A Descriptive Phonology of the Vowel System of Uvwiẹ

Extant literature on the vowel system of Uvwiẹ shows that the language contrasts 9 oral and 9 nasal vowels, and operates a full vowel harmony system defined by tongue root position. However, preliminary observation of current data from the language suggest otherwise. The present study therefore re-examines the vowel system of Uvwiẹ. It presents a descriptive phonological account of the vowel inventory and their putative behaviour within the phonological grammar of the language. Data for the study was drawn from the corpus documented in the appendix of the master’s thesis The Sound System of Uvwiẹ (Ekiugbo 2016), and analysed within the descriptive framework. This study found amongst other things that the language contrasts 7 (oral) vowels, and that co-occurrence restriction on vowel distribution is partial. The oral vowels contrast with their nasal counterparts. The study also shows the different vowel processes and vowel behaviours attested in the language.