Bwe Karen language


Bwe, also known as Bwe Karen and Bghai, is a Karen language of Burma. It shares 82 to 100% lexical similarity with Geba [Karen language].

Distribution

Dialects

Dialects are Western Bwe Karen and Eastern Bwe Karen. Most comprehend the Western Bwe Karen dialect.

Phonology

  • /cʰ/ may be an allophone of /tʰ/, appearing before the vowels /i ɪ/.
  • /ʔ/ only appears in the onset when vowels occur word-initially.
  • /x/ appears rarely.
FrontCentralBack
High
Near-high
Mid-high
Mid-low
Low

Bwe Karen also has three tones; high, mid, and low.