The Kukuya language, Kikukuya, also transcribedKukẅa and known as Southern Teke, is a member of the Teke dialect continuum of the Congolese plateau. It is known for being the only language claimed to have a phonemic labiodental nasal. The name comes from the wordkuya "plateau".
Phonology
The five vowels are, which may be long or short. Other vowel sequences do not occur. is realised as in the environment and also before or another, as in the name Kukuya. Prenasalized voiceless consonants are aspirated. Depending on speaker and region, the sound represented by may be either or, apart from the word "with", which is always. The labiodental nasal is realized as before and as before and ; suggests that this is due to a conflict between labialization and the spread front vowels. The velar stop is word initially and typically between vowels; there is a similar alternation with and. and especially are uncommon. is found in a single highly frequent word, . Cw sequences are rare and only occur before unrounded vowels; they include. It may be possible that the frequent sounds are phonemically, but argues against this analysis. Cj sequences such as are also rare and only occur before. It may be possible that the frequent sounds are phonemically, but they are not restricted as to following vowels and argues against this analysis. Diachronically, Kukwa affricates derive from stops before close vowels or vowel sequences, and derives from *k rather than *p. The labiodentals are not found before. is not attested before, and is not found in underived words before. Prenasalized affricates are generally transcribed mf, mv, ns, nz.Phonemic neutralization may occur when consonants are prenasalized: Syllables are primarily CV, with some CwV and CjV; vowel-initial syllables do not occur. Roots are of the forms CV, CVV, CVCV, CVVCV, and CVCVCV. In the latter case, the middle vowel is neutralized. There are only six medial consonants,, and six combinations of medial C2C3 in the case of CVCVCV words,. posits both tone and stress, with tone being high or low, though not every syllable is assigned a tone: there are five word-tone patterns in the language. Vowels may carry two tones to accomplish this.
The labiodental nasal
A phonemic labiodental nasal,, has only been reported from this one language. It is "accompanied by strong protrusion of both lips", being before and before and, perhaps because labialization is constrained by the spread front vowels; it does not occur before back vowels. However, there is some doubt that a true stop can be made by this gesture due to gaps between the incisors, which are filed to points by the Teke people and would allow air to flow during the occlusion; this is particularly pertinent considering that one of the words with this consonant,, means a 'gap between filed incisors'. Because of these factors, Teke might be better characterized as a labiodental nasal approximant, rather than a nasal occlusive. Given its rarity, it is worth providing some minimal pairs with other consonants:
