Vowels According to Maddieson (1987), Margi is noted for having a
vertical vowel system, with only two
phonemic vowels, and , in native vocabulary. Loan words also distinguish and .
Consonants Margi has a large consonant inventory, with a number of
labialised consonants and
typologically infrequent speech sounds such as a
labiodental flap. Hoffmann (1963) describes 84 consonantal phonemes, a very large number compared to that of most languages. This system, with a great number of non-
click consonants, compares to that of the Caucasian language
Ubykh, having the largest inventory of any language without clicks. However, Hoffmann's list of consonants includes all sequences of
consonant clusters occurring in
onsets in the language. Many of these clusters have since been analysed as sequences, such as and . If labialized consonants are counted separately, there are 66 consonants that remain in the analysis, and 54 if it is interpreted as a sequence. The velar may be closer to an approximant . The closely related language
Bura is similar but has a palatalised lateral series as well. is used in
mimesis rather than in lexical vocabulary. The glottalised consonants have been described as either
creaky voiced or
implosive; according to Maddieson, they are evidently both, as in
Hausa. The sequences that Hoffmann included in his consonant inventory are all labial–coronal: : ==See also==