A Phonological Comparison of Gamale, Sheram and Ghusbang – Three Kham Varieties

Abstract

This paper compares the phonologies of Gamāle, Sheram and Ghusbāng, three closely related southern varieties of Khām. The vowel and consonant inventories, suprasegmentals and phonotactics of each variety is described in turn, after which the phonologies are compared. The comparison identifies the front rounded vowels /y/ and /ø/ in Sheram and Ghusbāng as being linked to the Gamāle labial-palatal approximants, and also suggests that the loss of the syllable-final glottal in breathy voiced verbs is the origin of the pitch contour present in Takāle breathy voiced lengthened verbs.