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3. Karang. Karang is an Adamawan language spoken in Cameroon. First, the
labial flap is contrastive with the other labial sounds in Karang. Contrasts are are listed in
(6):
(6) Contrast with other labial sounds in Karang (Ubels & Ubels 1980, Bob Ulfers,
per. comm.)
labial labial-velar
stops F= F= ‘to cultivate’ F=b F=b F=b F=b ‘a hoe’
>= >= ‘to resemble’ C>= C>= ‘to spread out’
>= >= >= >= ‘no longer’ C>= C>= C>= C>= ‘to seize’
implosives = = = = ‘copulative’
nasals = = = = ‘toward’
flap L=] L=] ‘to beat’
approximant M= M= ‘interrogative marker’
stops >=( >=( >=( >=( ‘father’ F=( F=( F=( F=( ‘the bush’
>= >= >= >= ‘be full’
implosives = = = = ‘to say’
fricatives B= B= B= B= ‘to argue’
L= L= L= L= ‘to greet’
nasals = = = = ‘be enough’
flap L= L= L= L= ‘to agree’
approximant M= M= M= M= ‘husband’
Ubels & Ubels also provide contrasts before the vowels i, e, u, and o. Second, the
sound is comparatively well-attested in Karang, occurring in over a dozen words, a
sampling of which are shown in (7). Third, the sound occurs in all major grammatical
categories in Karang, including nouns, verbs, and ideophones. Fourth, the sound usually
occurs in word-initial position, but is also attested in word-medial position in two words.
Of particular interest is its occurrence following a consonant (presumably across a
syllable boundary) in FALALA FALALA FALALA FALALA ‘very high’. This is the only case in our data of the
sound occurring adjacent to a stop. Fifth, the sound is attested before all vowels in
Karang except .
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