This dissertation presents the descriptions of the segmental and non-segmental phonology rnof Kunama, a Nilo-Saharan dialect cluster spoken in Western Eritrea and Northern rnEthiopia. It also provides an annotated multimedia corpus of the names and description of rnthe Kunama cultural artifacts. The study uses primary data recorded from speakers of thernKunama Shukre dialect, spoken by an isolated minority group living in Tahtay Addi rnYabo Woreda of Northwestern Zone of the Tigray Regional State, Ethiopia. The data was rncollected in three-round fieldworks in a period of two years (2014-15). The study has rnapplied both impressionistic and instrumental analyses methods. rnThe segmental phonology part covers the description of consonant and vowel sounds, rnphonotactics and syllable structure, phonological and morphophonological process and rnphonological adaptation of loanwords. Kunama (Shukre) has 18 consonant phonemes, rnwhereas, the glottal fricative /h/ consonant, which has previously been proposed as the rn19th consonant phoneme of Kunama, is found to be marginal. Two labialized velar rnconsonants are attested to be the allophonic variants of the basic velar phonemes. The rnlanguage has five phonemic vowels with an equal number of longer counterparts. The rnschwa and the central high-close vowel have a phonetic status despite that they are rnfrequent. The analysis of phonotactics and syllable structure shows that the language has rna richer and moderately complex inventory of syllable shapes. The productive and the rnmost frequent consonant clusters (CC) follow sonorant-obstruent pattern, in which thernprenasalized sequences (Nasal-Obstruent) are the commonest of all. Clusters and rngeminates occur only word-medially, so more than one consonant is severely marked, rnword-initially while three consonant sequences (CCC) are disallowed. Typologically, rnKunama syllables are specified as light-open, heavy-open, light-closed and heavy-closed rnstructures. Syllable weight specification is based on the mora count in the rhyme rnconstituents of a syllable. Kunama light syllables are mono-moraic, i.e. having either a rnshort vowel or a short vowel with a non-sonorant coda; whereas, the heavy syllables are rnbi-moraic having a long vowel, a diphthong, or a short vowel with a sonorant coda. A (C) rnV (C) template that makes an obligatory nucleus and optional margins, therefore, represents the Kunama basic syllable structures. While CV syllable is the unmarked rnstructure, closed syllables (VC and CVC) are constrained word-finally. The rnmorphophonemic processes comprise of terminal vowel deletion, vowel and glide rnepenthesis, glide formation, vowel rounding assimilation, gemination and degemination. rnPost-lexical alterations may cause constraint violations and necessitate resyllabificationrnas such some constraints that operate on non-derived lexical items may not diametrically rnencode onto derivations. The analysis of phonological adaptation of loanwords exploresrnthe adjustment of word shapes and the mapping of sound segments of borrowed terms.rnAccordingly, consonant final loanwords are adapted with epenthesis of the nominal rnvowel suffix [a], and sound segments are adapted via substitution, deletion and retentionrnstrategies. The vowel adaptation is asymmetrical as both phonetically and phonologically rngrounded changes have been observed; nonetheless, the consonant adaptation is rnphonologically grounded.rnThe non-segmental phonology part covers the analyses of gemination, vowel length and rntone, in the lexicon and in the grammar. Kunama is a tone language with quantity rncontrast of vowel and consonant length. It has three phonemic tone levels (High, Mid and rnLow) that combine in nine ways on the surface of bi-moraic syllables and on sequences rnof two light syllables. These level combinations are claimed to be the basic melodies of rnthe language. Complex (polysyllabic) contour melodies that combine simple rises and rnfalls are attested on polysyllabic words. The study attempts to show the importance of rnpitch scaling in Kunama tone production as such it proposes a four-point pitch height rnscale in the tonal space of three distinctive level heights. The F0 scaling splits the high rntone into extra-high and high pitches though no evidence shows the prominence of the rnformer in underlying contrast. Tone plays a grammatical role as well, and it marks rnnumber of the possessor, in a range of possessive constructions, and number of person rnobject in verbs. It also identifies inclusive vs. exclusive possessor, copula vs. genitive, rnand used as an intensifier morpheme on adjectives in attributive function. The salient rntonal processes in Kunama are triggered by morpheme boundary phenomena. These rninclude spreading and floating of tones, re-linking of floating tones, high tone shifting rnand docking, contour formation, tone assimilation and a low tone terrace.