Mangbetu language

Mangbetu, or Nemangbetu, is one of the most populous of the

Mangbetu dialects and locations as listed by Demolin (1992):[3]

• Mangbetu proper is spoken north of
  Haut-Uele and north of the Bomokandi River. It is found in Nangazizi and Rungu in the collectivité of Azanga, Ganga in the collectivité of Okondo, Tapili in the collectivité of Mangbetu, Medanoma in the collectivité of Mangbele, in Ndei collectivité north of Isiro
  , and in Mboli collectivité near Goa.
• Medje (Mɛdʒɛ) is spoken south of Isiro, around Medje in Mongomassi and Medje collectivités, and also in the ethnic Mangbetu collectivités of Azanga and Ndei.
• Makere is spoken around Zobia in the subregion of
  Bas-Uele
  .
• Malele is spoken in
  Poko Territory^[4]
  - in the areas of Balele, Niapu, and Kisanga.
• Mapopoi is spoken in Panga and the Aruwimi River.
• Nabulu is spoken in Bafwasamoa, 15 km north of Nia-Nia.
• Lombi is spoken in
  Bafwasende Territory^[4] - in Barumbi around the Opienge River, and in Maiko National Park
  .

Phonology

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Vowels

	Front		Central		Back
	+ATR	-ATR	+ATR	-ATR	+ATR	-ATR
Close	i	ɪ			u	ʊ
Mid	e	ɛ			o	ɔ
Open			a	a

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Postalv./ Palatal	Velar	Labial- velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n		ɲ	ŋ
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t	ʈʳ	t͡ʃ	k	k͡p	ʔ
	voiced	b	d	ɖʳ	d͡ʒ	ɡ	ɡ͡b
	prenasalized	ᵐb	ⁿd	ᶯɖʳ		ᵑɡ	ᵑᵐɡ͡b
	implosive	ɓ	ɗ		ʄ
Fricative	voiceless	f	s					h
	voiced	v	z
	prenasalized	ᶬv	ⁿz
Trill	voiceless	ʙ̥
	voiced	ʙ
	prenasalized	ᵐʙ
Tap		ⱱ
Approximant			l		j		w

Retroflex consonants are slightly trilled as [ʈʳ], [ɖʳ], [ᶯɖʳ].[5]

Other Features

One unusual feature of Mangbetu is that it has both a voiced and a voiceless

The labial trills are not particularly associated with back vowels or prenasalization, pace their development in some American languages.[8]

[éʙ̥ì] "leaping like a leopard"

[nɛʙàʙá] "kind of plan"

References