Page 117 - A GRAMMAR OF BHOJPURI _ PhD Dissertation 2020 TU

g. ओ /o/ and I /õ/

Word-initial Inter-consonantal word-final
ओहर /oɦʌr/ 'weak' गोितआ /ɡotiɑ/ 'blood relatives' खो /kʰo/ 'eat'

ओँहर /õɦʌr/ 'that place' गोँितआ /ɡõtiɑ/ 'knocking and treading' खोँ /kʰõ/ 'cough'

h. उ /u/ and उँ /ũ/

Word-initial Inter-consonantal word-final
उटनी /uʈʌni/ 'lizard' कुड़ा /kuɽɑ/ 'rubbish' उ /u/ 's/he, it'

उँटनी /ũʈʌni/ 'female camel' कुँड़ा /kũɽɑ/ 'cooking pot' उँ /ũ/ 'yea'

Exemplifications in (14a-h) exhibit Bhojpuri oral and nasal monophthongs are
phonemic against each other in all environments: word-initial, inter-consonantal and

word-final.
b) Phonemic contrasts among nasal monophthongs
Bhojpuri nasal monophthongs are contrastive among themselves, as shown in (15).

(15) a. इँ /ĩ/ vs. एँ /ẽ/

Word-initial Inter-consonantal word-final
इँ /ĩ/ 'teasing expression' बी ँ ट /bĩʈ/ 'line in feast-eating' ही ँ /ɦĩ/ 'sound of horse'

एँ /ɛ ̃ / 'cry' बेँट /bẽʈ/ 'hilt' हेँ /ɦẽ/ 'opposition exp.'

b. इँ /ĩ/ vs. ऐँ /ɛ/
̃
Word-initial Inter-consonantal word-final
इँऱ /ĩr ̥ / 'cook' Jहच /ɦĩc/ 'over efforts'

ऐँऱ /ɛ ̃ r ̥ / 'lying uneasily' है ँ च /ɦɛc/ 'twist'
̃
c. इँ /ĩ/ vs. आँ /ɑ/
̃
Word-initial Inter-consonantal Word-final
इँटा /ĩʈɑ/ 'brick' खLच /kʰĩc/ 'pull (IMP)'

आँटा /ɑtɑ/ 'flour' खाँच /kʰɑc/ 'fishing container'
̃
̃
̃
d. एँ /ẽ/ vs. ऐँ /ɛ/
Word-initial Inter-consonantal word-final
पेँड़ा /pẽɽɑ/ 'khoa sweet' तेँ /tẽ/ 'thou'

पै ँ ड़ा /pɛɽɑ/ 'way' तै ँ /tɛ/ 'so'
̃
̃
गेँड़ा /ɡẽɽɑ/ 'a piece'

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