Nzema language
Tano language of Ghana and Ivory Coast
| Nzema | |
|---|---|
| Region | Ghana, Ivory Coast |
| Ethnicity | Nzema |
Native speakers | 430,000 (2013–2021)[1] |
Language family | Niger–Congo?
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | nzi |
| ISO 639-3 | nzi |
| Glottolog | nzim1238 |
Nzema, also known as Nzima or Appolo, is a Central Tano language spoken by the Nzema people of southwestern Ghana and southeastern Ivory Coast.[2] It is partially intelligible with Jwira-Pepesa and is closely related to Baoulé.[3]
Although it is a Bia language, Nzema is also one of the many Akan languages, and it has had considerable influence from other Akan languages, especially Twi and Fante.[4] There are notable towns in Nzemaland such as Bonyere, Nkroful, Half Assini, Axim, Eikwe, Baku, Atuabo, Beyin and Essiama.
Phonology
Consonants
| [4] | Labial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | (Alveolo-) Palatal | Velar | Labial-velar | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | plain | lab. | pal. | plain | lab. | plain | lab. | |||||
| Nasal | plain | m | n̪ | n | ɲ | ɲʷ | ŋ | ŋʷ | ŋm | ||||
| Plosive/ Affricate | voiceless | p | tp | t̪ | dʑ | dʑʷ | k | kʷ | kp | ||||
| voiced | b | db | d̪ | d | tɕ | tɕʷ | ɡ | gʷ | ɡb | ||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | fʷ | s | sʷ | sʲ | ɕ | ɕʷ | x | ||||
| voiced | v | vʷ | z | zʷ | zʲ | ɣ | |||||||
| Trill | r | ||||||||||||
| Lateral | plain | l | |||||||||||
| nasalized | l̃ | ||||||||||||
| Approximant | j | w | |||||||||||
Vowels
| [4] | Front | Central | Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Near-close | ɪ | ʊ | |
| Close-mid | e | o | |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Near-open | ɐ | ||
| Open | a |
Of Nzema's ten vowels, eight may be nasalized: /ĩ/, /ɪ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /ɐ̃/, /ã/, /ũ/, /ʊ̃/ and /ɔ̃/.[4]
Writing system
| Uppercase | A | B | D | Ɛ | E | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | Ɔ | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowercase | a | b | d | ɛ | e | f | g | h | i | k | l | m | n | ɔ | o | p | r | s | t | u | v | w | y | z |
References
- ^ Nzema at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
- ^ "Nzema". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
- ^ Burmeister, Jonathan L. (1976). "A comparison of variable nouns in Anyi-Sanvi and Nzema". Annales de l'Université d'Abidjan. H (Linguistique 9): 7–19.
- ^ a b c d Berry, J. (1955). "Some Notes on the Phonology of the Nzema and Ahanta Dialects". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 17 (1): 160–165. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00106421. ISSN 1474-0699.
- ^ Language Guide, 1977
External links
- Nzema language dictionaries
Nzema language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator
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