Sikaritai language
| Sikaritai | |
|---|---|
| Tori Aikwakai | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | New Guinea |
Native speakers | (800 cited 1993)[1] |
Lakes Plain
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | tty |
| Glottolog | sika1263 |
Sikaritai (Sikwari) is a Lakes Plain language of Papua, Indonesia. It is named after Sikari village. It's gone by various names: Aikwakai, Araikurioko, Ati, Tori, Tori Aikwakai.
Sikaritai, Obokuitai, and Eritai constitute a dialect cluster.
Phonology
The following discussion is based on Martin (1991).[2]
Consonants
| Labial | Coronal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | b | t d | k kʷ |
| Fricative | ɸ | s | |
| Approximant | w |
This small consonant inventory is typical of Lakes Plain languages.[3] The complete lack of nasals is also a feature of these languages.
Vowels
Sikaritai has six vowels.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid-high | e | ||
| Mid | ɛ | o | |
| Low | a |
Many other Lakes Plain languages have developed a series of extra high "fricativized" vowels from the loss of a final consonant.[3] In Sikaritai the final consonants have been retained; however, extra-high [i] and [u] appear as allophones of /i/ and /u/ before final /g/ and /d/. Martin postulates that Sikaritai is in the process of developing contrastive fricativized vowels as other Lakes Plain languages have done.
Tone
The language has a two-height tone system with H and L tone. More than one tonal element can appear on a single syllable.
Syllables
The syllable template is (C)(C)V(V)(C).
References
- ^ Sikaritai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Martin, David (1991). "Sikaritai phonology". Workpapers in Indonesian Languages and Cultures. 9: 91–120.
- ^ a b Clouse, Duane (1997). "Toward a reconstruction and reclassification of the Lakes Plain languages of Irian Jaya". Papers in Papuan Linguistics. 3: 133–236.
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