Bakil phonology

Phonemic inventory

Consonants

Bilabial-velar Bilabial-uvular Labial Alveolar Alveolar

lateral Velar Velar

lateral Uvular Glottal

Nasal m̥ m n̥ n

Stop k͡pʰ k͡p g͡b q͡pʰ q͡p pʰ p b tʰ t d kʰ k g qʰ q

Fricative f v s z h

Approximant l̥ l ɰ ʟ̥ ʟ

Vowels

Front Central Back

High i ɯ u

Mid-low ɛ ʌ ɔ

Low a

Syllable structure

(C1)V(C2)

C1: a consonant

V: a vowel

C2: a consonant

Allophony

Consonants other than [k͡pʰ q͡pʰ pʰ tʰ kʰ qʰ], i.e. [m̥ b s ...], persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding consonant other than approximant. After a voiced obstruent or nasal, [h] are deleted.

[n] become [l] before an alveolar approximant.

Nasals [m̥ m n̥ n] become nasals and assimilate in place of articulation to a following obstruent or nasal.

Voiceless glottal fricatives [h] become non-fricative non-approximant glottal fricatives and assimilate in place of articulation to a following non-labial velar or uvular stop or nasal.

Unaspirated obstruents [k͡p b q ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a following non-nasal consonant other than approximant and become voiceless word-finally.

Non-glottal stop unaspirated consonants [ŋ͡m̥ ɴ̥ q ...] persistently assimilate in voice to a preceding non-nasal consonant other than approximant. After a non-nasal voiceless consonant other than an approximant, [ɴ͡m̥] become [ɴ͡m].

Velar or uvular stops or nasals [ŋ͡m̥ ɴ̥ ɢ͡b ...] persistently assimilate in highness or uvularity to a following velar or uvular stop or nasal. Before an uvular stop or nasal, [ŋ͡m̥ ɴ͡m̥] become [ɴ͡m ɴ͡m].

Consonants other than [ɴ͡m k͡pʰ q͡pʰ pʰ tʰ kʰ qʰ], i.e. [ŋ͡m̥ ɴ ɢ ...], persistently assimilate in voice to a following obstruent or nasal. Before a voiceless obstruent or nasal, [ɴ͡m̥] become [ɴ͡m]. Before a voiced obstruent or nasal, [h] are deleted.

Labial obstruents or nasals [ŋ͡m̥ ɱ̥ q͡p ...] assimilate in labiodentality to a following labial obstruent or nasal. Before a bilabial stop or nasal, [ɴ͡m̥] become [ɴ͡m].

Alveolar stops [tʰ t d] become sibilants [t͡sʰ t͡s d͡z] before a high tense semivowel.

[tʰ] become [t͡sʰ] before a high tense vowel or semivowel.

Tense vowels and semivowels [ɰ̥ ɰ ɯ ...] become non-high [ɤ̯̥ ɤ̯ ɤ ...] before a non-near-high vowel or an uvular consonant except for a vowel or semivowel.

Stops [k͡pʰ q͡p̪ d ...] persistently assimilate in aspiration to a following consonant other than approximant. Before an aspirated consonant, voiced stops become voiceless.

Front vowels [i e ɛ] become non-front [ɨ ɘ ɜ] before an uvular consonant.

Semivowels [ɰ̥ ɰ ɤ̯̥ ɤ̯] become rounded [w̥ w o̯̥ o̯] before a rounded vowel.

Voiced stops [g͡b ɢ͡b̪ d ...] persistently become aspirated [k͡pʰ q͡pʰ̪ tʰ ...] before a glottal fricative.

Semivowels [ɰ̥ w̥ ɤ̯ ...] become mid-low [ʌ̯̥ ɔ̯̥ ʌ̯ ...] before a lax vowel. High semivowels become mid-low.

Vowels [o ɔ ɨ ...] persistently become nasal [õ ɔ̃ ɨ̃ ...] before a nasal.

Front vowels [i e ɛ ...] become non-front [ɨ ɘ ɜ ...] after an uvular stop or nasal.

Short non-glottal stop non-prenasalised voiced stops [g͡b ɢ͡b̪ d ...] become fricatives [v v ɾ ...] between a vowel or semivowel and a vowel or an approximant. Labial-velar or uvular stops become non-back non-velar or uvular; [g ɢ] are deleted; [g͡b ɢ͡b] become [v v]; [d] become [ɾ].

Non-sibilant coronal alveolar stops [tʰ t d] become sibilants [t͡sʰ t͡s d͡z] before a non-nasal alveolar fricative.