There are six consonants: /f t k b d s/. /t d/ are dental; /s/ is alveolar. /b d/ are implosive, and may be realized as nasals before the low nasal vowel /ã/. /d/ may also be realized as the liquid [l].
/f/ is pronounced [ɸ]~[h] word-initially, or as [x] before the high nonback vowels /i ɨ/. The labial allophone [ɸ] is preferred in the Foi dialect; the glottal allophone [h] is preferred in Turu. It is always pronounced [h] word-medially and as an unreleased plosive [p̚] word-finally. /f/ is the only consonant that can occur word-finally.
Eight vowels: /ã ɛ ɔ ɪ ʊ i u ɨ/. /ɨ/ is the standard transcription for the fricated vowel, which is probably something like Yi ssy or Mandarin si; it is not an actual central vowel, and it is fricated.
Diphthongs: aɛ aɪ aʊ ai au ai̝ ɛi ɔɛ ɔi ʊɪ ui.
Triphthongs: aui aʊɪ. The back components are unrounded.
Eight tones plus eleven tone-clusters, diachronically created through VV coalescence. (VV sequences themselves emerged after unconditional loss of r.) Three tone-clusters can appear on nouns.
Verbs are lexically unmarked for tone. Tone marks aspect.
/f/ is pronounced [ɸ]~[h] word-initially, or as [x] before the high nonback vowels /i ɨ/. The labial allophone [ɸ] is preferred in the Foi dialect; the glottal allophone [h] is preferred in Turu. It is always pronounced [h] word-medially and as an unreleased plosive [p̚] word-finally. /f/ is the only consonant that can occur word-finally.
Eight vowels: /ã ɛ ɔ ɪ ʊ i u ɨ/. /ɨ/ is the standard transcription for the fricated vowel, which is probably something like Yi ssy or Mandarin si; it is not an actual central vowel, and it is fricated.
Diphthongs: aɛ aɪ aʊ ai au ai̝ ɛi ɔɛ ɔi ʊɪ ui.
Triphthongs: aui aʊɪ. The back components are unrounded.
Eight tones plus eleven tone-clusters, diachronically created through VV coalescence. (VV sequences themselves emerged after unconditional loss of r.) Three tone-clusters can appear on nouns.
Verbs are lexically unmarked for tone. Tone marks aspect.