| Rao | |
|---|---|
| Rao Breri | |
| Native to | Papua New Guinea |
| Region | western Madang Province |
Native speakers | (6,000 cited 1992)1 |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | rao |
| Glottolog | raoo1244 |
| ELP | Rao |
Rao is a Ramu language of western Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. In older literature it was called Annaberg.
Phonology
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | tʃ dʒ | k g | ʔ |
| Prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᵑg | ||
| Fricative | f v | s z | (h) | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | ||
| Approximant | w | r | j |
- /w/ is often heard as [β] word-initially and intervocalically.
- /f/ has only been found word-initially.
- /h/ is very rare and may be an allophone of /g/.
- /r/ can also be realised as [l].
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɨ | u |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Low | a |
Additionally, the following diphthongs have been observed: /ia/, /ai/, /ea/.
Stress falls on the first syllable with a /ʔ/ in coda position. Otherwise, stress is fixed on the first syllable.2
References
References
- Rao at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- Stanhope, John M. (2004). Rao Organised Phonology Data. SIL International.