Phonology
Kiribati has 10 consonants and 10 vowels (5 short, five long)
| Bilabial | Apical | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | mˠ | n | ŋ |
| Stop | p | pˠ | t1 | k |
| Fricative | βˠ2 | |||
| Flap | ɾ3 | |||
- /t/ is lenited and assibilated to before /i/
- The labiovelar fricative /βˠ/ may be a flap and an approximant, depending on the context.
- /ɾ/ does not occur in the syllable coda
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close1 | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Open | a |
- Short /i/ and /u/ may become semivowels when followed by more sonorous vowels. /ie/ → ('sail'). Kiribati also possesses syllabic nasals, although syllabic /n/ and /ŋ/ can be followed only by consonants that are homorganic.
Quantity is distinctive for vowels and nasal consonants but not for the remaining sounds so that ana (third person singular article) contrasts with aana ('its underside') as well as anna ('dry land'). Other minimal pairs include:
| Short | Long |
|---|---|
| te ben ('ripe coconut') | te been ('pen') |
| ti (1st person subj marker) | tii ('only') |
| on ('full') | oon ('the/some turtles') |
| te atu ('bundle') | te atuu ('head') |
| tuanga ('to tell someone') | tuangnga ('to tell') |
Read more about this topic: Gilbertese Language