Yagwoia (Yeghuye), or Kokwaiyakwa, is an Angan language of Papua New Guinea. Dialects are named after the five ethnicities, Iwalaqamalje, Hiqwaye, Hiqwase, Gwase, Heqwangilye (Yeqwangilje dialect).
Distribution
Yagwoia is spoken in:[1]
- Eastern Highlands Province: Iqwalaqamalje
- Gulf Province: Gwase
- Morobe Province: Hiqwase, Hiqwaye, and Yeqwangilje
Phonology
| Labial | Alveolar | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | t | k | q | ʔ ⟨'⟩ |
| Fricative | s | h | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ ⟨ng⟩ | ||
| Approximant | w | l | j ⟨y⟩ |
- /p t k/ tend to become voiced [b d g] in clusters with nasals or /l/.
- /m n ŋ l/ can be syllabic.
- /s/ is in free variation with [z]. Older speakers tend to pronounce it as [ts~dz].
- /t/ can often be heard as [r].
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low | a aː |
- /ɨ/ is rare.
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /ei/, /ai/, /ae/, /au/, /ou/.
Yagwoia is tonal, distinguishing high and low tone. However, tone has a low functional load, and so remains unwritten.[2]
External links
- Paradisec have an open access collection of Yagwoia recordings. They also have a collection of Jadran Mimica recordings that contain some Yagwoia.
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