Bunama language
# Bunama language

Bunama is an Austronesian language spoken in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands of Papua New Guinea.

## Phonology

### Consonants

| | | Labial | Labial | Dental/ Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Velar | Glottal | Glottal |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | | plain | lab. | Dental/ Alveolar | Palatal | plain | lab. | plain | lab. |
| Plosive | vless/asp. | p | pʷ | t̪ʰ | | | | ʔ | ʔʷ |
| Plosive | voiced | b | bʷ | d | | ɡ | ɡʷ | | |
| Fricative | Fricative | | | s | | | | h | hʷ |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | mʷ | n | | | | | |
| Lateral | Lateral | | | ɺ | | | | | |
| Approximant | Approximant | | | j | j | w | w | | |

* /p/ can fluctuate to aspirated [pʰ] in stressed syllables.
* /b d ɡ/ can also be heard as [ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ] word-initially in stressed syllables.
* /b/ can be heard as a fricative [β] intervocalically in word-medial position.
* /d/ can be heard as a tap [ɾ] intervocalically in word-medial position.
* /s/ can be heard as a more fronted [s̪] in unstressed syllables following vowels /ɛ, a/.
* Prevoicing of the lateral flap [ ̬ɺ] may also occur in initial positions.
* /ɺ/ may also be heard as a retroflex flap [ɽ] depending on the dialect of the speaker. It can also be heard as [ ̬ɽ] when realized as prevoiced in word-initial positions.
* /w/ may fluctuate to a labio-dental [v] among some speakers.
* /j/ may be realized as a dental approximant [ð̞] when before /a/.

### Vowels

| | Front | Central | Back |
| - | - | - | - |
| Close | i | | ʊ |
| Mid | ɛ | | o |
| Open | | a | |

* /a/ is heard as [ɒ] before and after a labialized consonant, or with sounds /w/, /ʔ/. It is also heard as [ʌ] word-medially and word-finally in unstressed syllables.
* /ʊ/ is heard as [ʊ] word-medially and word-finally but never following labialized consonants, or semivowels /w, j/. It is heard as [u] when following sounds /s t̪ʰ/.
* /o/ can be heard as [ɔ] when preceding a glottal stop /ʔ/.
