KLY/KulY/KY mœgi, Saibai/Dœwan mœgina, Bœigu mœgina, kœthuka woman, female: KKY yipkaz/yœpkaz [stem yipkazi-/yœpkazi-], KLY/KulY ipikaz (KLY variant iipka) [stem ipkazi-], KY ipkai/ipikai [stem ipkazi-/ipikazi-] man, male: KKY garkaz [stem garkazi-], KLY/KulY garka [stem garkazi-], KY garkai [stem garkazi-] unmarried young/teenage woman: KKY ngawakaz [stem ngawakazi-], KLY/KulY ngawka/ngoka [stem ngawkazi-/ngokazi-], KY ngawakaz [stem ngawakazi-] song: KLY naawu (plural nawul), KulY nawu (plural nawulai), KY nawu (plural nawul), KKY na (plural nathai) moon, month: KLY kisaayi, poetry mœlpal, KulY/KY kiisay, poetry mœlpal, KKY mœlpal, poetry kiisay Phonology Consonants Kala Lagaw Ya is the only Australian language to have the alveolar fricatives and . However, these have allophonic variants and , which are the norm in Australian languages (usually and but non-contrasting). These latter two are allophones in that in all environments and can appear, while and can not appear at the end of a word; note that this allophony is very similar to that of the neighbouring Papuan language Bine. All the stops, except for the alveolars and , have fricative allophones, thus can be or , can be or , or , and so on. Furthermore, it is one of the few Australian languages with fully functioning voiced-voiceless distinctions (, , , , ) — and one of the few without retroflex stops. The language is also one of the few Australian languages with only one rhotic, one and one . The earliest recorded dialect, Kaiwalgau Ya (Kauraraigau Ya [Kowrareg]), however, did have two rhotics, the tap and the glide; the rhotic glide has in general become or zero in the other dialects (and Modern Kaiwaligau Ya), rarely . Neighbouring languages retain an in related words, such as: sayima, sayim, sayma 'outrigger' - Kauraraigau Ya sařima, Kiwai (Papua) harima, Gudang (Australia) charima babath 'opposite-sex sibling' - Kauraraigau Ya bœřabatha 'opposite-sex sibling', Meriam Mìr berbet 'sibling' kupai, KKY kupa 'birth cord' - Kauraraigau Ya kupař, MM kopor However, in singing, , and are pronounced , , and , are virtually never as , and . Note: The consonant varies to some extent with , particularly in KKY/KY kadai-/karai-, KLY/KulY kad[a]/kad[a]/kadai/karai 'upwards'. Vowels Notes: The long vowel is only found in Kala Lagaw Ya. Length is to a certain extent contrastive, and partly allophonic. The +/-round contrast is reminiscent of Papuan phonology. The mid long vowels are allophonic variants of the mid short vowels that are in the process of developing phonemic status,