glio1241
Syllable structure
The syllable structure appears to be
- (C)(L)V(ː)(N)
L stands for /l/, /r/, or /w/ (if /w/ is to be analyzed as a separate segment here). N stands for a nasal.
Nucleus
The nucleus consists of one vowel, which can be short or long. Complex nuclei have not been attested yet.
- mi ‘go’
- koolɛng ‘forest’
The nucleus may equally consist of a nasal.
- m ‘five’
Onset
Most words have an onset. Attested words without an onset are
- arapo ‘tobacco (powder)’
- oloa ‘rubber’
The onset normally consists of one consonant. All nasals can occur in the onset (nga ‘tomorrow’, nyoswa ‘God’). Complex onsets do exist. The second consonant is /l/ or /r/ in these cases. Depending on analysis, pw, gw, and hw could be seen as a simple onset consisting of one complex segments or as a complex onset consisting of two segments.
Attested words with complex onsets are
- kli ‘strength’
- kra ‘now`
- hrɛŋ
- chrɔ ‘butterfly’
-
srɛ ‘braids’
- pwɛ ‘legs’
- djwɛ ‘’
- gwɛ ‘chimp’
- kwe ‘banana’
- kwɛŋ ‘dead’
- hwoŋ ‘here’
Coda
The nucleus can optionally be followed by a nasal or a glottal. The nature of the glottal needs further investigation. It is provisionally rendered as h.
- hwoŋ ‘here’
- poh ‘leg’