The oral vowels are lengthened when
they occur in syllables carrying a rising-falling tone*. The long vowels are
a little more than half-long.
/g/
[g.]
`yam’
/ pyą /
[p.yą ]
`to pack’
/ tga/
[t.gą ]
`embrace’
/ dbl
m /
[d.blm]
`pandal’
/ tźa
/
[tź.a]
`collision’
/ késyźblm/
[kéź.blm]
`threshing floor’
/ drāk /
[drā.k’]
`pineapple’
/ kān/
[kā.n]
`poppy’
/ grā/
[grā .]
`roar of a tiger’
/ tk /
[tk.]
`speech’
/pślū/
[pślū.]
`onion’
/ kō trą/
[kō.trą]
`wood pigeon’
/ meẽtō
/
[me?ẽtō.]
`bud’
1.4.2.2.
Glottalization :
All vowels are glottalized when they
occur after a pause or after another vowel in a cluster.
/yą /
[?yą]
`to be’
/ é /
[? é]
`this’
/atyįrį
/
/?atyĮrĮ]
`crab’
/ asyį /
/?asĮ]
`bison’
* The nasalized vowels are always
short.
/
m
/
[?
m]
`feather’
/irć /
[?ürć]
`woodpecker’
/ thįą /
[thį?ą]
`(he) eats’
/udyś /
[? udyś ]
`peafowl’
/śyą/
[?śyą]
`to pinch’
/óyą/
[?óyą]
`to shoot’
/meẽtō/
[me?ẽtō.]
`bud’
/įlć /
[?įlć]
`tusk’
/õ/
[?õ]
`blacknest swiftlet’
/įr/
[?įr
]
`moth’
1.4.2.3.
Tongue Raising :
(a)
Nasalized vowels are higher than their oral
counterparts. This feature, though relevant for phonetic description is not
a variant feature, since this realization is the only realization of the
nasalized vowels (Examples are given under the norm).
(b)
The low central oral vowel is
raised when it occurs in non-initial syllables carrying a rising tone. The
variant is described as [A] higher-low central rounded short oral vowel.
/ atyįrį/
[?atyĮrĮ]
`crab’
/ mįbįp /
[mįbĮp’]
`fox’
/macįb /
[macĮp’]
`cow’
1.4.2.4.
Backing :
The high central unrounded vowel [i]
is backed when it occurs in syllables carrying a
/
m / 
a
/
m/
/
