Buol language

Phonology

Vowels are /a e i o u/. Stress falls on penultimate syllable, with sequence of like vowels counting as one syllable. Consonants are:

/dʒ/ occurs in loans. /h/, /s/, /ʔ/ are found in loans and a small number of native words, such as /buahaŋa/ 'k.o. cricket', /sio/ 'nine', /naʔal/ 'bark slippers'.

/β/ only occurs before /u/, but there are near-minimal pairs such as /βuŋo/ 'fruit', /buŋol/ 'leaf'.

/ʎ/ is pronounced [l] after a front vowel, as in [dila] 'tongue'; [] if not, but preceded by a front vowel, as in [ae] 'chin'; and [ʎ] elsewhere. However, there is an exception with the sequences /ʎaʎa, ʎoʎa, ʎoʎo/, where the first /ʎ/ is pronounced [l], as in /ʎoʎo/ [loʎo] 'face'.