| Sikaritai | |
|---|---|
| Tori Aikwakai | |
| Native to | Indonesia |
| Region | Sikari village in Rufaer District,Mamberamo Raya Regency,Papua |
Native speakers | 2,000 (2015)[1] |
Lakes Plain
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | tty |
| Glottolog | sika1263 |
Sikaritai (Sikwari) is aLakes Plain language ofPapua,Indonesia. It is named afterSikari village in Rufaer District,Mamberamo Raya Regency. Alternate names areAikwakai, Araikurioko, Ati, Tori, Tori Aikwakai.
It is spoken in Haya, Eri, and Sikari villages.[1]
Sikaritai,Obokuitai, andEritai constitute adialect cluster.
The following discussion is based on Martin (1991).[2]
| Labial | Coronal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | b | td | kkʷ |
| Fricative | ɸ | s | |
| Semivowel | w |
This small consonant inventory is typical ofLakes Plain languages.[3] The complete lack ofnasals is also a feature of these languages.
There are however several notableallophonic variants:
Sikaritai has six vowels.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid-high | e | ||
| Mid | ɛ | o | |
| Low | a |
Many other Lakes Plain languages have developed a series of extra high "fricativized" vowels from the loss of a final consonant.[3] In Sikaritai the final consonants have been retained; however, extra-high [i] and [u] appear as allophones of /i/ and /u/ before final /k/ and /d/. Martin postulates that Sikaritai is in the process of developing contrastive fricativized vowels as other Lakes Plain languages have done.
The language has a two-height tone system with H and L tone. More than one tonal element can appear on a single syllable.
The syllable template is (C)(C)V(V)(C).
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