Rumu language explained

Rumu
Nativename:	Kairi
Region:	Papua New Guinea
Speakers:	700
Date:	1990
Ref:	^[1]
Familycolor:	Papuan
Fam1:	Papuan Gulf ?
Fam2:	Kikorian
Fam3:	Turama–Kikorian
Iso3:	klq
Glotto:	rumu1243
Glottorefname:	Rumu

Rumu (Rumuwa), or Kairi (Kai-Iri), is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea. Other names for it are Dumu (Tumu) and Kibiri.

Phonology

Consonants^[2] !!Labial!Alveolar!Dorsal

Plosive	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Fricative		(pronounced as /link/)	pronounced as /link/
Nasal	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Approximant	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/

• /r/ is pronounced [l] when word-initial and before /ɛ a ɔ/.
• /w/ is [β] before /i e ɛ/.
• /s/ only occurs in loanwords.

Vowels!!Front!Central!Back

High	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Mid-high	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Mid-low	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Low		pronounced as /link/

Diphthongs!!-i!-e!-ɛ!-a!-ɔ!-u

i-				ia	iɔ
e-	(ei)			ea	eɔ
ɛ-	ɛi			ɛa		ɛu
a-	ai	ae			aɔ	au
o-	(oi)	oe		oa
ɔ-	ɔi		ɔɛ	ɔa		ɔu
u-	[ui]				uɔ

• /ei/ has merged to [i] for many speakers.
• /oi/ has shifted to [ui] for many speakers.

Additionally, Rumu is tonal, distinguishing four tones: falling, rising, peaking, and level .^[2]

Notes and References

1. John Newman and Robert G. Petterson, 1990, “The Tones of Kairi'”, Oceanic Linguistics, 29:1, p. 75 n. 2.
2. Petterson, Robert (1992). Rumu Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.