1.4.3.7.
|
/ o / : /
ó /
|
|
|
1.4.3.8.
|
/ o / : / ó : /
|
| / ro: ? o / |
|
‘soot’ |
|
/ ro: gomi / |
|
‘disease’ |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| / tó : ţo / |
|
‘garden’ |
|
/ je? ó
: pe:r / |
|
‘follow’ |
|
1.4.3.9.
|
/ a / : / â /
|
| / avva / |
|
‘elder brother’s wife’ |
| |
|
|
| / ba:hā / |
|
‘arms’ |
| |
|
|
| / tayaru / |
|
‘ready’ |
| |
|
|
| / kriyyānĩ: yu / |
|
‘honey’ |
|
1.4.3.10.
|
/ a: / : / â : /
|
| / ruma:lu / |
|
‘handkerchief’ |
| |
|
|
| / trā :yu / |
|
‘head’ |
| |
|
|
| / ja:ńva / |
|
‘twins’ |
| |
|
|
| / dā : vā
/ |
|
‘rope (to tie animals)’ |
|
1.4.4. |
Allophonic Desciption and Distribution of Vowels : |
1.4.4.1.
|
The vowels do not have any specific allophonic variation. They do
not have any special restriction on their distribution, except the
restriction on the sequences of two or more vowels. There are no vowel
clusters in Kuvi except for a few borrowed words like / gaunmentu /
‘government’ / gaun / ‘gown, frock’ / bilei / ‘cat’ etc. |
1.4.4.2.
|
Length occurs with all vowels if they are not in word
final position, though word final vowels are always phonetically longer
than the short vowels in initial or medial syllables. However, length
occurs in the final position in verb roots and when accompanied by
nasalization.
|
1.4.4.3.
|
Nasalization occurs with all vowels, short and long, when
they occur in medial and final positions with the following exceptions:
|
|
/ ĩ
: /, / é : /, / ò : /, / â
: / do not occur in final position,
|
|
/ ū: / does not occur in medial
position.
|
1.4.5.
|
/ i / has only one allophone / i /.
|
It is high, front, unrounded short vowel.
It occurs initially, medially and finally.
|
| [ illu. ] |
|
‘house’ |
| |
|
|
| [ nippu. ] |
|
‘shoulder’ |
| |
|
|
| [ mir? esi. ] |
|
‘son’ |
|
1.4.5.1.
|
/ e / has only one allophone / e /.
|
|
It is a high mid front unrounded short vowel. It occurs in all three
positions, viz., initially, medially, finally.
|
| [ emba?a. ] |
|
‘there’ |
| |
|
|
| [ kellu. ] |
|
‘feather’ |
| |
|
|
| [ gede. ] |
|
‘she-buffalo’ |
|
|
|
