Biwa Sounds & Script

Phonology

The following are the Biwa sounds, in both SAMPA an IPA:

Consonant sounds

SAMPA						IPA
m	p	b	p\		w	m	p	b	ɸ		w
n	t	d	s	l	r	n	t	d	s	l	r
	tS	dZ	S				tʃ	dʒ	ʃ
J			C		j	ɲ			ç		j
N	k	g	x			ŋ	k	ɡ	x
	?						ʔ

Vowel sounds

SAMPA						IPA
i	y	1	}	M		i	y	ɨ	ʉ	ɯ
e	I Y		U		o	e	ɪ ʏ		ʊ		o
E	9	@		V	O	ɛ	œ	ɘ		ʌ	ɔ
				A						ɑ

The following restrictions apply:

• The following vowels only appear in stressed closed syllables:

  1 y E V O U 9 – ɨ y ɛ ʌ ɔ ʊ œ

• The following vowels and diphthongs only appear in stressed open syllables:

  i 9Y e A ow } – i œʏ e ɑ ow ʉ

• The following vowels can occur in unstressed syllables:

  I @ M – ɪ ɘ ɯ

• /@/–/ɘ/ can also exist in open stressed syllables (usually represented as /@:/–/ɘː/)

Vowels can be said to bellong to any of three categories: checked, free or lax:

Vowel categories

checked	1	y	E	9	V	O	U	ɨ	y	ɛ	œ	ʌ	ɔ	ʊ
free	i	9Y	e	@:	A	ow	}	i	œʏ	e	ɘː	ɑ	ow	ʉ
lax	I		@			M		ɪ		ɘ			ɯ

Phonotactics

Stressed syllables in Biwa have the following patterns:

open: (C(L))V(N)

close:  (C(L))V(N)S

Where C is any consonant but /N/–/ŋ/ or /?/–/ʔ/.  L is any central or lateral approximant: /l j w/–/l j w/, and N is a short sonorant: /n l r/ – /n l r/.  S is an obstruent: /p t k ? b d g p\ s x m: n: Nn rr l:/ – /p t k ʔ b d ɡ ɸ s x mː nː ŋn rr lː/

Some restrictions apply: /l/–/l/ can only follow a bilabial or velar stop or fricative: /pl bl p\l kl gl xl/ – /pl bl ɸl kl ɡl xl/.  /w/–/w/ cannot follow any postalveolar or palatal.  /j/–/j/ cannot follow any postalveolar or palatal, nor /t d s n x/ – /t d s n x/.

Vowels in open syllables must be free vowels.  In close syllables, they must be checked vowels.

Unstressed syllables use a lax vowel and can have either the open or close syllable structure.

Allophonies

Ortography

b, d, g, j, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, represent their IPA values.

<c> and <k> are always /k/–/k/, <c> is preferred.

<f> is /p\/–/l/.

<h> is phonemic /?/–/ʔ/ (syllable final)

<qu> is alternative used for /kw/–/kw/

<v> is /w/–/w/.

<x> is /C/–/ç/ before i, /x/–/x/ in any other position.

<ch> is /x/–/x/ before i.

<a> could be either /A/–/ɑ/ or /V/–/ʌ/

<e> could be either /e/–/e/ or /E/–/ɛ/

<i> could be either /i/–/i/ or /1/–/ɨ/

<ø> could be either /@/–/ɘ/ or /9/–/œ/

<o> could be either /ow/–/ow/ or /O/–/ɔ/

<u> could be either /}/–/ʉ/ or /U/–/ʊ/

<y> could be either /9Y/–/œʏ/ or /y/–/y/

<aa> for /A/–/ɑ/

<ee> for /e/–/e/

<ii>, or <ij> for /i/–/i/

<oe> for /@/–/ɘ/

<ou> for /ow/–/ow/

<uu> for /}/–/ʉ/

<eu> for /9Y/–/œʏ/

An acute could also mark the open form, while a grave would force the closed form.  Any vowel in word final position is unstressed, unless is a long value marked as á, é, ij, oj, ov, uv and ev.

Due to restrictions, postalveolar and palatal consonants can be said to be palatizations of alveolar and velar consonants.  This is reflected in the orthography:

/C/–/ç/ is <xj> or <x> before front vowels.

/J/–/ɲ/ is <nj>, /tS/–/tʃ/ is <tj>, /dZ/–/dʒ/ is <dj> and /S/–/ʃ/ is <sj>.

Short /r/–/r/ in codas is retroflex, and retroflexes any following alveolar (except an /r/–/r/ in the onset)

<rn> is pronounced /n`/–/ɳ/

<rt> is pronounced /t`/–/ʈ/

<rd> is pronounced /d`/–/ɖ/

<rs> is pronounced /s`/–/ʂ/

<rl> is pronounced /l`/–/ɭ/

Accent

The first syllable in a word is stressed, unless there is an unstressed prefix.

If a word ends in a vowel (except correctly marked free vowels), the next to last syllable is stressed.

If a word ends in a short sonorant and previous vowel is not marked as a free vowel, the next to last syllable is stressed.

Otherwise the last syllable is stressed.

Any word has no more than two stressed syllables.  If a word has two stressed syllables, one of them is primmary and the other is secundary.

In words with one root, the first stressed syllable is the primary accent.

In words with two or more roots, the last stressed syllable is the primary accent.

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