Organised Phonology Data

Organised Phonology Data
Tairora [Obura-To'okena dialect] Language [TBG]
Obura – Eastern Highlands Province
Trans New Guinea Phylum; East New Guinea Highlands Stock; Eastern (Kainantu) Family; Tairora
Subfamily
Population census: 2000
Major villages:
Linguistic work done by: SIL
Data checked by: Alex and Lois Vincent (September 1992, 1994)
Phonemic and Orthographic Inventory
e h i k k m p n k t n o p r
a aa e h i k ky m mp mw n nky nr nt ny o p q r
A Aa E H I K Ky M Mp Mw N Nky Nr Nt Ny O P Q R
t u
t u v
T U V
Consonants
Bilab LabDen Dental Alveo Postalv Retro Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyn Glottal
Plosive p t k
Nasal m n
Trill r
Tap/Flap
Fricative s h
Lateral
Fricative
Approx
Lateral
Approx
Ejective
Stop
Implos
/k / voiceless palatalized velar plosive
/k/ voiceless prenasalized palatalized velar plosive
/p/ prenasalized bilabial plosive
// prenasalized bilabial fricative
/t/ prenasalized alveolar plosive
// prenasalized alveolar flap
p pakyaara 'bark skirt'
aapinraamwu 'caterpillar'
p mperu 'greens type'
hampukya 'fish sp.'

Tairora [Obura-To'okena dialect] OPD Printed: September 7, 2004 Page 2
m mate 'today'
memonra 'hawk sp.'
vairi 'dog'
veva 'arrow'
mwimwi 'maggots'
tumwunra 'rat'
t tori 'knee'
otera 'orchid sp.'
t nte 'I'
tanturu 'axe'
n ni 'my'
vaini 'close by'
r riri 'eel slime'
ori 'stone'
nrova 'mother'
manromanri 'owl sp.'
Vowels
i u
e o
long open back vowel //
i iri 'bridge'
riri 'eel slime'
ori 'stone'
hiama 'no'
e era 'little finger'
otera 'orchid sp.'
kaike 'shield'
avariro 'cut off'
vahi 'rat'
veva 'arrow'
qaqao 'no'
mwia 'he'
s sopu 'soap'
aasau 'animal (generic)'
k kukura 'necklace'
nokora 'owl sp.'
k kyara 'taro'
vukyera 'cassowary'
k nkye 'they'
nyaamwa 'bird'
vainya 'men's house'
qua 'language'
taqi 'fireplace'
h huru 'bow'
vahi 'rat'
u uvi 'bark'
huru 'bow'
toru 'squash'
tua 'string bag'
o ori 'stone'
tori 'knee'
riro 'he hit'
eo 'yes'
aanri 'June beetle.'
vaanti 'eel'
ekyaa 'all'

Tairora [Obura-To'okena dialect] OPD Printed: September 7, 2004 Page 3
i airi 'many'
vairi 'dog'
vakyai 'marsupial sp.'
/i/ /u/
Suprasegmentals (tone, stress, length)
u maunra 'leaves'
taqauqo 'I saw it'
aasau 'animal'
Syllable Patterns
V e 'ym' o.ri 'stone' hi.a.ma 'no' tu.a 'bilum'
VV ai.ri 'many'
CV ni 'my' va.hi 'rat ' ta.ntu.ru 'axe' i.ro.kya 'marsupial sp.'
CVV vai.ri 'dog' ta.qau.qo 'I saw it' va.kyai 'marsupial sp.'
Conventions: Phonological
Conventions: Orthographic
Tone or stress is not written.
Transcription of a recorded passage
/
e mte kukopirni ine o |te po et irer mte te situi puru rrer uo
io te /
/ orir riato pumu rirer hihro pumuato m hitero iro /
/
i isi hi kue isitom i ni o munim pur rero situi puru/ pimi
rer puni ihro i k i ti iti rupu iri riror tiro | i
o wia it to tero /
< E mate Kukompirani vinanrave? Qaqao, nte mpo enta virera. Mate nte situaaqi mpuruqa vararera vuqo. Qio
quante.
Orira vairivanto mpuamu rirera hiharo mpuamuvanto qamwanrama hitero viro.
Mwi vaisiva hia kyuqe vaisivantoma. Mwiva nai nrornra munima mpuara varero situaaqi mpuruqa paimiqarera
mpuani viharo mwia vakyaava mwia taqero tiqaro, e munima mpuara varaaro. Mwi munimanra ni mpiante,
timwakyero nai qata ntuqutu kyero.
Mwia qiataqi rumpua airi variavarora tiro, mwia qova mwia qiata toqa mwatero. >
' Are you going to Kokompira today? - Oh no, I will go another day. Today I'm going to the store to get cloth. -
Well go!
'Ori's dog tried to get a quail but the quail quickly ran away.'
'That man is not a good man. He stole his mother's money and went to the store to buy cloth and his older
brother saw him and said, "You stole money. Give me that money." Having said that he hit his younger
brother.'

Tairora [Obura-To'okena dialect] OPD Printed: September 7, 2004 Page 4
'Because there were a lot of lice in his hair, his father cut his hair for him.'
Bibliography
Vincent, Alex. 1984 (revised 1992). Supplementary primer in the Obura-To'okena dialect of the Tairora
language. SIL: Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea.
___________. 1994. Triglot Dictionary. MS, SIL: Ukarumpa.