The Bamunka language, Ŋgieməkɔʼkə Bamunka pronunciation: [ˈŋgiěꜜmə́ˌkɔ̀ʔkə̌],[2] is a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon.
| Munka | |
|---|---|
| Bamunka | |
| Ŋgieməkɔʼkə | |
| Native to | Cameroon |
Native speakers | 31,000 (2008)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bvm |
| Glottolog | bamu1256 |
Phonology
editConsonants
edit| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labial-velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive/ Affricate |
Voiceless | /t/ | /t͡ʃ/ | /k/ | /k͡p/ | /ʔ/ | |
| Voiced | /b/ | /d/ | /d͡ʒ/ | /g/ | |||
| Fricative | Voiceless | /f/ | /s/ | /ʃ/ | |||
| Voiced | /v/ | /ʒ/ | /ɣ/ | ||||
| Nasal | /m/ | /n/ | /ɲ/ | /ŋ/ | |||
| Approximant | /l/ | /j/ | /w/ | ||||
- /b/ and /m/ are bilabial, whereas /f/ and /v/ are labiodental.
- /ɲ/ and /j/ are palatal, whereas /t͡ʃ/, /d͡ʒ/, /ʃ/, and /ʒ/ are post-alveolar.
Vowels
edit| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | /i/ | /ɨ/ | /u/ |
| Mid-close | /e/ | /ə/ | /o/ |
| Mid-open | /ɛ/ | /ɔ/ | |
| Open | /a/ |
Tones
editIn addition, Munka has five phonemic tones: three level tones (high, mid, and low) and two contour tones (rising, and falling).[3]
Orthography
editNgeloh Takwe proposed this orthography in her post-graduate diploma dissertation in 2002.[3]
| Letters | a | b | c | d | e | ɛ | ə | f | gh | g | h | ɨ | j | k | kp | l | m | n | ny | ŋ | o | ɔ | s | sh | t | u | v | w | y | zh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | /a/ | /b/ | /t͡ʃ/ | /d/ | /e/ | /ɛ/ | /ə/ | /f/ | /ɣ/ | /g/ | /ʔ/ | /ɨ/ | /d͡ʒ/ | /k/ | /k͡p/ | /l/ | /m/ | /n/ | /ɲ/ | /ŋ/ | /o/ | /ɔ/ | /s/ | /ʃ/ | /t/ | /u/ | /v/ | /w/ | /j/ | /ʒ/ |
References
edit- ^ Munka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Ingle, Jane (2013). The Bamunka Noun Phrase (PDF). Yaoundé: SIL.
- ^ a b c d e Ngeloh Takwe, Jeannette (October 2002). Structural Phonology of Bamunka (post-graduate diploma thesis). Yaoundé: The University of Yaoundé I.
Further reading
edit- Blackwell, Jonathan (2011). SIL (ed.). Proposed revision of Bamunka orthography revised 24 Feb 2011. Yaoundé.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Browne, Ciara (2010). "The Noun Phrase in Bamunka: Towards a Complexity Analysis". The ITB Journal. 11 (2). Institute of Technology Blanchardstown. doi:10.21427/D7VF1T.
- Schaub, Willi (1983). Report on socio-linguistic survey in Ndop Western Grassfields languages (Sociolinguistic survey of Babungo, Bamessing, Babessi, Bamunka). Yaoundé: SIL.
- Sorsamo, Hannu (2006). An introduction to the phonology of Bamunka. Yaoundé: SIL.
- Sorsamo, Hannu (2006). Bamunka Orthography Guide (Provisional). Yaoundé: SIL.
- Sorsamo, Hannu (2006). Observations on the Bamunka phonology and orthography. Yaoundé: SIL.
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