The Kwaraʼae or Kwaraqae language is spoken in the West, Central & Eastern regions of Malaita Island in the Solomon Islands. In 1999, there were 32,400 people known to speak the language. It is the largest indigenous vernacular of the Solomon Islands.
Phonology + Consonants in Kwaraʼae Labial AlveolarPalatal Velar Glottalnor.lab. Stop voiceless voiced Fricative () ~ Nasal Rhotic Lateral Approximant
The /f/ sound is merged with /h/. Most speakers of Kwaraʼae choose to pronounce /h/ as an /f/ sound in some vocabulary.
+ Vowels in Kwaraʼae Front Central Back High Mid Low
The sound [ə] is recognized as an allophone of /a/. There is vowel reduction, so final /i/ and /u/ are often deleted. Before /i/, the vowel /a/ may become [e], forming the diphthong [ei].
References
External links Anglican liturgical publications in Kwaraʼae from Project Canterbury