Sawai language

The Sawai language (also Weda) is a South Halmahera language of the Austronesian language family spoken in the Weda and Gane Timor districts of southern Halmahera, northern Maluku Province, Indonesia. There are approximately 12,000 speakers.

Sounds
Below is a description of the Kobe dialect of Sawai spoken in the villages of Lelilef Woyebulan and Kobe Peplis, as well as from Whistler (1995).

Consonants
Sawai has 15 consonants:

Vowels
Sawai has eight vowels:

Syllable
Sawai has the following syllable structure:


 * (C)(C)V(C)

Examples: