Agarabi language

"Agarabi" redirects here. For the local-level government area in Papua New Guinea, see Agarabi Rural LLG.

Agarabi
Native to	Papua New Guinea
Region	Eastern Highlands Province
Native speakers	27,000 (2000 census)[1]
Language family	Trans–New Guinea Kainantu–Goroka Kainantu Gauwa Agarabi
Language codes
ISO 639-3	agd
Glottolog	agar1252

Agarabi, also called Bare, is a Kainantu language spoken in Agarabi Rural LLG, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

Phonology

Consonants

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	m	n			ʔ
Plosive	p	t		k
Rhotic		r
Approximant	w		j

• Sounds /p, t, k, w/ may fluctuate to fricative sounds [ɸ, s, x, β] when between oral vowels.
• Sounds /p, t/ may also be heard as voiced [b, d] within complex syllable nuclei.
• /n/ may be heard as [ŋ] when before /k/.
• /r/ can be heard as either a tap [ɾ] or a trill [r].
• /ʔ/ may occasionally fluctuate to a fricative [h].

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid	e	(ə)	o
Open		a

A lax /a/ is said to be heard as [ə].^[2]

References

1. Agarabi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Bee, Darlene; Luff, Lorna; Goddard, Jean (1973). Notes on Agarabi phonology. In Howard McKaughan (ed.), The languages of the Eastern Family of the East New Guinea Highland Stock: Seattle: University of Washington. pp. 414–423.

External links

• New Testament in Agarabi