Kairiru is one of threeKairiru languages spoken mainly on Kairiru and Mushu islands and in several coastal villages on the mainland between Cape Karawop and Cape Samein nearWewak inEast Sepik Province ofPapua New Guinea.

• The tap /ɾ/ varies freely between [ɾ] or a retroflex [ɻ].
• [ʃ] is heard as an allophone of /tʃ/ among young speakers.^[2]
• /b/ is heard as [p] in word-final position.
• /k/ may vary between a voiced [ɡ] or [k] when in between a high and non-high vowel.^[3]
• The back-velar /k̠/ may also be heard freely as uvular [q], and may vary between a stop or fricatives [k̠], [x̠] or voiced [ɡ̠], [ɣ̠] when preceded and followed by /a/ or /o/.^[3]

• Sounds /i, u, e, o/ may have lax allophones as [ɪ, ʊ, ɛ, ɔ] in closed syllables.
• Vowels /e, o/ may have a lax allophone of [ə] when following other vowels.
• /a/ may be heard as [æ] when preceding a velar nasal /ŋ/ in free variation with [a].^[2]

One remarkable feature of the pronoun system of Kairiru is that it appears to have lost the distinction between first-person inclusive and exclusive pronouns throughout its affix paradigms, but then recreated inclusive forms in its independent pronouns by combining first-person and second-person forms along the lines ofTok Pisinyumi (<yu +mi). The inclusive-exclusive distinction is almost universal amongAustronesian languages but generally lacking inPapuan languages.

• Wivell, Richard (1981). Kairiru grammar. M.A. thesis, University of Auckland.

• Kairiru Grammar

• Languages of Papua New Guinea
• Schouten languages

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