Kairiru is one of three Kairiru languages spoken mainly on Kairiru and Mushu islands and in several coastal villages on the mainland between Cape Karawop and Cape Samein near Wewak in East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.
Phonology
Consonants BilabialAlveolarPost-alveolarVelarBack-velarPlosivebtkk̠AffricatetʃFricativevoicelessɸs(ʃ)voicedβNasalmnɲŋLaterallRhoticɾr(ɻ)Approximantwj
The tap /ɾ/ varies freely between [ɾ] or a retroflex [ɻ]. [ʃ] is heard as an allophone of /tʃ/ among young speakers. /b/ is heard as [p] in word-final position. /k/ may vary between a voiced [ɡ] or [k] when in between a high and non-high vowel. The back-velar /k̠/ may also be heard freely as uvular [q], and may vary between a stop or fricatives [k̠], [x̠] or voiced [ɡ̠], [ɣ̠] when preceded and followed by /a/ or /o/.
Vowels FrontCentralBackHighiuMide(ə)oLowa
Sounds /i, u, e, o/ may have lax allophones as [ɪ, ʊ, ɛ, ɔ] in closed syllables. Vowels /e, o/ may have a lax allophone of [ə] when following other vowels. /a/ may be heard as [æ] when preceding a velar nasal /ŋ/ in free variation with [a].
Morphology
Pronouns and person markers One remarkable feature of the pronoun system of Kairiru is that it appears to have lost the distinction between first-person inclusive and exclusive pronouns throughout its affix paradigms, but then recreated inclusive forms in its independent pronouns by combining first-person and second-person forms along the lines of Tok Pisin (< + ). The inclusive-exclusive distinction is almost universal among Austronesian languages but generally lacking in Papuan languages.
Free pronouns Person Singular Plural Dual 1st person inclusive 1st person exclusive 2nd person 3rd person
Genitive pronouns Person Singular Plural Dual 1st person inclusive 1st person exclusive 2nd person 3rd person
Possessive suffixes on inalienable nouns Person Singular Plural Dual 1st person inclusive 1st person exclusive 2nd person 3rd person
Subject prefixes on verbs Person Singular Plural Dual 1st person inclusive 1st person exclusive 2nd person 3rd person
Object suffixes on verbs Person Singular Plural Dual 1st person inclusive 1st person exclusive 2nd person 3rd person /-Ø /-Ø
References
Wivell, Richard (1981). Kairiru grammar. M.A. thesis, University of Auckland.
External links Kairiru Grammar