Kaian
Kaian (Kayan) is a Ramu language of Kaian village (4°03′16″S 144°44′12″E / 4.054465°S 144.736539°E) in Yawar Rural LLG, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.
Phonology
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | dʒ | k g | ʔ |
| Prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ⁿdʒ | ᵑg | |
| Fricative | s | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
| Approximant | w | r | j |
- /p t k/ are aspirated preceding a vowel.
- /k/ is heard as [ʔ] word-finally or preceding another plosive.
- /dʒ/ can be pronounced [ʒ] or [z] by some speakers.
- /r/ is voiceless [r̥] word-finally.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low | a |
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /ai/, /au/, /ae/, /ao/, /ea/, /ia/, /iu/, /oa/, /oi/, /ou/, /ua/.
Stress is always found on the antepenultimate syllable. On shorter words, stress falls on the initial syllable.
References
- ^ Kaian at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
- ^ Lillie, Pat; Easton, Catherine (2004). Kaian Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.
