/U/ Lower high
back rounded lax vowel, does not occur in the word final position as it is
neutralized with /u/ in the final position.
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|
/Un/
|
‘wool’
|
/gUttho/
|
‘bag’
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|
/Ucco/
|
‘fire tongue’ |
/gU i/
|
‘yolk’
|
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/o/ Mid back rounded vowel, occurs in all positions.
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/os/
|
‘dew’
|
/ obri/
|
‘bottle’
|
/k  o/
|
‘pitcher’
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gourd’ |
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/okho/
|
‘difficult’
|
/gojo/
|
‘pocket’
|
/ bbo/
|
‘tin’
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/ /
Lower mid back rounded vowel which occurs in all the positions.
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|
/k/
|
‘bending
|
/chlo/
|
‘gram’
|
/c/
|
‘drip’
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|
leaning’
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/tr/
|
‘issueless’
|
/s i/ |
‘stick’ |
/s/
|
‘hundred’
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|
|
Consonants:
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|
There are 32 consonant phonemes in the language and all the consonants
except / ,, ,h,w,y/can
occur in all the positions. Out of these /,,/do
not occur in the word initial, /h/ occurs only in the initial position and
/w, y/ do not occur in the word final position.
|
/p/ Voiceless unaspirated bilabial stop occurs in all the positions:
|
|
/pipo/
|
‘tin’
|
/opi/ |
‘cap’
|
/chap/
|
‘finger-ring’
|
| /psar/ |
‘hall’ |
/spari/ |
‘arecanut’ |
/cup/ |
‘suck’ |
|
/ph/ Voiceless aspirated bilabial stop
occurs in all the positions.
|
|
/phou/
|
‘picture’
|
/baph /
|
‘eyelash’
|
/aph/
|
‘drink to the full’ |
/phoul/
|
‘flower’
|
/phpher pài/
|
‘father’s sister’s son
|
|
|
|
|
/b/ Voiced unaspirated bilabial stop occurs in all the positions.
|
|
/bã/
|
‘sleeve’
|
/br/
|
‘wave’
|
/ab/
|
‘lake’
|
| /bai/ |
cowshed’ |
/jobn/ |
‘pimple’ |
/jlab/
|
‘diarrhoea’
|
|
|
/t/ Voiceless unaspirated dental stop occurs in all the positions.
|
|
/tilo/
|
‘straw’
|
/str/
|
‘veil’
|
/pIt/
|
‘door’
|
|
/tsbi/
|
‘garland’ |
/ktab/ |
‘book’ |
/b€t/
|
‘cane’
|
|
|
/th/ Voiceless aspirated dental stop and it
occurs in all the positions.
|
| /thum/ |
‘garlic’ |
/hthIar/ |
‘tool’ |
/th/ |
‘hand’ |
|
/thewo/
|
‘glass stone
|
/hathi/ |
‘elephant’ |
/neth/ |
‘nose |
|
used in
|
|
|
|
ring’ |
|
the |
|
|
|
|
|
finger |
|
|
|
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|
ring’ |
|
|
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/d/ Voiced unaspirated dental stop occurs in all the positions.
|
|
/deUnno/
|
‘pomegranate’
|
bdam/ |
‘almond’ |
/wjud/ |
‘body’
|
|
/dUd/
|
‘milk’’
|
/mdan/ |
‘ground’ |
/kd/ |
‘when
|
|
|
/ţ/
Voiceless unaspirated retroflex stop occurs in all the positions.
|
|
/ţuo/
|
‘loaf, bread’ |
/lei/ |
‘a dish’ |
/bu/ |
‘shoes’
|
|
/lli/
|
‘bell’
|
/buţo/
|
‘tree’
|
/rnga/
|
‘bleat of
|
|
|
|
|
|
the buffalo’
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|
