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Alekano language

Papuan language of Papua New Guinea From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Ilocano language.

Alekano, or Gahuku (Gahuku-Gama), is a Papuan language spoken in Gahuku Rural LLG of Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. There are about 25,000 speakers.[1]

Quick Facts Native to, Region ...
Alekano
Gahuku
Native toPapua New Guinea
RegionGahuku Rural LLG, Goroka District, Eastern Highlands Province
Native speakers
40,000 (2008)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3gah
Glottologalek1238
ELPAlekano
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
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Alekano is also known as Gahuku, after the name of the largest clan of speakers, or Gama, after the second largest clan. Calling the language by these names has been rejected by speakers who are not members of these clans. Alekano was proposed as a suitable new name by the linguist Ellis Deibler, and it might be considered the official name by linguists. The name is almost unknown to speakers of the Gahuku and Gama clans. "Alekano" means "bring it". In two closely related languages spoken directly to the northwest, Tokano and Dano, it has the same meaning.[2][3]

Phonology

Alekano has 5 vowels, all unrounded, which is exceptional. It has 12 consonants, but /w/ is found only in the village Wanima, in derivations or in pidgin loanwords.[4]

Vowels

More information Front, Back ...
Front Back
High i ɯ
Mid e ɤ
Low ɑ
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Glottal coda

In Alekano, a syllable may be closed only with a glottal stop, as in /ɑʔnesiʔ/ "enough". That is currently not treated as a consonant, but it is unclear if words written as vowel initial begin with a glottal stop. It is written as an acute accent in the orthography, for example, ánesí.[3]

Consonants

More information Bilabial, Alveolar ...
Bilabial Alveolar Velar Glottal
Nasal m n
Plosive p t k
Approximant β l~ɽ ɣ h
Sibilant voiceless s
voiced z
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The lateral is [l] initially and [ɽ] between vowels.

Syllables

The most complex syllables are of the form /CVVʔ/: VV may be a diphthong of /ɑ/, /e/, or /ɤ/ followed by /i/ or /ɯ/, or of /iɯ/. Other vowels may also occur in sequence (hiatus).

Tone

Alekano has low and high tones but with a very low functional load. HL receives strong stress, LH lesser stress.

Grammar

Alekano is a subject–object–verb (SOV) language.[5]

Orthography

Alekano uses the Latin script.[4]

More information IPA, Letter ...
IPA ɑ e ɣ h i k l m n ɤ p s z t ɯ β
Letter Aa Ee Gg Hh Ii Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Ss Zz Tt Uu Vv
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References

External links

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