Gula Iro language

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Gula Iro
Native to	Chad
Native speakers	(3,500 cited 1991)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Mbum–Day Bua Gula Gula Iro
Language codes
ISO 639-3	glj
Glottolog	gula1265

The Gula Iro language (autonym kùláál) is a

rivers. It has four dialects, according to Pairault:

• páṭóól (350 speakers), the northernmost and the least comprehensible to speakers of the other dialects, spoken in and around Badi;
• pòŋààl (2,000 speakers), by the north shore of the lake, spoken in and around Boum Kabir, Boum Sarher, and Tordjigel;
• tɩ́ààlà (730 speakers), spoken east and south of the lake, including Kouré, Bouni, Tormorhal, and Masidjanga;
• tííṭààl (200 speakers), the easternmost, spoken in various villages west of Tamba;

to which Ethnologue adds a fifth, Korintal (170 speakers), spoken in Tieou.^[1]

Gula Iro is very closely related to Zan Gula and Bon Gula, but they are not mutually comprehensible.

Phonology

The consonants, along with their orthography, are:

	Bilabial	Labiodental	Apico-dental	Postalveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosives	p		t	ṭ		k
Fricatives		f			s		h
Liquids	w		l		y
Nasal	m		n		ñ	ŋ
Trills			r

The vowels are: a, e, i, o, u, ɛ, ɩ, ɔ, ʋ. Nasalization (only on a, e, o) and length are both contrastive, and diphthongs can be formed. Tone is phonemic; each vowel must carry high or low tone.

Grammar

Typical word order is

. The basic subject pronouns are: ñó I, mó you (sg.), á he/she/it, pʋ́ we (exclusive), én we (inclusive), í you (pl.), ʋ́ they.

Bibliography

• P. Boyeldieu. "La formation du pluriel nominal en kulaal (Tchad): essai de systématisation des documents publiés par C. Pairault". Afrika und Übersee, 1986, n° 69, vol. 2, p. 209-249.
• C. Pairault, Documents du parler d'iro: kùláál du Tchad. Langues et Littérature de l'Afrique Noire V. Klincksieck: Paris 1969.

References