Rumu language
Papuan language spoken in Papua New Guinea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rumu (Rumuwa), or Kairi (Kai-Iri), is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea. Other names for it are Dumu (Tumu) and Kibiri.
Phonology
- /r/ is pronounced [l] when word-initial and before /ɛ a ɔ/.
- /w/ is [β] before /i e ɛ/.
- /s/ only occurs in loanwords.
| -i | -e | -ɛ | -a | -ɔ | -u | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i- | ia | iɔ | ||||
| e- | (ei) | ea | eɔ | |||
| ɛ- | ɛi | ɛa | ɛu | |||
| a- | ai | ae | aɔ | au | ||
| o- | (oi) | oe | oa | |||
| ɔ- | ɔi | ɔɛ | ɔa | ɔu | ||
| u- | [ui] | uɔ |
- /ei/ has merged to [i] for many speakers.
- /oi/ has shifted to [ui] for many speakers.
Additionally, Rumu is tonal, distinguishing four tones: falling ⟨à⟩, rising ⟨á⟩, peaking ⟨â⟩, and level ⟨ā⟩.[2]