- ^ Akoye at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ a b "Organised Phonology Data" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
- ^ /j/ is not given in the invertory, but is illustrated in the examples.
- ^ Perhaps /aj/ vs. /ai/?
| Akoye | |
|---|---|
| Lohiki | |
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Morobe Province |
Native speakers | 600 (2001)[1] |
Trans–New Guinea
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | miw |
| Glottolog | akoy1238 |
| ELP | Akoye |
Akoye, also known as Lohiki or Maihiri (Mai-Hea-Ri), is an Angan language of Papua New Guinea.
Akoye has a small phonemic inventory, which is not well described.[2]
Consonants are /p t k, f s, m n, w/ and maybe /j/.[3] The first four are usually voiced to [b ɾ ɡ v] after a monophthongal vowel, though sometimes the voicing is blocked for unknown reasons.
| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | |
| Plosive | p | t | k |
| Fricative | f | s | |
| Approximant | w |
Vowels are /i e ə ɑ o u/. Diphthongs (/ɑi, əi, oi, ɑu/) are said to be rare, though vowel sequences are common, so these are perhaps not equivalent.[4]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Open | ɑ |
The most complex syllable is CCVV: /mtəəpə/ 'hair', /əəkwɑi/ 'eye'.
Tone plays a role: /ə̀ɡənə/ 'sky', /əɡə́nə/ 'lid'; /pɑɑ́/ (sp. bird), /pɑ̀ɑ/ 'body'.