by: Madhav P PokharelPosted on:

Special sounds of Nepalese languages

Special sounds of Nepalese languages

(To be used for phonetic training workshop)

Madhav P Pokharel

  1. Implosives: (airstream mechanism, direction of the air: egressive & ingressive)
    1. Surel: [ƥarde] kite (bird), [parde] to hit, [ƥaŋ] water, [ɓa] chicken, [baʔ] was discovered; [ɓar] egg
    2. Sunuwar: [ƥittˢa] LACHHNU; [ƥʌl/ɓʌl] ghost; [ƥit/ɓit] MALSA~PRO; [ƥa/ɓa] chicken; [ƥʌpʰu/ɓʌpʰu] egg; [ƥetˢu/ɓetˢu] crab; [ƥere/ɓere] yam; [ƥaʔku/ɓaʔku] water; [ƥakʔtˢa/ɓakʔtˢa] to speak; [pittˢa] to fart
    3. Bahing: [bʌktˢo] to sit, [ɓʌktˢo] to speak; [bar] to grow/increase, [ɓar] wound, [ɓarga] trap, [ɓi:tˢo] to break a branch by force, [saɓala] forest
    4. Umbule/Wambule: [di:] liver, [ɗi:] name; [ɓitˢo] wife, [ɓi:tˢo] woman; [ɓisi] eyes, [ɓo] chicken; [ɗusum] nose, [ɗʌbu] ear;
    5. Ingressive Lateral in Umbule: [Lʌsu] leg, [La] hand, [Ljam] tongue, [Lotˢam] to wait, [Lima] to tell a lie

 

  1. States of the glottis:

2.1   Glottal stop: (closed glottis)

  1. Khadia: [soiʔte] to know
  2. Dhimal: [pili] to give, [piʔli] to sell
  3. Limbu: [tˢaŋ] I ate, [tˢaŋʔ] I eat; [hiptu] He hit him. [hiptuʔ] He hits him. [hama] to distribute, [haʔma] to bite
  4. Yakkha: [aʔwa] crow, [miʔwa] tears
  5. Khaling (Informant: SK Khaling): [wai] to occupy, [ʔwai] to return;
  6. Hayu: [piʔmu] to suck; [pitmu] to distribute; [guʔu] I; [tˢaʔluŋ] egg
  7. Newar: [waʔ] tooth, [wa] rain
  8. Chepang: [rjam] sun, [ʔrjam] grasshopper; [hato] vomitted, [haʔto] light (weight)
  9. Bhujel: [ʔle] (Chepang [le]) tongue, [ʔrom] bamboo basket, DALO, [ʔlito] heavy; [ʔlḁnu] moon; [ʔle] tongue; [ʔljam] road;  [ʔjam] paddy, [ʔljaŋsai] AINSELU, [njam] sun/sunshine, [ʔnjam] grasshopper
  10. Byasi: [la] hand, [ʔla] moon

2.2   Voiceless sonorants: (open glottis; sonorant vs. obstruent)

  1. Sherpa: [r̥a] hair [ra] goat, shawl; [l̥a] god; [la] hill
  2. Lhomi: [luk] sheep, [l̥uk] to put
  3. Khaling: [mʌi̥tiki] we (1p) died, [hʌi̥pɛ] hot, [lʌi̥pɛ] to say
  4. Hayu: [mi̥tˢo] woman; [tˢi̥tˢi] bird; [tˢu̥tˢu] breast; [dḁkom] he ate; [tˢu̥tom] he saw; [imtˢu̥tˢem] he slept
  5. Chepang: [l̥] tongue, [la] rope, [laʔ] arrow, [l̥a] leaf, [lḁ] moon; [r̥us] bone, [ne] to bite, [ne̥] nose; [ni̥] husband‘s younger sister, [rim] KOIRALO, [r̥im] thread; [me] man, [meʔ] tail, [m̥eʔ] fire; [jo] rainbow, [jo̥] yesterday; [sjaŋ̊] tomorrow, [taŋ̊to] big, [li̥to] grief, [lito] heavy; [wasa] to attempt to fell a tree, [wḁsa] to walk,
  6. Bhujel: [jo] rainbow, [jo̥] yesterday; [kḁ] backbone; [l̥uŋ] heart; [r̥us] bone marrow; [pu̥] head; [rḁmʌi] to do, [lḁmʌi] to cause to dry, [so̥mʌi] to spread, [ho̥mʌi] to shout, [sḁmʌi] to stretch, [sḁ] mud/soil, [jḁtˢʰiŋ] night
  7. Byasi: [n̥amɔ] to keep, [namɔ] to be soft; [l̥a] moon, [ʔla] rock, [la] hand; [m̥irʃimɔ] to feel greedy, [m̥omo] to put into,

2.3   Breathy sonorants: (low f0; anterior part of the glottis in vibration & posterior part partly open)

  1. Ratanchha Chamling: [lema] to know, [ʎema] to live
  2. Balamta Chamling: [muma] to do, [m̤uma] to fight;
  3. Pahari: [ŋʌ˥] fish, [ŋ̈ʌ˥] front; [nò] name, [n̤ò] tunnel; [mà] mother, [m̤à] plain; [ja] paddy, [j̈a] to winnow; [là] hand, [l̤à] to bury;
  4. Kathmandu Newar: [la] meat, [ l̤a] hand; [ɲa] fish, [ɲ̤a] likes, [ɲ̤a:] nose; [na] Take it!, [n̤a] OK; [ma] need, [m̤a] No!; [jʌ] likes, [j̈ʌ] should love a girl; [wa] rain, paddy, [w̤a] JHANEKO; [lõ] rock, [l̤õ] fatty; [njaj] butcher, [n̤jaj] nose (Informants: Kansakar, Jyoti Pradhan, Omkareshwar Shrestha)
  5. Magar: [ikke] to catch, [i̤ke] to be caught; [ŋa˧ ke] me, [ŋa̤˩ ke] to ring (intransitive); [liŋ] oily, [li̤ŋ] song;

2.4   Tones: (vibration of vocal folds: fundamental frequency, pitch, tone, intonation)

  1. Lapcha: [sjok˥] to teach, [sjok˧] louse
  2. Sherpa: [si̥˥] Say! [si ˦] who? (Erg); [si ˧] garland; [si̤ ˨] Let‘s say; [ki˧] to borrow; [ki˨] Do!; [kʰi˦] you (pl); [kʰi˨] you (Ergative); [muk˦pa˧] snail; [muk˥pa˧] cloud; [mu˦si˧] gunpowder; [mu˥si˧] fog; [pu˥] hair, [pu˧] (of the air) to blow; [tuŋ˥] frog, [tuŋ˧] conch; [ti˥.lu] to ring bell, [ti˧.lu] to fold; [sa˥] teeth, [sa˧] copper; [ʃiŋ˥] wood, [ʃiŋ˧] field; [cçʌ˥] iron, [cçʌ˧] bird;  [kur˥] bread, [kur˧] tent; [la˥] salary, [la˧] hill;
  3. Jirel: [ŋa˥] drum; [ŋa˦˨˧] I; [ŋa˧˩] five; [ŋa˩] tiredness; [çi˥] die (root form); [çi˦˨˧] four; [çi˧˩] Die!; [çi˩] pot
  4. Pahari: [mi˧] fire, [mi˥] eye; [wa˧] tooth, [wa˥] rain; [li˧] leg, [li˥] to uproot; [pʰa˧] mud bench on the veranda, [pʰa˥] Hold up; [pʰi] to taste, [pʰi] spit; [tu˧] sugarcane, [tu˥] mustard; [tˢʰe˧] Hit!, [tˢʰe˥] head; [go˧] Shall I go?, [go˥] cowshed; [ʈʰu˥] one‘s, [ʈʰu˧] bamboo jar; [ta˥] elder sister, [ta˥] to keep [Informant: Raju Pahari & Rajendra Pahari]
  5. Creaky vowels in Lhomi: (posterior part of the glottis in vibration & anterior part partly open)

2.5 [igi] above, [ḭgi] syllable; [ukpɔ] owl, [ṵkpɔ] suffocation (Informant: ND Ngang Dorji)

 

  1. Stress (Sunuwar):

[ˈbuʔtˢa] to burst                                             [ˈpuʔtˢa] to explode something;

[buʔˈtˢa] to be piled up                                 [puʔˈtˢa] to pile up something;

[buʔtˢa]                to get dry                                           [putˢa] to make something dry

 

  1. Syllabic consonants:
    1. Dhimal: [m̩] rice
    2. Yakkha: [ŋ̩moktun] Don‘t beat; [ŋ̩kun] Don‘t carry, [n̩da] you (sg), [n̩dᶻinda] you two, [n̩niŋda] you (pl)
    3. Bantawa: [m̩pa] his father, [m̤ma] his mother, [ŋ̩ka] I, [ŋ̩katˢi] we two (incl), [ŋ̩katˢa] we two (excl), [ŋ̩kan] we (pl-incl), [ŋ̩kanka] we (pl-excl) (Bantawa]
    4. Chepang: [l̥] tongue

 

  1. Place of articulation

5.1   Palatal consonants: (place of articulation; thana & karana)

  1. Santal: [iɲ] I; [ɲelkidija] I saw
  2. Balamta Chamling: [cimma] father‘s or mother‘s elder sister, [cippa] father‘s elder brother, [ʈippa] wild cat; [coɖa] there, [ʈoɖa] with; [cʰuma] KOKYAUNU, [ʈuma] to filter local beer; [co] to get, [ɟo] mouth, [ɖo] loom; [ɟ̈a] he fell down, [ɖ̤a] dropped (intransitive); [ɲa] Take it!, [nana] elder sister, [ŋasa] fish; [coɖa] there, [cire] must, [ɟ̤ico] meets, [cʰema] trembles/shivers, [cʰeʈa] overcooked, [ɟiku] mother‘s elder brother, [ɟ̤ipjo] beats, [namɲo] smells good, [ɲo] gets well/recovers from illness; [ʎem] tongue, [ʎikʰema] JUNELO, (Informants: Bayan Singh Rai, Taramani Rai)
  3. Hayu: [ɟʝumsa] or [ɟʝũʃa] cold
  4. Jirel: [çok] Come; [ɲjokon] we (excl)
  5. Jirel & Sherpa: [ɲiŋ] heart
  6. Thami: [çebi] skin Kathmandu Newar: [ɲa] fish [na] here; [ɲene] to hear; [cçhʌ~] head (Kansakar) [tˢʰjʌ~] (Omkareshwar); [tˢae] पखाल्नु, [cçae] डढ्नु, पोल्नु

 

5.2   Affricates:

  1. Lapcha: [tˢjo˥] below, [cçjo˧] tea
  2. Sherpa (Informant: Gelu Sherpa): [tˢa] wrestling, [cçʌ] bird; [tˢʰa] salt, [cçhʌ] pair; [dᶻa] rainbow, [ɟʝʌ] rainbow

5.3   Fricatives:

  1. Oraon: [mokʰa] wall near the door, [moxa] Eat!, [xola] tail; [xelra] to swim; [axdas] to know; [xʌija] got dry, [xoxa] behind
  2. Lapcha: [fo] bird, [vo] hazzle (GHAARI); [fa] to swim, [va] to throw; [fik] (of the wind) to blow, [vik] policeman; [sin] SIURINU, [ʒin] mad;
  3. Sherpa (Informant: Gelu Sherpa): [setu] worn out, [ʃetu] to comb; [si] to die, [ʃi] garland; [ʃʌ] meat, [ʒʌ] dew;
  4. Sunuwar: [ʃòʃó] to swim; [sósò] dry (Stress?)
  5. Flaps:
    1. [ɽiuŋ] stone (Thami); [kupɽu] person (Khadia); [gɽo] horn (Sunuwar);
    2. Stop vs. Flap contrast in Bhojpuri (intervocalic position):

[ɦaɖa] wasp अरिङ्गाल, [ɦaɽa] bony; [gʌɖi] column of coins, [gʌɽi] cart

 

  1. Vowels: (height, backness, lip rounding, primary and secondary vowels, cardinal vowels)
    1. Lapcha: [kuŋ] tree, [kɯŋ] mountain
    2. Limbu (Informant: Dilendra Subba): vowel height, backness and length

[lipma] BATNU                  [li:pma] to be heavy

[le:pma] to plant, to sow

[lɛpma] to disperse seeds            [lɛ:pma] to peel out

[lapma] to burn                                [la:pma] to enter

[lɔpma] to swalow                           [lɔ:pma] to take out

[lo:pma] to spread a bed

[lupma] to fill the dig                      [lu:pma] to fill to the brim

  1. Mewahang Rai: [piʔma] to give, [pɨʔma] to drink fast, [puʔma] to filter local beer
  2. Umlauting (lip rounding) in Bahing: [pi] comes, [py] pot; [ne] Here!, [nø] nose; [gu] I, [gɯ] hand; [po] pig, [pɤ] father; [i:ke] your, [pʰym] snow; [em] this, [ɓe] yam, [nø] nose, [søgøllø] scrofula, [kʰø] like; [kɛkɛm] black, [plœmø] to fold, [a:ke] his, [ɔ:ke] my, [mʌptˢo] to pour; [po] pig, [tˢɤtˢɤ] warm; [kutˢo] to come from below, [gɯ] hand
  3. Umlauting in Khaling: [inɛ] you (Erg), [ynɛ] to revive, [estɛ] remained (U, [østɛ] returned, [enɛ] to shit, [ɛnɛ] day before yesterday

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