Sounds
Badaga has five vowels /i e a o u/, all of which can be contrastively half and fully retroflexed. Only the most conservative dialects have the complete set of contrasts (that is contrasts of pharyngealized and retroflexed vowels).
| IPA | Gloss |
|---|---|
| /noː/ | disease |
| /pọː/ | scar |
| /mo˞e˞/ | sprout |
| /a˞e˞/ | tiger's den |
| /ha˞ːsu/ | to spread out |
| /kạːʃu/ | to remove |
| /i˞ːụ/ | seven |
| /hụːj/ | tamarind |
| /be˞ː/ | bangle |
| /bẹː/ | banana |
| /huj/ | to strike |
| /hu˞j/ | tamarind |
| /ụj/ | chisel |
Note on transcriptions: rhoticity (e.g., ) indicates half-retroflexion or pharyngealization; an underdot (e.g., ) indicates full retroflexion.
Read more about this topic: Badaga Language
Famous quotes containing the word sounds:
“These were the sounds that issued from the wigwams of this country before Columbus was born; they have not yet died away; and, with remarkably few exceptions, the language of their forefathers is still copious enough for them. I felt that I stood, or rather lay, as near to the primitive man of America, that night, as any of its discoverers ever did.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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“Bill: I have champagne, caviar, marinated truffles, brilliant foie gras and half-a-dozen assorted Hungarian gypsies.
Lili: Sounds delicious.
Bill: I thought we’d go on a picnic.
Lili: At three in the morning?
Bill: It’s the best time—no ants.”
—Blake Edwards (b. 1922)