Tungag language

Phoneme inventory of the Tungag language:Karin E. Fast. 2015. Spatial language in Tungag. (Studies in the Languages of Island Melanesia, 4.) Canberra: Asia-Pacific Linguistics.

{{IPA|/x, ɣ/}} are allophones of {{IPA|/k, ɡ/}}.

(Note: These references do not include {{IPA|/ɸ, β, x, ɣ, ɔ/}} and germinate{{clarify|date=February 2023}} consonants)

In the Lavongai language, there are 21 letters – six vowels and fifteen consonants. These letters are {{grapheme|ʌ, a, b, d, e, f, g, h, i, k, l, m, n, ŋ, o, p, r, s, t, u, v}}.

In the Lavongai language, there are six vowels: a, e, i, o, u, ʌ.

The {{IPA|/ʌ/}} is pronounced as the {{IPA|/uh/}} in butter. The other vowels, {{IPA|/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/}}, are pronounced the same as their pronunciation in the Latin language. Thus they all can be pronounced as a long vowel or a short vowel. However, the {{IPA|/i/}} retains its {{IPA|/i/}} sound unlike the Latin language, in which the {{IPA|/i/}} is pronounced as {{IPA|/y/}} if the i is behind another vowel.

In the Lavongai language, there are 15 consonants: b, d, f, g, h, k, l, m, n, ŋ, p, r, s, t, v.

Many consonants can be replaced/deleted.

Some consider f and h letters in the alphabet, but others do not.

The letter f can usually be replaced by the letter p.

• {{lang|lcm|kafil / kapil}} – 'the headgear of the women'
• {{lang|lcm|difil / dipil}} – 'to come back from fishing without result'

While there are some cases where p cannot replace f, the number of cases is very small.

• {{lang|lcm|tapak}} cannot become {{lang|lcm|tafak}}
• {{lang|lcm|tafak}} – 'lightning'
• {{lang|lcm|tapak}} – 'leprosy'

The letter b can be replaced by v.

• {{lang|lcm|beŋebeŋe/veŋeveŋe}} – 'the hornbill'
• {{lang|lcm|bil/vil}} – 'to do, the deed'
• {{lang|lcm|bis/vis}} – 'to fight, the fight'

The letter r can be replaced by d.

• {{lang|lcm|rauŋ/dauŋ}} – 'to kill, the killing'
• {{lang|lcm|ororuŋ/oroduŋ}} – 'to dream, the dream'
• {{lang|lcm|rokot/dokot}} – 'stick fast'
• {{lang|lcm|ruduai/duduai}} – 'to meet'

Unlike like the above letters, the letter h is normally dropped. Dropping the letter h in a word does not change the meaning at all.

• {{lang|lcm|hat/at}} – 'stone'
• {{lang|lcm|hainʌ/ainʌ}} – 'woman/female'
• {{lang|lcm|his/is}} – 'nose'

In the Lavongai language, there are seven diphthongs: {{IPA|/au/}}, {{IPA|/oi/}}, {{IPA|/ai/}}, {{IPA|/ei/}}, {{IPA|/ao/}}, {{IPA|/eu/}}, and {{IPA|/ua/}}.

The diphthongs {{IPA|/au/}}, {{IPA|/oi/}}, {{IPA|/ai/}} have the same pronunciation as the diphthongs in how, high, and boy in English. However, the other diphthongs do not have a perfect sound.{{clarify|date=February 2023}}

The diphthong {{IPA|/au/}} can sometimes replace the vowel a if it is a three-letter word and between two consonants and vice versa. This practice is more common in the dialects spoken on the north coast.

• {{lang|lcm|sap}} may be changed into {{lang|lcm|saup}} – 'to beat'
• {{lang|lcm|ŋat}} may be changed into {{lang|lcm|ŋaut}} – 'cut grass'
• {{lang|lcm|tan}} may be changed into {{lang|lcm|taun*}} – 'the day'
• {{lang|lcm|ŋanvak}} may be changed into {{lang|lcm|ŋanwauk}} – 'the morning'
• {{lang|lcm|ilesvak}} may be changed into {{lang|lcm|ilesvauk}} – 'tomorrow'

However, this replacement can not be done to every word. Listed below are some of the words that can not have use the a/au replacement.

• {{lang|lcm|vap}} – 'people'
• {{lang|lcm|nat}} – 'son'
• {{lang|lcm|mat}} – 'dead'
• {{lang|lcm|taun*}} – 'to cook'

Note: {{lang|lcm|taun}} has two meanings: 'the day' or to cook'.

The diphthong {{IPA|/ua/}} can sometimes be replaced with the vowels o or a.

• {{lang|lcm|a pua nat}} / {{lang|lcm|a po nat}} – 'the boys'
• {{lang|lcm|a pua aina}} / {{lang|lcm|a pa aina}} – 'the women'
• {{lang|lcm|a veua}} / {{lang|lcm|a veo}} – 'the shark'

The diphthongs {{IPA|/ai/}} and {{IPA|/ei/}} can be used interchangeably.

• {{lang|lcm|nei/nai}} – 'in, the inner part, the intestines'
• {{lang|lcm|vei/vai}} – 'not, lest'
• {{lang|lcm|veiniŋ/vainiŋ}}

These are nouns that cannot be marked with a possession marker, nor can they be counted.

• {{lang|lcm|kʌ-g Kerek}} – 'my Kerek' (Kerek is a name)
• {{lang|lcm|lamʌn}} – 'water'

Alienable nouns are nouns that have a possessive pronoun preceding the noun.

• {{lang|lcm|kʌ-mem ŋono posong}} – 'our two names'
• {{lang|lcm|kʌ-g aina}} – 'my wife'

Inalienable nouns are nouns that use a suffix to express the possessive.

• {{lang|lcm|pukun-ina}} – 'its body'
• {{lang|lcm|ŋur-uria}} – 'their mouths'

When counting from one to ten, the Lavongai language counts based on groups of fives and tens.

The numerals 'one' through 'four' are mono-morphemic words.{{Cite book|title=Two grammatical studies|last=edited by John R. Roberts|date=1990|publisher=Summer Institute of Linguistics|isbn=9980005424|location=Ukarumpa via Lae, Paua New Guinea|oclc=28219094}}

• {{lang|lcm|sikei}} – 'one'
• {{lang|lcm|ponguʌ}} – 'two'
• {{lang|lcm|potol}} – 'three'
• {{lang|lcm|puat}} – 'four'

The numeral 'five' is distinct with its two-morpheme composition.

• {{lang|lcm|pal-pal lima}} – 'five'

The numerals 'six' through 'nine' are based on adding 'one' through 'four' to the numeral 'five'.

• {{lang|lcm|lima-le-sikei}} – 'five-from-one / six'

The words for 'two' to 'four' can be shortened by omitting the first syllable and changing o to u.

• {{lang|lcm|puat}} → {{lang|lcm|-at}}
• {{lang|lcm|ponguʌ}} → {{lang|lcm|-nguʌ}}
• {{lang|lcm|potol}} → {{lang|lcm|-tul}}
• {{lang|lcm|lima-le-at}} – 'five-from-four / nine'

Likewise to the numeral 'five', 'ten' also has a distinct two-morpheme composition.

• {{lang|lcm|sikei a sangauli}} – 'ten'

The Lavongai language follows the SVO (subject–verb–object) structure.

{{reflist}}

{{Meso-Melanesian languages}}

{{Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages}}

{{Languages of Papua New Guinea}}

Category:Meso-Melanesian languages

Category:Languages of New Ireland Province