Yamdena language explained

Yamdena
States:	Indonesia
Region:	Maluku Islands
Date:	2023
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Austronesian
Fam2:	Malayo-Polynesian (MP)
Fam3:	Central–Eastern MP
Fam4:	Kei–Tanimbar
Fam5:	Yamdena–North Bomberai
Iso3:	jmd
Glotto:	yamd1240
Glottorefname:	Yamdena

Yamdena is an Austronesian language of Yamdena and surrounding islands in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. In 1991 there were an estimated speakers of the language. Current BPS data has the present number of speakers at .

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive	voiceless	p	t		k
	voiced	b	d
	prenasal	ᵐp	ⁿd
Fricative		f	s
Nasal		m	n		ŋ
Rhotic			r
Lateral			l
Approximant		w		j

• Stops pronounced as //b, t// can very rarely be realized as coarticulated sounds pronounced as /[ɡ͡b, k͡t]/ by some speakers.
• pronounced as //m// can be heard as voiceless pronounced as /[m̥]/ in free variation when before initial voiceless stops, or after voiceless stops.
• pronounced as //ŋ// is heard as labialized pronounced as /[ŋʷ]/ when occurring before liquids, or in word-final position.
• pronounced as //r// can be heard as pronounced as /[ɺ]/ in free variation intervocalically, and as pronounced as /[ɾ]/ when before voiceless consonants.
• pronounced as //d, ⁿd// when occurring before pronounced as //i// can also be heard as palatal stops pronounced as /[ɟ, ᶮɟ]/.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid	e		o
Open		a

• Vowels pronounced as //a, o// can be heard as pronounced as /[ə]/ within unstressed syllables.
• pronounced as //i// can be heard as pronounced as /[ɪ]/ word-finally, after vowels.
• pronounced as //o// can be heard as pronounced as /[ɔ]/ when before pronounced as //r//.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Book: Mettler, Heidi & Anton . Yamdena phonology . Pattimura University . 1990 . Workpapers in Indonesian Languages and Cultures 8 . 29–79.