Kire language

Wikipedia

Kire
Giri
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionMadang Province
Native speakers
2,400 (2003)[1]
Ramu
Language codes
ISO 639-3geb
Glottologkire1240
ELPKire
Coordinates: 4°17′12″S 144°43′29″E / 4.286778°S 144.724753°E / -4.286778; 144.724753 (Giri 1)

Kire (Giri) is a Ramu language of Giri village (4°17′12″S 144°43′29″E / 4.286778°S 144.724753°E / -4.286778; 144.724753 (Giri 1)) in Yawar Rural LLG, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea.[2][3]

Phonology

Out of all the Ramu languages, Kire has the most complex consonant phonemic inventory.[4]

Consonants[5]
Labial Alveolar Dorsal
Plosive p b t d k g
Aspirated
Prenasalized ᵐp ᵐb ⁿt ⁿd ᵑk ᵑg
Fricative β, f v , s z h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w r
  • Aspirated plosives only occur word-initially.
  • /w/ has only been found word-initially.
Vowels[5]
Short Long
Front Central Back Front Central Back
High i ĩ ɨ ɨ̃ u ũ ĩː ɨː ɨ̃ː
Mid e o õ ẽː õː
Low a ã ãː

Additionally, the following diphthongs and triphthongs are found: /ia/, /ĩã/, /ei/, /ẽĩ/, /ai/, /aːi/, /oi/, /ui/, /uiː/, /ũĩ/, /ue/, /ũẽː/, /ua/, /ũã/, /ũãː/, /uei/, /uai/, /ũãĩ/, /ũĩã/, /ũẽĩ/.

Orthography

Kire orthography:[5]

Kire alphabet
Phonemes ɑɑ̃bβd efgh iĩɨɨ̃k mᵐbᵐpn
Lowercase letters aäbƀd eëfgh iïɨɨ̈k khmmbmpn
Phonemes ⁿdⁿtŋᵑgᵑk oõpr stu ũvwz
Lowercase letters ndntŋŋgŋk oöpphr sštthu üvwz

References

  1. Kire at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Eberhard, David M.; Simons, Gary F.; Fennig, Charles D., eds. (2019). "Papua New Guinea languages". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (22nd ed.). Dallas: SIL International.
  3. United Nations in Papua New Guinea (2018). "Papua New Guinea Village Coordinates Lookup". Humanitarian Data Exchange. 1.31.9.
  4. Foley, William A. (2018). "The Languages of the Sepik-Ramu Basin and Environs". In Palmer, Bill (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide. The World of Linguistics. Vol. 4. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 197–432. ISBN 978-3-11-028642-7.
  5. 1 2 3 Pryor, David B. (2004). Kire Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.