Mangbai language
Mangbai | |
---|---|
Native to | Cameroon, Chad |
Native speakers | 14,000 (2002–2011)[1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | mcs |
Glottolog | mamb1294 |
ELP | Mambai |
Mangbai (Mamgbay, Mambai) is an Mbum language of northern Cameroon and southern Chad.
Distribution
In Cameroon, Mambay is spoken along the Mayo-Kebi River near the Chadian border, in the Djaloumé region (northern end of Bibemi commune, Bénoué department), where there is a massif called Hosséré Mambay. It is also spoken in the extreme southeast of Figuil commune, Mayo-Louti department. In Cameroon and Chad, there is a total of about 2,500 speakers, many of whom also speak Mundang.
Phonology
Consonants[2]
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labial-velar
|
Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stop
|
voiceless | p | t
|
k | kp | ʔ | |
voiced | b | d
|
ɡ | gb | |||
implosive | ɓ | ɗ | |||||
Fricative
|
voiceless | f | s | h | |||
voiced | v | z | |||||
Nasal | plain | m | n
|
ŋ | |||
glottalized | ˀm | ˀn | ˀŋ | ||||
Flap/Trill
|
ⱱ̟ | r
|
|||||
Approximant | plain | l
|
j | w | |||
glottalized | ˀj | ˀw |
Vowels
Front | Central | Back | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
short | long | short | long | short | long | |
High
|
i | iː | u | uː | ||
Mid | e | eː | o | oː | ||
Low
|
a | aː |
/e, o/ are heard as [ɛ, ɔ] when in closed syllables.
Front | Central | Back | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
short | long | short | long | short | long | |
High
|
ĩ | ĩː | ũ | ũː | ||
Low
|
ã | ãː |
Glottalized
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High
|
iˀ | uˀ | |
Mid | eˀ | oˀ | |
Low
|
aˀ |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High
|
ĩˀ | ũˀ | |
Low
|
ãˀ |
Pharyngealized
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Mid | eˤ | oˤ | |
Low
|
aˤ |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High
|
ĩˤ | ũˤ | |
Low
|
ãˤ |
References
- ^ Mangbai at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Anonby, Erik John (2008). "Phonology and Morphology of Mambay (Niger-Congo, Adamawa)". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-09-18.