| /k/.
It is an unvoiced inspirited velar stop. Before a back vowel, it has
a slightly back variant of /k/ symbolized as [k>]. This back variant
also occurs in the same environments with its aspirated counterpart.
As mentioned earlier, the aspirated consonants are phonemic zed as
a sequence of the consonant concerned and /h/. This phoneme does not
occur in the word-final position. Given below are a few words to illustrate
the occurrence of both the variants. |
| [k] |
[ka] |
/ka/ |
`rule’ |
| |
[kha] |
/kha/ |
`shut’ |
| |
[kéké ] |
/kékéy/ |
`immediately’ |
| |
[^ke] |
/lake/ |
`have’ |
| |
[^khi] |
/akhi/ |
`bee’ |
| [k>] |
[k>u] |
/ku/ |
`call’ |
| |
[kh>u] |
/khu/ |
`sweep’ |
| |
[^k>o] |
/ako/ |
`corner’ |
| |
[^kh>o] |
/akho/ |
`basket’ |
| |
[^k>ś] |
/akł/ |
`a
scar’ |
| |
[^kh>ś] |
/akhł/ |
`plate’ |
|
|
| /q/.
It is an unvoiced unaspirated post-velar stop.1 In its production,
the back of the tongue contracts and presses itself against the root
of the uvula, rather than the uvula itself. This phoneme does not
occur in the word-final position. Given below are a few words to illustrate
the occurrence of this phoneme. |
| [q] |
[qu] |
/qu/ |
`fishing’ |
| |
[qhu] |
/qhu/ |
`love’ |
| |
[qi] |
/qi/ |
`satisfy’ |
| |
[qhi] |
/qhi/ |
`keep’ |
| |
[qha] |
/qha/ |
`pave’ |
| |
[^qņ] |
/aqņ/ |
`pit’ |
| |
[^qhņ] |
/aqhņ/ |
`brain’ |
| |
[^qu] |
/aqu/ |
`female’ |
| |
[^qhum] |
/aqhum/ |
`sema
shawl’ |
|
|
| Voiced
stops |
| There
are three voiced stops in Sema as against four unvoiced stops, i.e.,
while there is an unvoiced/voiced opposition in thebilabial, dental
and velar regions, only the unvoiced stop occurs at the post-velar
region. Even at the phonetic level, aspiration is not available with
the voiced stops. Given below is a description of the individual voiced
stops. |
| /b/.
It is a voiced unaspirated bilabial stop. It has no perceptible positional
variant. It does not occur in the word-final position. Given below
are a few words to illustrate the occurence of this top. |
| [b] |
[bu] |
/bu/ |
`touch’ |
| |
[botha] |
/botha/ |
`surround’ |
| |
[^ba] |
/aba/ |
`excreta’ |
| |
[^bģ] |
/abģ/ |
`a
big basket for storing paddy’ |
| |
[^bņ] |
/abņ/ |
`stem’ |
|
|
| /d/.
It is a voiced unaspirated dental stop. Before a front vowel, it has
the alveolar stop as a positional variant. This phoneme does not occur
in the word-final position. Given below are a few words to illustrate
the occurrence of this phoneme. |
| [d] |
[di] |
/di/ |
`touch’ |
| |
[divilo] |
/diwilo/ |
`good
to touch’ |
| |
[ide] |
/ide/ |
`turn
over’ |
| |
[bidģ] |
/bidģ/ |
`remote’ |
| |
[idewo] |
/idewo/ |
`return’ |
| [Č] |
[Ča] |
/da/ |
`paste’ |
| |
[Čo] |
/do/ |
`time’ |
| |
[^Čś] |
/adś/ |
`male
of birds’ |
| |
[aČ  w]. |
/ad/ |
`a
bird’ |
| |
[^Čoł] |
/adoł/ |
`of
no value’ |
|
|
| /g/.
It is a voiced unaspirated velar stop. It has a slightly back variety
of [g], symbolized as [g7], which occurs before back vowels. This
phoneme does not occur in the word-final position. Given below are
a few words to illustrate the occurrence of this phoneme. |
| [g] |
[cg>ó] |
/cgó/ |
`six’ |
| |
[^teg>ó] |
/atego/ |
`first’ |
| [g] |
[gihu] |
/gihu/ |
`respect’ |
| |
[giz ] |
/giz/ |
`partial’ |
| |
[^gi] |
/agi/ |
`face’ |
|
|
