The Dusun-Kadazan language is written using the Latin alphabet and it has 22 characters (the letters C, E, F, Q, and X are not used except in loanwords):
A B D G H I K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z
These characters together are called Pimato.
Consonants[]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | c | k | ʔ |
| voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | ||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | ç | x | h |
| voiced | v | z | ʝ | ɣ | ɦ | |
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
| Trill | ʙ | r | ||||
| Lateral | l | ʎ | ʟ | |||
| Approximant | w | ɹ | j | ɰ | ||
Semivowels /w j/ and rhotic /r/ only occur in most of the other dialects of the Dusun/Kadazan languages. Forschner (1978) and Antonissen (1958) list two fricatives /v z/ for the Rungus and Penampang Kadazan dialects. [x] is also listed as an allophone of /k/ in word-medial position.
Vowels[]
The vowels are divided into:
Simple vowels: /i u a e ʉ æ o ɞ ʌ œ/
Diphthongs: aa ai (sometimes pronounced /e/) ii oi uu
Forschner (1978) notes for the Rungus dialect that the phoneme /e/ is a contraction of the diphthongs /ai/ or /oi/.
Some combinations of vowels do not form diphthongs and each vowel retains its separate sound: ao ia iu ui ue. In some words aa is not a diphthong, and this is indicated by an apostrophe between the two vowels: a’a.
External links[]
| List of language orthographies [edit] |
|---|
| Anii · Anjam · Bari · Burum · Dusun · Kanakanabu · Kashubian · Malecite-Passamaquoddy · Mocho' · Neapolitan · Piedmontese · Rotuman · Zia |