Fwe language
Fwe | |
---|---|
cìfwè | |
Region | |
Native speakers | 10,200 (2006)[1] |
?
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | fwe |
Glottolog | fwee1238 |
K.402 [2] |
Person | màfwè |
---|---|
People | cìfwè |
Fwe, or Chifwe, is a
Although under the pressure of Lozi and Kuhane (Subiya), Fwe speakers tend to have a positive attitude towards Fwe, and speaking Fwe is often considered an important part of one's identity,[3] and thus underscores the vitality of the language.[4]
Regional variation
Main phonological differences between Zambian and Namibian Fwe, as noted by both the speakers and seen in the data:[5]
Zambian Fwe | Namibian Fwe |
---|---|
loss of clicks | maintenance of clicks |
overgeneralization of /l/ | [l] only as conditioned allophone of /r/ |
epenthetic [h] frequently used | epenthetic [h] rarely used |
Morphological differences between Zambian and Namibian Fwe:
Zambian Fwe | Namibian Fwe | |
---|---|---|
past | na- | a- |
reflexive | kí- | rí- |
remote past | na- | ni- |
remote future | na- | (á)rá- |
inceptive | sha- | shi- |
connective | PP - o | PP - a |
persistive | shí- | shí-/-sí- |
negative imperative | ásha- | ásha-/-ása- |
negative infinitive | shá- | shá-/-sá- |
negative subjunctive | sha | sha-/-sa- |
near future | mbo-/mba- | mbo |
Phonology
Fwe syllables consist, at most, of a consonant, a glide, and a vowel.
Consonants
Consonant inventory of Fwe[6] Bilabial Dental/
LabiodentalAlveolar Postalveolar/
PalatalVelar Glottal Click plain ᵏǀ ᶢǀ prenasalized ⁿ̥ǀ ⁿǀ Nasalm nɲ ŋ Stopvoiceless p tk voiced b dɡ prenasalized ᵐp ᵐb ⁿt ⁿd ᵑk ᵑɡ Fricative voiceless f s ʃ h voiced β v z ʒ prenasalized ᶬf ᶬv ⁿs ⁿz ⁿʃ Affricate plain tʃ prenasalized ⁿtʃ ⁿdʒ Tapɾ Glidej w
- The plosives /p b d g/ are considered peripheral phonemes, as they are relatively infrequent in the lexicon. They are not reflexes of *p, *b, *d and *g as reconstructed for Proto-Bantu, but mainly appear in loanwords.[7]
- Though there are numerous cases where /h/ contrasts with zero, i.e. where /h/ can-not be omitted, [h] is also often used as an epenthetic consonant, in which case it freely commutes with [w], [j] and zero. Phonemic /h/, on the other hand, cannot commute with a glide nor can it be dropped.[8]
Vowels
Fwe has five contrastive vowel phonemes: /ɪ ʊ ɛ ɔ a/. Vowels contrast in length, as seen in the minimal pairs below:[9]
ku-kúr-a
INF-grow-FV
to grow
ku-kúːr-a
INF-shift-FV
to shift, move house
Tone
Fwe has two underlying tones, high and low. At the surface level, these tones may be articulated as high, low, falling, or downstepped high tone.[10]
References
- ^ Fwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Gunnink 2018, p. 4
- ^ Gunnink 2018, p. 5
- ^ Gunnink 2018, p. 5, 6
- ^ Gunnink 2018, p. 11, 12
- ^ Gunnink 2018, p. 13
- ^ Gunnink 2018, p. 19
- ^ Gunnink 2022, p. 32
- ^ Gunnink 2022, p. 74
- Gunnink, Hilde (2018). A grammar of Fwe: a Bantu language of Zambia and Namibia (PhD thesis). Ghent University. hdl:1854/LU-8553074.
- Gunnink, Hilde (2022). A grammar of Fwe (pdf). Berlin: Language Science Press. ISBN 9783961103881.