Bwe Karen language

Last updated
Bwe
Bghai
Native to Burma
Ethnicity Bwe people
Native speakers
(17,000 cited 1997) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 bwe
Glottolog bwek1238

Bwe, also known as Bwe Karen and Bghai (Baghi), is a Karen language of Burma. It shares 82 to 100% lexical similarity with Geba Karen language. [2]

Contents

Distribution

Dialects

Dialects are Western Bwe Karen and Eastern Bwe Karen. Most comprehend the Western Bwe Karen dialect.

Phonology

Consonants [3]
Labial Dental Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p b t d c ɟ k g ( ʔ )
Aspirated pʰ tʰ ( cʰ ) kʰ
Implosive ɓ ɗ
Fricative θ ʃ x h
Nasal m n
Approximant w ˀw l r j ˀj ɰ
Vowels [3]
Front Central Back
High i u
Near-high ɪ ʊ
Mid-high e ( ə ) o
Mid-low ɛ ɔ
Low a

Bwe Karen also has three tones; [3] high, mid, and low.

References

  1. ↑ Bwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Myanmar". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10.
  3. 1 2 3 Namkung, Ju (1996). Matisoff, James A. (ed.). "Phonological Inventories of Tibeto-Burman Languages" (PDF). Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus Monograph Series (3). University of California, Berkeley.
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