Kire language

Kire
Giri
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionMadang Province
Native speakers
2,400 (2003)
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.

Phonology

Out of all the Ramu languages, Kire has the most complex consonant phonemic inventory.: 207 

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Dorsal
Plosive p b t d k g
Aspirated pʰ tʰ kʰ
Prenasalized ᵐp ᵐb ⁿt ⁿd ᵑk ᵑg
Fricative β, f v s̪, s z h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w r
Vowels
Short Long
Front Central Back Front Central Back
High i ĩ ɨ ɨ̃ u ũ iː ĩː ɨː ɨ̃ː uː
Mid e ẽ o õ eː ẽː õː
Low a ã aː 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:

Kire alphabet
Phonemes ɑɑ̃bβd eẽfgh iĩɨɨ̃k kʰmᵐbᵐpn
Lowercase letters aäbƀd eëfgh iïɨɨ̈k khmmbmpn
Phonemes ⁿdⁿtŋᵑgᵑk oõppʰr ss̪ttʰu 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.