Vowels[]
Based on the properties of the present consonant and vowel inventories, Kaluli is a typologically typical language. It features a traditional seven vowel system, where there is a vowel height contrast. In addition, there is a rounding contrast that is dependent on a front-back contrast between six of the seven vowels. The three front vowels are also unrounded, where they contrast the other three back vowels that are rounded.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | ɨ | u |
| Close-mid | e | ə | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɜ | ɔ |
| Open | æ | a | ɒ |
| /i/
/ifi/ /i.lito/ |
[i]
[i'fi] ['i.li,do] |
'tree'
'fingernail' 'suitable' |
| /e/
/e.la/ /pesejap/ |
[e]
['e.la] [be,se'jap`] |
'plant'
'womb' 'beat sago' |
| /ε/
/ε.lεtεgε/ /εmε.lε/ |
[ε]
[ε.lεtε'gε] ['ε,mε.lε] |
'yes'
'therefore' 'return' |
| /a/
/anaso/ /aka/ |
[a]
['a,naso] [a'ga] |
'house'
'old' 'cuscus' |
| /ɔ/
/pɔmɔnɔ/ /ɔfɔf/ |
[ɔ]
['bɔmɔ,nɔ] [ɔ'fɔf] |
'tree knot'
'intestine' 'wall' |
| /o/
/fon/ / o.lo.lo / |
[o]
[fon] ['oɭo,ɭo] |
'eight'
'fur' 'down' |
| /u/
/tufε/ /fukis/ |
[u]
[du'fε] [fu'gis] |
'stone'
'ceiling joist' 'grass' |
Consonants[]
Similar to its vowels, Kaluli’s consonant inventory follows several common generalizations about consonants in the world’s languages. For example, the consonant chart lists only voiceless obstruents, nasal consonants, and an overall larger inventory that includes a few complex consonants (ex: glottal consonants, alveolar lateral flap, voiced labio-velar approximant).
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | - | tʰ t d | - | cʰ c ɟ | kʰ k ɡ | - |
| Nasal | m | - | n | - | ɲ | ŋ | - |
| Fricative | ɸ β | f v | θ ð | s z | ç ʝ | x ɣ | h ɦ |
| Approx. | - | ʋ | - | ɹ | j | ɰ | - |
Nasalisation[]
All Kaluli vowels may be nasalised, although nasalisation occurs only on a small percentage of words in the language. Nasalisation does not appear to be predictable, but there is also no clear examples of contrast. Some speakers nasalise words a lot more than others. However, no distinct group of individuals have been identified for consistently using more nasalisation, for either age or geographic group. When a nasalised vowel precedes a [b d g], most speakers pre-nasalise the stop in continuous speech, e.g. /tapo/ ‘all’ is pronounced as [ˡtʰ ɑ̃^mbo], /atep/ ‘two’ as [ãⁿ depʼ] and /wakapi/ ‘angry’ as [wãⁿˡ gabi]. Some speakers maintain the nasalisation on the vowel along with the prenasalised stop, whereas other speakers use an oral vowel with the prenasalised stop. If, however, these words are broken into their component syllables, then the pre-nasalisation disappears, and the nasal vowel remains.