Tabaru language


Tabaru is a North Halmahera language of Indonesia.

Phonology

Vowels

Tabaru has a simple five vowel system: a, e, i, o, u.

Consonants

Syllable structure and stress

On the surface level, Tabaru only allows syllables of the type V. Words with an underlying final consonant add an echo vowel: ngówaka ′child′, ókere ′drink′, sárimi ′paddle′, ódomo ′eat′, pálusu ′answer′. The echo vowel is dropped when a suffix is added: woísene ′hear′, but woisenoka ′heard′. Stress regularly falls on the penultimate syllable, but shifts to the antepenultimate when the word takes an echo vowel.