Use base consonants only
View positions
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Labial
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Coronal
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Dorsal
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Radical
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Laryngeal
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Bilabial
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Labio-dental
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Dental
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Alveolar
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Palato-alveolar
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Retroflex
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Palatal
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Velar
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Uvular
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Pharyngeal
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Epi-glottal
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Glottal
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Plosive
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p | b | t | d | k k͡p | ɡ ɡ͡b |
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Implosives
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Nasal
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m | n |
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Trill
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Tap, Flap
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Lateral flap
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Fricative
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f | v | s | z | h | |||||||||||||||||||
Lateral fricative
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Approximant
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j | w | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Lateral approximant
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Front |
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Central |
Near-back |
Back |
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Open |
Selected languages: | Gwari |
UPSID number: | 4140 |
Alternate name(s): | N/A |
Classification: | Niger-Kordofanian, Kwa |
The languages has | 26 segments |
Frequency index: | N/A |
Sounds: | [k͡p] [ɡ͡b] [p] [b] [t] [d] [k] [ɡ] [ɓ] [s] [z] [f] [v] [ɾ] [l] [w] [j] [m] [n] [ĩ] [i] [u] [e̞] [o̞] [ä] [h] |
Comments: | Gwari has 3 level tones. Hyman and Magaji note that "one distinctive characteristic of all Gwari dialects is the presence of consonant + nasal clusters". An alternative would be to posit 3 nasalized vowels, but H & M's analysis is accepted here, since C + N + /a/ is realized as consonant + nasal release + oral vowel [a]. High vowels /i,u/ after C + N are phonetically nasalized, and C + N + /i/ only has a phonetic nasal consonant segment if C is bilabial or velar. A loose end is a grammatical particle (orthographic 'in') which is a nasalized vowel only. /t,d,s,z/ are palato-alveolar affricates and fricatives before front vowels or /j/. /n/ is palatal before /j/ and velar before /w/. |
Sources: | Hyman, L. and Magaji, D. 1970. Essentials of Gwari Grammar. Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Occasional Publication No. 27. |