]

Consonants

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Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Plosive voiceless p t k
voiced b ɡ
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative voiceless s
voiced z
Trill r
Approximant w l j
  • In word-final position /b ɡ/ can be heard as devoiced [b̥ ɡ̊], and may also be realized as fricatives [β ɣ] in intervocalic positions.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Kovai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Bugenhagen, Robert D. (1994). Language change on Umboi island. Tom Dutton and Darrell T. Tryon (eds.), Language contact and change in the Austronesian world: Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. p. 46.
  3. ^ Brown, Alan (1992). Kovai (Umboi) organized phonology data. SIL.
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