Korowai language

{{Infobox language

| name = Korowai

| nativename = Kolufaup

| region = Becking River, South Papua, Indonesia

| ethnicity = Korowai

| speakers = 3,500

| date = 2007

| ref = e18

| familycolor = Papuan

| fam1 = Trans-New Guinea

| fam2 = Asmat-Awyu-Ok

| fam3 = Greater Awyu

| iso3 = khe

| glotto = koro1312

| glottorefname = Korowai

| fam4 = Becking-Dawi

}}

Korowai (Kolufaup) is a Trans-New-Guinean language spoken in South Papua, Indonesia. It is spoken by the Korowai people who live along the Becking River.

Phonology

class="wikitable" \|+Consonants{{Cite book \|last=de Vries \|first=Lourens \|title=The Korowai of Irian Jaya: Their Language and its Cultural Context \|last2=van Enk \|first2=Gerrit J. \|date=1997 \|publisher=Oxford University Press \|isbn=9780195105513 \|series=Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics \|volume=9 \|location=}} ! !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal !Velar
Plosive \|{{IPA link\|p}} {{IPA link\|b}} \|{{IPA link\|t}} {{IPA link\|d}} \|{{IPA link\|ɟ}} {{grapheme\|j}} \|{{IPA link\|k}} {{IPA link\|g}}
Prenasalized \|{{IPA link\|ᵐb}} {{grapheme\|mb}} \|{{IPA link\|ⁿd}} {{grapheme\|nd}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ᵑg}} {{grapheme\|ngg}}
Fricative \|{{IPA link\|ɸ}} {{grapheme\|f}} \|{{IPA link\|s}} \| \|{{IPA link\|x}} {{grapheme\|kh}}
Nasal \|{{IPA link\|m}} \|{{IPA link\|n}} \| \|
Approximant \|{{IPA link\|w}} \|{{IPA link\|l}} \|{{IPA link\|j}} {{grapheme\|y}}, {{IPA link\|ɥ}} {{grapheme\|hü}} \|

class="wikitable"

|+Consonants{{Cite book |last=de Vries |first=Lourens |title=The Korowai of Irian Jaya: Their Language and its Cultural Context |last2=van Enk |first2=Gerrit J. |date=1997 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195105513 |series=Oxford Studies in Anthropological Linguistics |volume=9 |location=}}

|{{IPA link|p}} {{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|t}} {{IPA link|d}}

|{{IPA link|ɟ}} {{grapheme|j}}

|{{IPA link|k}} {{IPA link|g}}

Prenasalized

|{{IPA link|ᵐb}} {{grapheme|mb}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd}} {{grapheme|nd}}

|{{IPA link|ᵑg}} {{grapheme|ngg}}

Fricative

|{{IPA link|ɸ}} {{grapheme|f}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

|{{IPA link|x}} {{grapheme|kh}}

Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

Approximant

|{{IPA link|w}}

|{{IPA link|l}}

|{{IPA link|j}} {{grapheme|y}}, {{IPA link|ɥ}} {{grapheme|hü}}

/b/ and /d/ are in free variation with [ɓ] and [ɗ] respectively.
/ɸ x/ can be voiced [β ɣ] intervocalically.

class="wikitable" \|+Vowels ! !Front !Central !Back
High \|{{IPA link\|i}} {{IPA link\|y}} {{grapheme\|ü}} \| \|{{IPA link\|u}}
Mid-high \|{{IPA link\|e}} {{grapheme\|é}} \|({{IPA link\|ə}} {{grapheme\|e}}) \|
Mid-low \|{{IPA link\|ɛ}} {{grapheme\|è}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ɔ}} {{grapheme\|o}}
Low \| \|{{IPA link\|a}} \|

class="wikitable"

|+Vowels

|{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|y}} {{grapheme|ü}}

|{{IPA link|u}}

Mid-high

|{{IPA link|e}} {{grapheme|é}}

|({{IPA link|ə}} {{grapheme|e}})

Mid-low