Ghomalaʼ language
Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon
Ghomala | |
---|---|
Ghɔmálá’ | |
Region | Cameroon |
Ethnicity | Bamileke |
Native speakers | 350,000 (2005)[1] |
Language family | Niger–Congo?
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | bbj |
Glottolog | ghom1247 |
Ghɔmálá’ or Ghomala is a major Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon, originally in the following departments of the West region:
- Mifi, Koung-Khi and Hauts-Plateaux: most of the three departments (except extreme south and except pockets in the north and west)
- Menoua: east of the department
- Bamboutos: a corner in the south
It is spoken by an estimated 2 million people in two main population groups.[citation needed]
Phonology
Consonants
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | ʔ | |
voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||
Affricate | voiceless | p͡f | t͡s | t͡ʃ | ||
voiced | b͡v | d͡z | d͡ʒ | |||
Fricative | voiceless | f | s | (ʃ) | h | |
voiced | (v) | (ʒ) | (ɣ) | |||
Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
Approximant | lateral | (l) | ||||
central | w | j | ||||
centralized | ɥ̈ |
- The glottal stop /ʔ/ only occurs as word-final.
- Sounds [v l ʃ ʒ ɣ] are alternative consonant sounds of /b͡v d t͡ʃ d͡ʒ ɡ/.
- /t d/, when occurring before close front-central vowel sounds /i ʉ/, can sound palatalized as [tʲ dʲ].
- Sounds /p b t d k/, when preceding a /h/ sound, are realized as affricated [p͡ɸ b͡β t͡θ d͡ð k͡x].
- /ɡ/, when occurring before central vowel sounds /ə ɐ/, may sound affricated as [ɡ͡ɣ].
- A word-final /k/ sound, may be realized as uvular sounds [q χ].
Vowels
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High | i | ʉ | u |
Mid | e | ə | o |
ɛ | ɐ | ɔ | |
Low | a |
- Sounds /ɐ u ɔ/ when occurring with a velar nasal /ŋ/, can be realized as nasalized vowel sounds [ɐ̃ ũ ɔ̃].[2]
Tone
Tones are marked as high [á], low [à], mid (unmarked) [a], rising [ǎ], or falling [â].
References
- ^ Ghomala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Nissim, Gabriel M. (1981). Le Bamileke-Ghomálá' (Parler de Bandjoun, Cameroun). Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Sciéntifique.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/Incubator-logo.svg/32px-Incubator-logo.svg.png)
Ghomalaʼ language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator
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- Bambalang
- Bana
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- Gbanu
- Gbanzili
- Ghomala'
- Gidar
- Glavda
- Gude
- Gunu
- Gvoko
- Hausa
- Hdi
- Hijuk
- Hina
- Hya
- Ipulo
- Iyive
- Jimi
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- Kaalong
- Kabba
- Kako
- Kali
- Kanuri
- Kare
- Kasabe
- Kera
- Ki
- Kogo
- Kol
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- Kutin
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- Kwasio
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- Mbum
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- Northwest Gbaya
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- Pinyin
- Pol
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- Psikyɛ
- Rombi
- Sharwa
- South Giziga
- Suwu
- Swo
- Tibea
- Tikar
- To
- Tsuvan
- Tupuri
- Vame
- Vemgo-Mabas
- Vengo
- Vere
- Voko
- Wom
- Wuzlam
- Yamba
- Yambe
- Yasa
- Yedina
- Yemba
- Yeni
- Zizilivakan
- Zulgo-Gemzek
- Zumaya
See also: General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages
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