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| Major Indigenous languages |
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| Other Papuan languages |
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| Sign languages | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Yagwoia | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Gulf provinces |
Native speakers | 10,000 (2005)[1] |
Trans–New Guinea
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ygw |
| Glottolog | yagw1240 |
Yagwoia (Yeghuye), or Kokwaiyakwa, is an Angan language of Papua New Guinea. Dialects are named after the five ethnicities, Iwalaqamalje, Hiqwaye, Hiqwase, Gwase, Heqwangilye (Yeqwangilje dialect).
Yagwoia is spoken in:[1]
| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | t | k | q | ʔ ⟨'⟩ |
| Fricative | s | h | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ ⟨ng⟩ | ||
| Approximant | w | l | j ⟨y⟩ |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low | a aː |
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /ei/, /ai/, /ae/, /au/, /ou/.
Yagwoia is tonal, distinguishing high and low tone. However, tone has a low functional load, and so remains unwritten.[2]