Shiaxa language

Shiaxa (Sjiagha) and Yenimu (Jénimu, Oser), together known as South Awyu, are a Papuan language or languages of Papua, Indonesia. Whether they constitute one language or two depends on one's criteria for a 'language'. The two varieties are,

• Bamgi River Awyu (Oser, Yenimu/Jénimu)
• Ia River Awyu (Shiaxa/Sjìagha)

Phonology

• Word-initial voiced stops /b, d, É¡/ may have prenasalized allophones [ᵐb, ⁿd, ᵑɡ] when the preceding word within a sentence ends in a vowel.
• /s/ may have an allophone of [ɕ] when preceding /i/, and may also have an affricate allophone [ts] in word-initial positions.
• /x/ may be voiced as [É£] in intervocalic positions.
• /n/ when in word-final position, may nasalize a preceding vowel [á¹¼].
• In the Yenimu dialect, /ɾ/ may also have lateral allophones as [l] or [ɺ].

References

External links

• Shiaxa at the Awyu–Ndumut research group at VU University Amsterdam: http://www2.let.vu.nl/oz/awyu-ndumut/shiaxa.php