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{{Short description|Savannas language spoken in Central Africa}}
{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
|name= Northwest Gbaya
|name= Northwest Gbaya
Line 5: Line 6:
|speakers=65,000 in Cameroon
|speakers=65,000 in Cameroon
|date=1980
|date=1980
|speakers2=200,000 in CAR (1996), 2,000 in Congo
|speakers2=200,000 in CAR (1996), 2,000 in Congo (1993)
|ref=e17
|ref=e18
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo]]
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo]]
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|dia3=(3rd variety)
|dia3=(3rd variety)
}}
}}
'''Northwest Gbaya''' is a [[Gbaya languages|Gbaya language]] spoken across a broad expanse of Cameroon and the Central African Republic. The principal variety is Kara (Kàrà, Gbaya Kara), a name shared with [[Kara language|several neighboring languages]]; Lay (Làì) is restricted to a small area north of [[Mbodomo language|Mbodomo]], with a third between it and [[Toongo language|Toongo]] that is not named in Moñino (2010), but is influenced by the Gbaya languages to the south.
'''Northwest Gbaya''' is a [[Gbaya languages|Gbaya language]] spoken across a broad expanse of Cameroon and the Central African Republic. The principal variety is Kara (Kàrà, Gbaya Kara), a name shared with [[Kara language (disambiguation)|several neighboring languages]]; Lay (Làì) is restricted to a small area north of [[Mbodomo language|Mbodomo]], with a third between it and [[Toongo language|Toongo]] that is not named in Moñino (2010), but is influenced by the Gbaya languages to the south.


For male initiation rites, the Gbaya Kara use a language called ''[[La'bi language|La'bi]]''.
For male initiation rites, the Gbaya Kara use a language called ''[[La'bi language|La'bi]]''.

==Phonology==
The following information is based on the 'Bodoe (Kàrà) and northern dialects:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Roulon-Doko|first=Paulette|title=Parlons Gbaya|publisher=Paris: L'Harmattan|year=1997}}</ref>

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Labialized velar consonant|Labio-<br>velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|m
|n
|ɲ
|ŋ
|ŋ͡m
|
|-
! rowspan="4" |[[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|p
|t
|
|k
|k͡p
|ʔ
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|b
|d
|
|ɡ
|ɡ͡b
|
|-
!<small>[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small>
|ᵐb
|ⁿd
|
|ᵑɡ
|ᵑᵐɡ͡b
|
|-
!<small>[[Implosive consonant|implosive]]</small>
|ɓ
|ɗ
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|f
|s
|
|
|
|h
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|v
|z
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Tap and flap consonants|Tap]]/[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|(ⱱ)
|r
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
|l
|j
|
|w
|
|}

* The labio-dental flap /ⱱ/ appears only in ideophonic adverbs within word-initial or intervocalic position.<ref name=":0" />

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+Oral vowels
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|i iː
|
|u uː
|-
![[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|e eː
|
|o oː
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|ɛ ɛː
|
|ɔ ɔː
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|a aː
|
|}

* /w/ can be heard as centralized [ẅ] when preceding front vowels /i, e, ɛ/.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Nasal vowels
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|ĩ ĩː
|
|ũ ũː
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|ɛ̃ ɛ̃ː
|
|ɔ̃ ɔ̃ː
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|ã ãː
|
|}

* /w/ is heard as nasalized [w̃] when preceding nasal vowels.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Moñino|first=Yves|title=Gbaya du Nord (Kara, Yaayuwee)|publisher=Paris : Peeters|year=1995|location=Le proto-Gbaya : essai de linguistique comparative historique sur vingt-et-une langes de'Afrique centrale|pages=58}}</ref>

== Writing system ==
Paulette Roulon-Doko uses a uses a phonetic transcription in her works on Northwest Gbaya. The nasal vowels are noted there with the tilde under the vowel letter {{anglebracket|a̰, ɛ̰, ḭ, ɔ̰, ṵ}}.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Northwest Gbaya phonetic alphabet{{sfn|Roulon-Doko|2008|p=9-10}}
| a || b || ɓ || d || ɗ
| e || ɛ || f || g || gb
| h || i || k || kp || l
| m || mb || n || nd || ng
| ngb || ɲ || ŋ || nm || p
| ɔ || p || r || s || t
| u || v || ʋ || w || y
| z || ʔ
|}

In Cameroon, an alphabet based on the [[General Alphabet of Cameroonian Languages]] is used, notably in the translation of the Bible into Gbaya published by the Alliance biblique du Cameroun. The nasal vowels are noted there with the cedilla under the vowel letter {{anglebracket|a̧, ɛ̧, i̧, ɔ̧, u̧}}.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Northwest Gbaya alphabet (Cameroon)
| a || b || ɓ || d || ɗ
| e || ɛ || f || g || gb
| h || i || k || kp || l
| m || mb || n || nd || ng
| ngb || ny || ŋ || nm || p
| ɔ || p || r || s || t
| u || v || w || y || z
| ’
|}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


===Works cited===
* {{cite book |first=Paulette |last=Roulon-Doko |title=Dictionnaire gbaya-français. République centrafricaine, suivi d'un dictionnaire des noms propres et d'un index français-gbaya |publisher=Karthala |location=Paris |date=2008 |isbn=978-2-84586-976-9}}

{{Ubangian languages}}
{{Languages of Cameroon}}
[[Category:Gbaya languages]]
[[Category:Gbaya languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Cameroon]]
[[Category:Languages of Cameroon]]
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{{nc-lang-stub}}
{{gbaya-lang-stub}}

Latest revision as of 14:26, 24 August 2023

Northwest Gbaya
Native toCameroon, Central African Republic
Native speakers
(65,000 in Cameroon cited 1980)[1]
200,000 in CAR (1996), 2,000 in Congo (1993)
Dialects
  • Kàrà
  • Làì
  • (3rd variety)
Language codes
ISO 639-3gya
Glottolognort2775

Northwest Gbaya is a Gbaya language spoken across a broad expanse of Cameroon and the Central African Republic. The principal variety is Kara (Kàrà, Gbaya Kara), a name shared with several neighboring languages; Lay (Làì) is restricted to a small area north of Mbodomo, with a third between it and Toongo that is not named in Moñino (2010), but is influenced by the Gbaya languages to the south.

For male initiation rites, the Gbaya Kara use a language called La'bi.

Phonology

[edit]

The following information is based on the 'Bodoe (Kàrà) and northern dialects:[2]

Consonants

[edit]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labio-
velar 		Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ ŋ͡m
Plosive voiceless p t k k͡p ʔ
voiced b d ɡ ɡ͡b
prenasal ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ ᵑᵐɡ͡b
implosive ɓ ɗ
Fricative voiceless f s h
voiced v z
Tap/Trill (ⱱ) r
Approximant l j w
  • The labio-dental flap /ⱱ/ appears only in ideophonic adverbs within word-initial or intervocalic position.[3]

Vowels

[edit]
Oral vowels
Front Central Zurück
Schließen Sie i iː u uː
Close-mid e eː o oː
Open-mid ɛ ɛː ɔ ɔː
Öffnen Sie a aː
  • /w/ can be heard as centralized [ẅ] when preceding front vowels /i, e, ɛ/.
Nasal vowels
Front Central Zurück
Schließen Sie ĩ ĩː ũ ũː
Open-mid ɛ̃ ɛ̃ː ɔ̃ ɔ̃ː
Öffnen Sie ã ãː
  • /w/ is heard as nasalized [w̃] when preceding nasal vowels.[3]

Writing system

[edit]

Paulette Roulon-Doko uses a uses a phonetic transcription in her works on Northwest Gbaya. The nasal vowels are noted there with the tilde under the vowel letter ⟨a̰, ɛ̰, ḭ, ɔ̰, ṵ⟩.

Northwest Gbaya phonetic alphabet[4]
a b ɓ d ɗ e ɛ f g gb h i k kp l m mb n nd ng ngb ɲ ŋ nm p ɔ p r s t u v ʋ w y z ʔ

In Cameroon, an alphabet based on the General Alphabet of Cameroonian Languages is used, notably in the translation of the Bible into Gbaya published by the Alliance biblique du Cameroun. The nasal vowels are noted there with the cedilla under the vowel letter ⟨a̧, ɛ̧, i̧, ɔ̧, u̧⟩.

Northwest Gbaya alphabet (Cameroon)
a b ɓ d ɗ e ɛ f g gb h i k kp l m mb n nd ng ngb ny ŋ nm p ɔ p r s t u v w y z ’

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Northwest Gbaya at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Roulon-Doko, Paulette (1997). Parlons Gbaya. Paris: L'Harmattan.
  3. ^ a b Moñino, Yves (1995). Gbaya du Nord (Kara, Yaayuwee). Le proto-Gbaya : essai de linguistique comparative historique sur vingt-et-une langes de'Afrique centrale: Paris : Peeters. p. 58.
  4. ^ Roulon-Doko 2008, p. 9-10.

Works cited

[edit]
  • Roulon-Doko, Paulette (2008). Dictionnaire gbaya-français. République centrafricaine, suivi d'un dictionnaire des noms propres et d'un index français-gbaya. Paris: Karthala. ISBN 978-2-84586-976-9.


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