Dieu phonology

This article is a technical description of the sound system of the Sohainesian language, including phonetics and phonology. It has 25 consonant phonemes, and 11 vowels.

Initials

 * /w, j/ are the only initial consonants permitted to form consonant clusters with other consonants.
 * /p, ɓ, m/ are bilabial while /f, v/ are labiodental.
 * /t, tʰ, ɗ/ are denti-alveolar, /s, z/ are laminal, and /n, ɹ, l/ are apico-alveolar.
 * A glottal stop [ʔ] is inserted before words that begin with a vowel or approximant.

Vowels and finals

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! ! Front ! Central ! Back ! Close ! Mid ! Centering ! Open
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 * i
 * ɯ u
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 * e
 * ə
 * ɤ o
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 * jə
 * ɰə wɵ
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 * a
 * }
 * All vowels are unrounded except for the three back rounded vowels: /u, o, wɵ/.
 * /ɯ/ is clse near-back, and palatalizes to /ɨ/ after palatal(ized) consonants.
 * /e, ɤ, o/ are mid /e̞, ɤ̞, o̞/.
 * /a/ is central /ä/.
 * /e, ɤ, o/ are mid /e̞, ɤ̞, o̞/.
 * /a/ is central /ä/.

When plosives /p, t, k, q/ occur at the end of words, they have no audible release ([p̚, t̚, k̚, q̚]);


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 * 立
 * 'repeat'
 * 𠬠
 * 'one'
 * 逆
 * 'against'
 * 百
 * 'hundred'
 * }
 * 逆
 * 'against'
 * 百
 * 'hundred'
 * }
 * 百
 * 'hundred'
 * }
 * 百
 * 'hundred'
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }

Tones
There are 5 phonetic tones in Sohainesian: high, mid, low, high-rising, and low-falling. Checked syllables only have three tones: high, mid, and low.

Unchecked syllables

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! Tone name ! Tone ID ! Contour ! Diacritic (Ping'am) ! Example
 * High
 * 5
 * 伯/bá (uncle)
 * High rise
 * 4
 * 簿/bâ (register)
 * Mid
 * 3
 * 𠀧/ba (three)
 * Low-fall
 * 2
 * 𥸿/bǎ (poison)
 * Low
 * 1
 * 婆/bà (grandmother)
 * }
 * 𠀧/ba (three)
 * Low-fall
 * 2
 * 𥸿/bǎ (poison)
 * Low
 * 1
 * 婆/bà (grandmother)
 * }
 * Low
 * 1
 * 婆/bà (grandmother)
 * }
 * 婆/bà (grandmother)
 * }
 * }

Checked syllables

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! Tone name ! Tone ID ! Contour ! Diacritic (Ping'am) ! Example
 * High
 * 5
 * 駁/bák (reject)
 * Mid
 * 3
 * 北/bak (north)
 * Low
 * 1
 * 白/bàiq (white)
 * }
 * 北/bak (north)
 * Low
 * 1
 * 白/bàiq (white)
 * }
 * 白/bàiq (white)
 * }
 * 白/bàiq (white)
 * }