Isoko is an Edoid language, spoken by the Isoko people in the Isoko region of Delta State and Bayelsa. The Isoko language has about 20 to 21 dialects, but the Aviara/Uzere dialect is the standard dialect of the language.[citation needed]

Michael A. Marioghae, working with Peter Ladefoged in 1962, made one of a few audio recordings of sample Isoko words that are made available at the UCLA phonetics archive.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants
BilabialLabiodentalDentalDental-PalatalAlveolarPalatal/Palato-alveolarVelarLabial–velarLabiovelarGlottal
Nasalm()n̪ɲn(ɲ)ŋʷ
Plosivevoicelessp(t̪c)t(c)k(kp)
voicedb(d̪ɟ)d(ɟ)ɡɡb(ɡʷ)
Implosivevoicelessƥ
voicedɓ
Affricatevoiceless()
voiced
Fricativevoiceless(ɸ)fsʃ(x)ʍ ~ h
voicedvzɣɣʷ
breathy()ɦ
Approximantcentralɹjw
laterall
Tapɾ
Trillr

Consonants in parentheses occur in dialects other than Uzere.

According to Donwa-Ifode (1986), the following phonetic variations exist between dialects:

Vowels

Vowels
FrontBack
Closeiu
Close-mideo
Open-midɛ ⟨ẹ⟩ɔ ⟨ọ⟩
Opena

Orthography

Isoko alphabet[better source needed]
ABDEFGHIJKLM
NOPRSTUVWYZ
Digraphs
CHGBGHHWKPNWNYSHTHWH

External links