slug: "basa/phonology"
lang: en
title: "Basa de Dunya: Phonology and orthography"
pageCreated: "2022-06-06"
pageUpdated: "2023-10-11"
cache: 1
extends ../basa-en.pug
block header
h2
strong Phonology and orthography
small.subtitle(lang=basa) Baxasautya i letraya
block content
h3#consonants: a(href="#consonants")
strong Consonants
small.subtitle(lang=basa) Konsautes
.table-container
table.zebra.fullwidth
thead: tr
th
th Labial
th Alveolar
th Palatal
th Guttural
tbody
tr
th Nasal
td #[strong m] #[span.ipa /m/]
td #[strong n] #[span.ipa /n/]
td
td
tr
th Stop
td #[strong p] #[span.ipa /pʰ/], #[strong b] #[span.ipa /b/]
td #[strong t] #[span.ipa /tʰ/], #[strong d] #[span.ipa /d/]
td #[strong c] #[span.ipa /t͡ʃʰ/], #[strong j] #[span.ipa /d͡ʒ/]
td #[strong k] #[span.ipa /kʰ/], #[strong g] #[span.ipa /g/]
tr
th Fricative
td #[strong f] #[span.ipa /f/]
td #[strong s] #[span.ipa /s/]
td #[strong x] #[span.ipa /ʃ/]
td #[strong h] #[span.ipa /h~x/]
tr
th Approximant
td #[strong w] #[span.ipa /ʋ~w/]
td #[strong l] #[span.ipa /l~ɫ/]
td #[strong y] #[span.ipa /j/]
td
tr
th Trill
td
td #[strong r] #[span.ipa /r~ɹ̠~ʁ/]
td
td
h3#vowels: a(href="#vowels")
strong Vowels
small.subtitle(lang=basa) Kaulsautes
p Basa de Dunya has five base vowel sounds: #[strong a] #[span.ipa /ä/], #[strong e] #[span.ipa /e/], #[strong i] #[span.ipa /i/], #[strong o] #[span.ipa /o/], and #[strong u] #[span.ipa /u/]. As with the consonants, variation in pronunciation is entirely acceptable, so long as they are all clearly distinct.
p It also has four diphthongs: #[strong ai] #[span.ipa /äɪ̯/], #[strong au] #[span.ipa /äʊ̯/], #[strong ei] #[span.ipa /eɪ̯/], and #[strong oi] #[span.ipa /oɪ̯/].
p The stress of a word always falls on its penultimate syllable, unless indicated otherwise by an acute accent: #[strong(lang=basa) funu] #[span.ipa /ˈfu.nu/], #[strong(lang=basa) fununi] #[span.ipa /fu.ˈnu.ni/], #[strong(lang=basa) kimréig] #[span.ipa /kʰim.ˈreɪ̯g/].
h3#phonotactics: a(href="#phonotactics")
strong Phonotactics
small.subtitle(lang=basa) TKTK
p The syllable structure of Basa de Dunya was chosen as a compromise between ease of pronunciation and recognisability of roots. Valid Basa syllables take the following form:
div.table-container.two-tables
table.zebra
thead: tr: th(colspan=5) Permitted onsets
tbody
tr
td: i null
td
td
td
td
tr
td b
td bw
td by
td br
td bl
tr
td c
td cw
td
td
td
tr
td d
td dw
td dy
td dr
td
tr
td f
td fw
td fy
td
td
tr
td g
td gw
td gy
td gr
td gl
tr
td h
td hw
td hy
td
td
tr
td j
td jw
td
td
td
tr
td k
td kw
td ky
td kr
td kl
tr
td l
td
td
td
td
tr
td m
td mw
td my
td
td
tr
td n
td nw
td ny
td
td
tr
td p
td pw
td py
td pr
td pl
tr
td r
td
td
td
td
tr
td s
td sw
td sy
td
td
tr
td t
td tw
td ty
td tr
td
tr
td w
td
td
td
td
tr
td x
td xw
td
td
td
tr
td y
td
td
td
td
table.zebra
thead: tr: th(colspan=3) Permitted codas, where #[i a] is any vowel and #[i ai] any diphthong
tbody
tr
td a
td ai
td
tr
td ab
td aib
td amb
tr
td ac
td aic
td anc
tr
td ad
td aid
td and
tr
td af
td aif
td amf
tr
td ag
td aig
td ang
tr
td aj
td aij
td anj
tr
td ak
td aik
td ank
tr
td al
td
td
tr
td am
td aim
td
tr
td an
td ain
td
tr
td ap
td aip
td amp
tr
td ar
td
td
tr
td as
td ais
td ans
tr
td at
td ait
td ant
tr
td ax
td aix
td anx
p When #[strong n] #[span.ipa /n/] forms part of a cluster #[strong nk] or #[strong ng], it assimilates to a velar #[span.ipa [ŋ]]. The cluster #[strong ng] in particular may be pronounced as #[span.ipa [ŋ]] at the end of a word.
p #[strong y] #[span.ipa /j/] is elided after #[strong i] #[span.ipa /i/]: #[strong(lang=basa) Kristosni] “Christian” + #[strong(lang=basa) -ya] “ness” → #[strong(lang=basa) kristosnia] “Christianity”.
h3#orthography: a(href="#orthography")
strong Orthography
small.subtitle(lang=basa) TKTK
p The Basa alphabet has twenty-three letters, omitting #[+sc('Q')], #[+sc('V')], and #[+sc('Z')]:
div#alphabet A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U W X Y
p An apostrophe #[strong ’] is placed between vowels when they might otherwise be confused for a diphthong. #[strong(lang=basa) N#[u o’i]l#[u a’i]smo] “atheism”, for instance, is pronounced as #[span.ipa /n#[u o.i].l#[u a.ˈi]s.mo/].