Organised Phonology Data Tolai (Kuanua, Tuna, Gunantuna, Raluana) Language [KSD] Rabaul – East New Britain Province Western Melanesian Network; Meso-Melanesin Network; New Ireland Network; South New Ireland/North west Solomonic Network Population census: 60,000 (1981) Major villages: U.C., Catholics, Methodists, SIL, etc. Linguistic work done by: Data checked by: Phonemic and Orthographic Inventory b d e e i i k l m n o o p r t u u a a b d e e a a g i i k l m n ng o o p r t u u v A A B D E E A A G I I K L M N Ng O O P R T U U V Consonants Bilab LabDen Dental Alveo Postalv Retro Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyn Glottal Plosive p b t d k Nasal m n Trill r Tap/Flap Fricative Lateral Fricative Approx Lateral l Approx Ejective Stop Implos p papalum 'work' varden 'woman' upi 'that, for'' ava 'what?' tadap 'go to' - pirpir 'tell' t ta 'some, any' b balu 'pigeon' tutana 'man' bubur 'break' lavulut 'eight' - d da 'somebody' m ma 'and' tadap 'to go to' tamagu 'my father' - nam 'that' Tolai (Kuanua, Tuna, Gunantuna, Raluana) OPDPrinted: September 7, 2004 Page 2 n nagu 'my mother' k kan 'perhaps' nunure 'know' doko 'kill' nian 'food' ik 'little' r ra 'the' gunan 'village' ara 'there' gigit 'pick' dir 'they' - l lima 'hand' ngala 'big' kilala 'time' ongor 'strong' pal 'house' aring 'to beg' Vowels i u e o vowel length is distinctive: e i o u i ivat 'four' u uma 'garden' pil 'to peel' utul 'three' upi 'so that' ubu 'to kill' ia 'he,she' raut 'to root out' e en 'fish' i meme 'red' pil 'to jump' gire 'see' keake 'sun' vue 'throw away' e meme 'with it' vue 'throw it away' kan 'away from' ebar 'enemy' avat 'you plur.' kan 'perhaps' ta 'in, on, about' pait 'to do' bari 'perhaps' nialir 'swimming' ta 'sea' pot 'to come' o pot 'boat' o mangoro 'many' boina 'good' u ubu 'coking hole' mulaot 'consent' Suprasegmentals (tone, stress, length) Syllable Patterns V i 'it' u.bu 'kill' i.a.u 'I' be.o 'bird' Tolai (Kuanua, Tuna, Gunantuna, Raluana) OPDPrinted: September 7, 2004 Page 3 VC ul 'top' di.at 'they' CV mo 'ripe' ma.o 'banana' ma.ngo.ro 'many' ti.ka 'one' CVC kan 'perhaps' lap.ti.ka.i 'six' i.vat 'four' Conventions: Phonological /p b / are prenasalized except at the beginning of an utterance. Conventions: Orthographic Prenasalized plosives [b d ] are written < b d g > in all positions. < s > occurs in some dialects and in loan words, < f > occurs in foreign words only. The vowel length is not distinguished in orthography. Transcription of a recorded passage <Ave la ubu pa ra kakaruk ma avet a ivut vue ra ivutuna. Ave la poka namur di la vung ia ta ra kabala. Namur da tak pa ra igir, namur da vung potone me. Namur da vung ra tava urama, namur ra sol. Na par namur ma da ur vue ta ra iap ma na tur. Namur da tak pa ra umana pelet ma da vung ia, a ututul a pakana ba a ururua. Namur na par ma namur da takan pa ra umana kakaruk ma namur da ian ia.> We kill the chicken and pluck the feathers. We cut it into pieces, then it is put into a pot. Then one takes vegetables and adds them. Then one puts water on top and salt. After that one takes it from the fire, takes plates and puts it on top. Three or two pieces. After that one takes the chicken pieces and eats them. Bibliography Mosel, Ulrike. 1980. 'Tolai and Tok Pisin: The influence of the substratum on the development of New Guinea Pidgin.' Pacific Linguistics B 73. ___. 1977. 'Tolai Texts.' Kivung 10: 1-2. Mannering, A.J. n.d. English-Kuanua Dictionary. Franklin, Karl, Harland Kerr, and Clive Beaumont. 1974. Tolai Language Creole. SIL Publications. .