Syllables Basic inventory: consonants Basic inventory: vowels

3.1.2 Syllables

In Semai every syllable has an obligatory nucleus and onset, and an optional coda. The nucleus is usually a vowel; however, there are some nasals that are syllabic as well in the minor syllable. m̩.pɔɔc ‘salt’ n̩.tooy ‘big’ ɲ̩.cees ‘shallow’ ŋ̩.kuuʔ ‘thunder’ The onset and coda are consonants. The two basic syllable types are CV and CVC. The syllable type CV is found only in the minor syllable. 12 For example, CV bɑ.hɑ.yɑʔ ‘crocodile’ tɑ.wɑɑk ‘butterfly’ kə.rɨɨk ‘to shiver’ All major syllables, and some minor syllables, have the syllable type CVC. For example, CVC pɔɔc ‘to wait’ bə.lɨk ‘blunt’ kəl.ʔũũp ‘brain’

3.1.3 Basic inventory: consonants

When viewed as a whole, the Semai language can be said to have twenty-three consonants. Table 2. Consonant phonemes in Semai Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Plosive, voiceless p t c k ʔ Plosive, voiced b d ɟ ɡ Preploded nasal a b m d n ɟ ɲ ɡ ŋ Nasal m n ɲ ŋ Trill or flap r Lateral approximant l Fricative, voiceless s h Central approximant w y a The preploded nasals are found only at the end of major syllables. There is good evidence to support the notion that preploded nasals occur only after oral nonnasal vowels. Assuming this proves to be the case, then preploded nasals would represent allophones of simple nasals at the end of major syllables, rather than contrastive phonemes. However, phonemic preploded nasals are, in fact, found in some related languages—for example, Kensiw Bishop 1996 and Temiar Benjamin 1976a. 12 The Gopeng dialect, however, has lost glottal stops after long vowels in the major syllable, resulting in CV syllable types in those words. This loss of the glottal stop is further noted in section 3.4.

3.1.4 Basic inventory: vowels

When viewed as a whole, the Semai language can be said to have thirty vowels. Semai has both short and long vowels. The long vowels are not dramatically elongated. Indeed, it may be more accurate to portray the long vowels as the more “normal” and the short vowels as extra short. Overall, there are roughly twice as many words with long vowels as opposed to short in the major syllable. Table 3. Oral vowels Oral, long Front Central Back Close ii ɨɨ uu Close-mid ee oo Open-mid ɛɛ ɔɔ Open ɑɑ Oral, short Front Central Back Close i ɨ u Close-mid e o Open-mid ɛ ə ɔ Open ɑ Table 4. Nasal vowels Nasal, long Front Central Back Close ĩĩ ɨ̃ɨ̃ ũũ Mid ɛ̃ɛ̃ ɔ̃ɔ̃ Open ɑ̃ɑ̃ Nasal, short Front Central Back Close ĩ ɨ̃ ũ Mid ɛ̃ ə̃ ɔ̃ Open ɑ̃

3.1.5 Deviations from basic inventory: the preploded nasals