Ese language
# Ese language

Ese, or Managalasi, is a language of Oro Province, Papua New Guinea. Dialects are Muaturaina, Chimona, Dea, Akabafa, Nami, Mesari, Averi, Afore, Minjori, Oko, Wakue, Numba, Jimuni, Karira. Perhaps 40% of speakers are monolingual.

It is spoken in the Kawawoki Mission area of Popondetta.

## Phonology

### Consonants

| | | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stop/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t | tɕ | k | ʔ |
| Stop/ Affricate | voiced | | | dʑ | | |
| Fricative | Fricative | β | s | | | h |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | | | |
| Tap | Tap | | ɾ | | | |

* Allophones of phonemes /β, tɕ, dʑ, ɾ/ exist as [b, ts, ɖʐ, ɺ].

### Vowels

| | Front | Back |
| - | - | - |
| High | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Low | a | |

* A central vowel sound [ʉ] can be heard as a result of /i/ preceding /u/.
* Allophones of /e, a, o/, exist as [ɛ ə ɔ].
* A semivowel sound [w] occurs when /u/ precedes a stressed vowel.
