Organised Phonology Data

Organised Phonology Data
Girawa Language [BBR]
Walium – Madang Province
Trans New Guinea Phylum; Madang-Adelbert Range Subphylum; Mabuso Stock; Kokon Family
Population census: 4000 (1980)
Major villages: Sai
Linguistic work done by: SIL
Data checked by: Pat Lillie (April 1992)
Phonemic and Orthographic Inventory

a
A
æ
ä
Ä
e
e
E
i
i
I
d k
j
k
J K
m n
m n
M N
o
o
O
p
p
P

r
R
s
s
S
t
t
T
u
u
U
w
w
W
Consonants
Bilab
LabDen Dental
Alveo
Plosive
p
t
Nasal
m
n
Postalv
Retro
Palatal
Velar
Uvular

Fricative
s
Lateral
Fricative
Approx
Lateral
Approx
Ejective
Stop
Implos
/w /
voiced labial-velar approximant
/d/
voiced alveopalatal affricate
p
päm
opok
map
noptom
aspinan
m moni
emas
atum
kampai
enmat
'loincloth'
'on'
'banana type'
' I will go down'
'dragon fly'
w
t
'my father'
'old woman'
'cucumber'
'middle'
'your name'
Glottal

Trill
Tap/Flap
Pharyn
wäm
owo
sarwau
' I will fight'
'what'
tauk
utir
it
siwetwet
irtue
'his ear'
'to squat down'
'banana type'
'bird sp.'
'to laugh'
'snail'
Girawa OPD
Printed: August 23, 2004
Page 2
n
nepi
ani
män
enmat
aimnak
'nose'
'my mother'
'snake'
'your name'
'baby lizard'

s
sauk
usir
is
keskesia
pairserser
'tree sp.'
'rib of palm leaf'
'I'
'they play'
'bird sp.'
d jamai
jejep
-
'lizard sp.'
'noise'

roat
urup
sir
irtue
'men'
'grass sp.'
'finger nail'
'to laugh'
katep
nokom
muk
anakte
purumkaikai
'digging stick'
'stomach'
'pig spear'
'parent's younger sister'
'moth'
Vowels
i
u
e
o
æ
i
e
æ
u
o


iro
sisin
saki
erie
'give it to me'
'bamboo type'
'sweet corn'
'tree sp.'
iu tiu
'pandanus type'
ei
'I peel'
'tree sp.'
eteinak
mer
pe
peanik
'small'
'decoration'
'you come'
'having come'
eu peu
irtueu
äsi
kär
sä
'pond'
'tree sp.'
'scat!'
ur
mur
ku
irtueu
'hot water, soup'
'vine'
'fish sp.'
'he laughs'
or
otom
ko
roat
'bamboo'
'pandanus'
'you come'
'men'
asir
kar
ma
'woman'
'another'
'taro'
æi
reiem
simeit
'he comes'
'he laughs'
imäi
'snake sp.'
æu wäu
newäu
'he plants'
'big'
ui kui
'cane type'
oi woia
roim
'garden'
'I hear'
ou ou
isou
'have'
'his foot'
i aiäk
sukai
'enough'
'possum type'
Girawa OPD
u sau kaima
Printed: August 23, 2004
jowau
'left hand'
/ei/
/eu/
/æi/
/æu/
/i/
/u/
/oi/
/ou/
Page 3
'to wash'
Suprasegmentals (tone, stress, length)
Stress is not phonemic. It is ambivalent in shorter words and predictable in longer words. In longer words the
main stress falls on the last syllable, and in shorter words the position of the stress fluctuates although some
words seem to have a preferred stress.
Syllable Patterns
V
o 'food'
i.ri.o 'fish sp.'
a.si.o.rim 'I sneeze'
VV
ou 'house'
ai.ko 'elbow'
ka.tu.au 'plant sp.'
ni.ni.ai.ru 'she sleeps with you'
VC
os 'tree sp.'
as.pi.nan 'dragon fly'
si.ak 'whistle'
VVC
aim 'lizard'
aim.nak 'baby lizard'
ait.aut 'cane type'
CV
ro 'man'
ma.ro 'wooden bowl'
tu.tu.pen 'taro type'
a.ru 'bad'
CVV
tei 'possum'
mai.mai 'dust'
e.tei.nak 'small'
i.mäi 'snake sp.'
CVC
wor 'yam'
man.tap 'fish sp.' pu.rum.kai.kai 'moth'
ki.ra.kos 'slippery'
pair.ser.ser 'bird sp.'
si.meit 'tree sp.'
CVVC roum 'you hear'
e.ri.a 'brother's wife'
Conventions: Phonological
/k/ is phonetically [] in 3 dialects and [k] in two dialects.
/r/ can be pronounced either [] or [d]. Generally [d] is more common word initially or after /n/, elsewhere []
is generally used.
/w/ is pronounced [] before front vowels in all positions, and [w] elsewhere. In some dialects [w] becomes
[b].
/o/ is pronounced central [] in final closed syllables fluctuating with [] following /w/, [] in closed syllables
and [o] in open syllables.
Conventions: Orthographic
Letters < b > and < g > are used in place names like Girawa and Begesin, and in foreign names.
Transcription of a recorded passage
/
ik usk e oien mukun mnu mu sik pk eek tukæm mu upin o mkn ik mu tukæm 
muk upin ueket kounuk pumim momoi ik utek owm semoi tw muk uekeun sik pk o pk
eek uekeun ueke oi momoi kpent kounuk ou mm /
< Ik rusaka era orien amaukun manau amau asik pak erek tukäm amau upin o makana ik amau tukäm amauk
upin ureketa kounuk pumim momoi ik utek owam asermoi tawa amauk urekeraun asik pak ro pak erek
urekeraun ureker oi momoi kapenta kounuk ou mam. >
Girawa OPD
Printed: August 23, 2004
Page 4
'Today we are going to get timber for Heather and Eileen. We will cut timber along with the women. While the
women cook food on the river bank/bed, we will cut timber. When we have bought the timber to the river bed,
when it comes, we will gather it together, then we will leave it and go. In this way, the men and women will
bring the timber to the village. having brought it, when the carpenters come, we will build the house.'
Bibliography
Gasaway, Eileen, and Heather Sims. 1977. 'A preliminary phonology of Girawa.' Manuscript. SIL, Ukarumpa.
Gasaway, Eileen. 1982. 'Girawa and natural phonology.' Manuscript. SIL, Ukarumpa.
Lillie, Pat. 1990. 'Request for established orthography.' Manuscript. SIL, Ukarumpa.