Kyirong | |
---|---|
| |
स्युबा | |
Region | Tibet |
Native speakers | 100 (2002) [1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
kgy |
Glottolog |
kyer1238 Kyerung |
Kyirong is a language from the subgroup of Tibetic languages [2] spoken in the Gyirong County of the Shigatse prefecture, of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
Kyirong has lexical tone, with a three-tone system. [3]
There is a varying degree of mutual intelligibility between Kyirong and other Kyirong-Yolmo varieties. It is most closely related to the Nubri and Gyalsomdo languages, [4] and more distantly related to other languages in the family. [5]
There are 36 consonants in Kyirong, which are summarized in the table below. [3]
Bilabial | Apico- Dental | Retroflex |
Lamino- post-alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||||
Plosive/ Affricate |
voiceless | p | t | ts | ʈ | tɕ | c | k | |
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | tsʰ | ʈʰ | tɕʰ | cʰ | kʰ | ||
voiced | b | d | dz | ɖ | dʑ | ɟ | ɡ | ||
Fricative | voiceless | s | ɕ | h | |||||
voiced | z | ʑ | ɦ | ||||||
Liquid | rhotic | r | |||||||
voiced lateral | l | ||||||||
unvoiced lateral | ɬ | ||||||||
Semivowel | w | j |
There are eight places of articulation for vowels. There is a length distinction at each place of articulation, as well as a long nasalised vowel. [3]
Front | Central | Back | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Close | oral | i iː | y yː | u uː | |
nasal | ĩː | ỹː | ũː | ||
Half-close | oral | e eː | ø øː | ||
nasal | ẽː | ø̃ː | |||
Half-open | oral | ɛ ɛː | ɔ ɔː | ||
nasal | ɛ̃ː | ɔ̃ː | |||
Open | oral | a aː | |||
nasal | ãː |
Kyriong has a three tone system; high, medium and low. Low tone is often accompanied by breathy voice. [3]