| Bola | |
|---|---|
| Bakovi | |
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
Native speakers | (14,000 cited 2000 census) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bnp |
| Glottolog | bola1250 |
| ELP | Bola |
Bola, or Bakovi, is an Oceanic language of West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The Harua (Xarua) dialect developed on a palm plantation.
Phonology of the Bola language:
| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ |
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g |
| Fricative | β | (s) | ɣ |
| Rhotic | r | ||
| Lateral | l |
/t/ is realized as /s, ʃ/ only when occurring in front of /i/. The voiced stops /b d ɡ/ can often sound prenasalized [ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ] among various speakers. /ɣ/ can be pronounced as a glottal fricative [h] among younger speakers.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Low | ɑ |
/i/ before vowel sounds /ɑ ɛ ɔ u/ is pronounced as a glide sound [j].