Below is description of the Kobe dialect of Sawai spoken in the villages of Lelilef Woyebulan and Kobe Peplis.
Consonants[]
Sawai has 24 consonants:
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | p b | t d | k ɡ | ||
| Fricative | f v | s z | ʃ ʒ | x ɣ | |
| Nasal | m̥ m | n̥ n | ŋ̊ ŋ | ||
| Approximant | central | w | ɹ | j | ɰ |
| lateral | l | ʟ | |||
Vowels[]
Sawai has 12 vowels:
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| High-Mid | e | ɘ | o |
| Low-Mid | ɛ | ɜ | ɔ |
| Low | æ | a | ɒ |
Syllable[]
Sawai has the following syllable structure:
- (C)(C)V(C)
Examples:
| word | gloss | syllable type |
|---|---|---|
| /i/ | 's/he/it' | V |
| /in/ | 'fish' | VC |
| /wo/ | 'alcoholic drink' | CV |
| /npo/ | 's/he/it gives' | CCV |
| /kot/ | 'magic statue' | CVC |
| /nfan/ | 's/he/it goes' | CCVC |