The Kukuya language, Kikukuya , also transcribed Kukẅa and known as Southern Teke, is a member of the Teke dialect continuum of the Congolese plateau. It is the only language known to have a phonemic labiodental nasal . The name of the language comes from the word kuya "plateau". Phonology The five vowels are , which may be long (double) or short. Other vowel sequences do not occur. is realised as in the environment () and also before or another , as in the name Kukuya . Prenasalized voiceless consonants are aspirated. Depending on speaker and region, the sound represented by may be either or , apart from the word "with", which is always . The labiodental nasal is realized as before and as before and ; suggests that this is due to a conflict between labialization and the spread front vowels. The velar stop is word initially and typically between vowels; there is a similar alternation with and . and especially are uncommon. is found in a single highly frequent word, ('also'). Cw sequences are rare and only occur before unrounded vowels; they include . (C cannot be .) It may be possible that the frequent sounds (which occur before , respectively) are phonemically , but argues against this analysis. Cj sequences such as are also rare (a dozen cases) and only occur before . It may be possible that the frequent sounds are phonemically , but they are not restricted as to following vowels and argues against this analysis. Diachronically, Kukwa affricates derive from stops before close vowels or vowel sequences, and derives from *k rather than *p. The labiodentals are not found before . is not attested before , and is not found in underived words before . Prenasalized affricates are generally transcribed mf, mv, ns, nz. Phonemic neutralization may occur when consonants are prenasalized: N + → N + → ("mf") N + → N + → ("ns") N + → ("nz") Syllables are primarily CV, with some CwV and CjV; vowel-initial syllables do not occur. Roots (not counting nominal prefixes and the like) are of the forms CV, CVV, CVCV, CVVCV, and CVCVCV. In the latter case, the middle vowel is neutralized. There are only six medial consonants, , and six combinations of medial C2C3 in the case of CVCVCV words, . posits both tone and stress, with tone being high or low, though not