Gimi language
{{Short description|Papuan language}}
{{distinguish|Gimi language (West New Britain)}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Gimi
| states = Papua New Guinea
| region = Eastern Highlands Province
| speakers = {{sigfig|23,200|2}}
| date = 2000
| ref = e25
| familycolor = Papuan
| fam1 = Proto-Trans–New Guinea
| fam2 = Trans–New Guinea
| fam3 = Kainantu–Goroka
| dia1 = Gouno
| iso3 = gim
| glotto = gimi1243
| glottorefname = Gimi (Eastern Highlands)
| altname = Labogai
| fam4 = Goroka
}}
Gimi, also known as Labogai, is a Papuan language spoken in the Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea. 23,000 speakers (2000 cited) speak the Gimi language.
Phonology
Gimi has 5 vowels and 12 consonants.Gimi Organised Phonology Data. [Manuscript] [http://www-01.sil.org/pacific/png/abstract.asp?id=928474542483] It has voiceless and voiced glottal consonants where related languages have {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ/}}. The voiceless glottal is simply a glottal stop {{IPA|[ʔ]}}. The voiced consonant behaves phonologically like a glottal stop, but does not have full closure. Phonetically it is a creaky-voiced glottal approximant {{IPA|[ʔ̞]}}.{{SOWL|77–78}}
=Vowels=
=Consonants=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan=2| ! Bilabial ! Alveolar ! Glottal |
| rowspan=2| Plosive
! {{small|voiceless}} | {{IPA link|p}} | {{IPA link|t}} | {{IPA link|ʔ}} |
|---|
| {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPA link|b}} | {{IPA link|d}} | {{IPA link|ʔ̞}} |
| colspan=2| Nasal
| {{IPA link|m}} | {{IPA link|n}} | rowspan="2" | |
| colspan=2| Tap/Flap
| rowspan="3" | | {{IPA link|ɾ}} |
| rowspan=2| Fricative
! {{small|voiceless}} | {{IPA link|s}} | {{IPA link|h}} |
| {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPA link|z}} | |
=Allophony=
{{IPA|/p/}} occurs word initially only in loanwords.
{{IPA|/b/}} can surface as either {{IPA|[b]}} or {{IPA|[β]}} in free variation.
{{IPA|/z/}} becomes {{IPA|[s]}} before {{IPA|/ɑ/}}.
{{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/ɾ/}} tend to fluctuate with one another word initially.
=Syllables=
The syllable structure is (C)V(G), where G is either {{IPA|/ʔ/}} or {{IPA|/ʔ̞/}}.
=Tone=
The final vowel of a word takes either a level or falling tone. The falling tone is written with an acute accent.
| colspan=2 | {{lang|gim|ak}} "seed"
| colspan=2 | {{lang|gim|ák}} "armband" |
| colspan=2 | {{lang|gim|nimi}} "bird"
| colspan=2 | {{lang|gim|nimí}} "louse" |
Orthography
Gimi uses the Latin script.
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |
| Letter
| Aa | Bb | Dd | Ee | Gg | Hh | Ii |Kk | Mm | Nn | Oo | Pp | Rr | Ss | Tt | Uu | Zz |
|---|
| IPA
| {{IPA|ɑ}} | {{IPA|b}} | {{IPA|d}} | {{IPA|e}} | {{IPA|ʔ̞}} | {{IPA|h}} | {{IPA|i}} |{{IPA|ʔ}} | {{IPA|m}} | {{IPA|n}} | {{IPA|o}} | {{IPA|p}} | {{IPA|ɾ}} | {{IPA|s}} | {{IPA|t}} | {{IPA|u}} | {{IPA|z}} |