Kovai language
| Kovai | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | Umboi Island, Morobe Province |
Native speakers | 6,000 (2011)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kqb |
| Glottolog | kova1243 |
Kovai (Kobai, Kowai) is a Papuan language spoken on Umboi Island, halfway between mainland Papua New Guinea and the island of New Britain, and mostly within the caldera of that volcanic island.
Phonology
Vowels (orthographic)
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Open | a |
Consonants (orthographic)
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless plosive | p | t | k | |
| Voiced plosive | b | g | ||
| Voiced nasal | m | n | ng | |
| Voiceless fricative | s | |||
| Voiced fricative | z | |||
| Voiced trill | r | |||
| Approximant | w | l | y |
References
- ^ Kovai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
External links
For a list of words relating to Kovai language, see the Kovai language category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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