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by | Mar 16, 2018 | Hosta

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Nii is a Trans–New Guinea language of the Chimbu–Wahgi branch spoken in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Nii has an unusual number of lateral consonants: a typical dental approximant, /l̪/, plus both dental and velar lateral fricatives, /ɬ̪/ and /𝼄/, which are optionally voiced between vowels and do not occur in initial position.[2]

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i u
Near-High ɪ
Mid e o
Open ɑ

Consonants

Nii Consonants
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar
Nasal m n ŋ
Plosive voiceless p (t̪)[a] (t)[b] k
prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd ⁿdz ᵑɡ
Fricative s̪
Trill r̝
Lateral ɬ̪ l ʟ̝̊
Approximant w j
  1. ^ Allophone of /s̪/
  2. ^ Allophone of /r̝/

References

  1. ^ Nii at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Foley, 1986:63, The Papuan languages of New Guinea

Further reading


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