An analysis of the Dinka (Sudan) vowel system consists of: (1) an overview of Dinka phonological structure, including the phonological sentence, the phonological word, the syllable, and the consonantal and vocalic features of the sound system; (2) an examination of breathy versus nonbreathy vowels, including a review of previous research using a variety of approaches and a discussion of physical, lexical, and grammatical aspects of the two vowel types; (3) a discussion of the acoustic characteristics of breathy and nonbreathy vowels; (4) an analysis of tone; (5) a discussion of vowel length; and (6) an examination of the role of centralized vowels. (MSE)