Kovai (Kobai, Kowai) is a Papuan language spoken on Umboi Island, halfway between mainland Papua New Guinea and the island of New Britain, and mostly within the caldera of that volcanic island.
Phonology
Vowels FrontCentralBackCloseMidOpen
Vowels may be heard as lax [ɪ ɛ ʌ ɔ ʊ] when in closed syllables.
Consonants LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarPlosivevoicelessvoicedNasalFricativevoicelessvoicedTrillApproximant
In word-final position /b ɡ/ can be heard as devoiced [b̥ ɡ̊], and may also be realized as fricatives [β ɣ] in intervocalic positions.
References
External links