*
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The use of the nasalisation-mark has also been strictly limited in the
*case of nasalised vowels preceding ʋ̃. Not every vowel preceding ʋ̃ is
*nasalised: in the following cases they have little or no nasalisation―
*(1) in nominal prefixes, such as u-ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ \ ] “salt”, ɔ-ʋ̃a [ ˩ \ ] “man”;
*(2) conjunctive pronouns, e.g. i-ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ / ] “I have”; (3) originally un-
*nasalised verbal stems in nouns of action of the type prefix u＋stem
*＋ʋ̃ɛ, e.g. ukɔʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ \ ˩ ] “act of planting”. In all other cases, vowels
*preceding ʋ̃ within the same word are nasalised. As ʋ̃ is rather frequent
*in the nominal and verbal suffix -ʋ̃ɛ (assimilated -ʋ̃a, -ʋ̃i, -ʋ̃ɔ, -ʋ̃u), the
*omission of the tilde (～) goes a long way towards simplifying the appear-
*ance of the written word, and it should not be difficult to remember in
*which words the vowel is nasalised if the above rule is kept in mind.
* It is, however, necessary to mark nasalisation in originally nasalised
*vowels of verbal stems occurring in nouns of action of the type prefix u
*＋stem＋ʋ̃ɛ, e.g. ukɔ̃ʋ̃ɛ [ ˩ \ ˩ ] “foolishness”. (This word is derived from
*kɔ̃ [ ˥ ] “to be foolish”, while the above-mentioned ukɔʋ̃ɛ is derived
*from kɔ [ ˥ ] “to plant”.)
* The following diphthongs occur in Bini: ia, ie, iɛ, io, iɔ, ua, ue, uɛ,
*uo, uɔ, ae, ɔe, oi, and the nasalised ones iã, iɛ̃, iɔ̃, uã, uɛ̃, uɔ̃, aɛ̃, ɔɛ̃, oĩ.
* The triphthongs in Bini are iae, iɔe, ioi, uae, uɛe, uɔe, uoi; and the
*nasalised ones iaɛ̃, iɔɛ̃, uaɛ̃, uɔɛ̃. Here, also, nasalisation is not marked
*after nasals.
* Initial i and u are often semi-vowels, especially in other than very
*slow speech; final e, ɛ̃, i are usually very short; in triphthongs the
*middle part is usually the most prominent.
* CONSONANTS
* The plosives p, t, k (slightly aspirated) and b, d, g need no comment,
*nor do the labio-dental fricatives f and v.
* ʋ is a voiced bilabial fricative (written vb in literature already
*published).
* ʋ̃ is a nasalised bilabial fricative. It is a separate nasal phoneme,
*distinct from ʋ and m (mw in literature already published).
* s and z are sometimes heard palatalised, e.g. in the speech of J. U.
*Egharevba. s and z are substituted for Yoruba ʃ and j, and English
*xxxxx
*ch, sh and j in loan-words. There is evidence, however, that the more
*advanced section of the community do pronounce English ch and j in
*modern importations. The affricates j (dy) and dʒ occur, however, in
*onomatopoeic words.
* There are two l-phonemes, one being the Fnglish “clear” l, and the
*other a flapped variety, ɽ, which is a sound intermediate between r and l;
*this has not been distinguished from r in existing publications, though
*some Bini speakers are conscious of this inadequacy.
*xi
