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Culture & History


Seloi Language

Seloi Phonology

Consonants

Bilabial Alveolar Velar Palatal Glottal
Stop p t   k  
Nasal m n      
Fricative v s     h
Lateral   l      
Approximate     j    

Vowels

All vowel sequences are pure, i.e. none of them diphthongize. A sequence of a + i, for example, is pronounced as two distinct vowels, and thus two distinct syllables. So the word aipja is made up of three syllables: a.i.pja.

Phonotactics

Possible word-final consonants are limited to -t, -l, -s, -m, -n.

Initial consonants cluster are limited to sp-, sm-, sn-, st-, except j can follow any consonant except h to form a syllable onset.

CVCV is a typical syllabic structure, as well as CVCCV and CVC.

Sequences of double vowels are considered two occurrences of the same vowel, not a phonemically special vowel of their own.

Minimal Pairs

kula
‘justify’
kulo
‘explode’
lela
‘bird’
leta
‘globe; absolve’
mina
‘spider’
miva
‘power’
toji
‘earthworm’
toli
‘touch’
tuli
‘white water bird’
tulu
‘brother’
taspa
‘white’
tasta
‘decline’