Sikaritai language
Sikaritai is a Lakes Plain language of Papua, Indonesia. It is named after Sikari village in Rufaer District, Mamberamo Raya Regency. Alternate names are Aikwakai, Araikurioko, Ati, Tori, Tori Aikwakai.
It is spoken in Haya, Eri, and Sikari villages.
Sikaritai, Obokuitai, and Eritai constitute a dialect cluster.
Phonology
The following discussion is based on Martin.Consonants
This small consonant inventory is typical of Lakes Plain languages. The complete lack of nasals is also a feature of these languages.There are however several notable allophonic variants:
- /d/ is realized as word-initially, between vowels or following another consonants, and as syllable-finally.
- /k/ is realized as syllable-finally. When followed by a vowel, the sequence /ik/ is realized as a syllabic fricative. The sequence further varies with.
- is in free variation with a glottal fricative.
- /s/ is realized as following /k/.
- /i/ before another vowel is realized as either a semivowel or an affricate .
Vowels
Sikaritai has six vowels.| Front | Central | Back | |
| High | |||
| Mid-high | |||
| Mid | |||
| Low |
Many other Lakes Plain languages have developed a series of extra high "fricativized" vowels from the loss of a final consonant. In Sikaritai the final consonants have been retained; however, extra-high and appear as allophones of /i/ and /u/ before final /k/ and /d/. Martin postulates that Sikaritai is in the process of developing contrastive fricativized vowels as other Lakes Plain languages have done.