Kaulong language
| Kaulong | |
|---|---|
| Pasismanua | |
| Region | parts of West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea |
Native speakers | (4,000 cited 2000)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | pss |
| Glottolog | kaul1240 |
Kaulong, also known as Pasismanua, is an Austronesian language spoken by about 4,000 swidden farmers of the southwest hinterlands of Kandrian District, West New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Britain.
Phonology
| Labial | Alveolar | Dorsal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | t | k |
| Prenasalized | ᵐb ⟨b⟩,⟨mb⟩ | ⁿd ⟨d⟩,⟨nd⟩ | ᵑɡ ⟨g⟩,⟨ngg⟩ |
| Fricative | β ⟨w⟩ | s | h |
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ ⟨ng⟩ |
| Approximant | r, l |
- The prenasalised stops /ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ/ are oral [b d g] word-initially.
- /β/ has the allophone /w/ when preceding back vowels.
- /t/ often appears as a tap [ɾ] when between vowels in rapid speech.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | |
| Low | a aː |
Additionally, Kaulong has the following diphthongs: /ei/, /ai/, /oi/, /ae/, /au/, /io/, /iu/, /ua/, /ue/, /ui/, /uo/.
References
- ^ Kaulong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Throop, Craig (1992). Kaulong Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.
Further reading
- Jane C. Goodale (2015). To Sing with Pigs Is Human: The Concept of Person in Papua New Guinea. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-80159-9.