Ambakich language
Aion a.k.a. Ambakich is a Keram language of Papua New Guinea. It is only spoken by adults; children grow up speaking Tok Pisin.
Phonology
- /t/ and /ŋ/ only appear in loanwords.
- /p/ may sometimes be heard as .
- /k/ is sometimes pronounced as or, usually word-initially.
- /tʃ/ can manifest as, or when adjacent to /ɨ/, .
- In certain words, the prenasalized consonants are denasalized.
- /s/ is occasionally before /i/.
- /n/ is heard as before /i/, and before /u/.
- Following /o/ and before any other vowel, /w/ is realized as .
- Before /a/, /j/ is heard as .
- Before the high vowels /i ɨ u/, /j/ is pronounced .
| Front | Central | Back | |
| High | |||
| Mid | |||
| Low |
- The high vowels /i ɨ u/ do not occur word-initially.
- /e/ is occasionally centralized to .
- /a/ is typically raised to in open syllables.
- /a/ can also range in realization to,, and .
- /u/ is sometimes unrounded to .
- /ɨ/ is often deleted between two consonants.