Limba language

Limba
Limba
Yimba
Native to	Sierra Leone, Guinea
Native speakers	(520,000 cited 1993-2019)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Limba; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either:; lia – West–Central; lma – East
Glottolog	limb1267

The Limba language, Hulimba, is a Niger–Congo language of Sierra Leone and Guinea. It is not closely related to other languages and appears to form its own branch of the Niger–Congo family.^[3] Dialects include Tonko, Sela, Kamuke (or Ke), Wara-wara, Keleng, Biriwa, and Safroko. The eastern variety, spoken primarily in Guinea, is quite distinct. Limba has a system of noun classes, marked by an old, eroded set of prefixes augmented by a newer set of enclitics.

Distribution

Ethnologue lists the following two varieties of Limba, spoken in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

East Limba is spoken in Ouré-Kaba, Guinea.

West-Central Limba is spoken in northern Sierra Leone. It is spoken in the Little Scarcies River area in east Bombali District and northeast Kambia District, as well as north of Makeni.

Phonology

Like neighboring Temne, Limba has an unusual contrast among its consonants. It distinguishes dental and alveolar, but the dental consonants are apical and the alveolar consonants are laminal, the opposite of the general pattern.^[4]

Grammar

Noun classes

Noun classes are distinguished by the form of the definite article (class particle) which follows the noun, and sometimes also by a prefix. Roughly, the following classes can be deduced from the examples given by Mary Lane Clarke:^[5]

A. Person class

Examples:
Wukọnọ wo - a Kono person;
sapiri wo - crowbar;
kaň wo - the sun

Definite article (follows the noun): wo; pronoun ("he, she, it" as subject): wunde, wun

B. People class

Examples:
Bikọnọ be - Kono people;
sapiriň be - crowbars;
bia be - people, ancestors

Definite article: be; pronoun: bende, ben

C. Language class

Examples:
Hukọnọ ha - the Kono language;
hutori ha - toe

Definite article: ha; pronoun: -?- (presumably this is neuter according to class, and so on through the neuter classes)

D. Country class

Examples:
Kakọnọ ka - Konoland

Definite article: ka

E. Bodkins class

Examples:
tatọli ta - bodkins;
tatori ta - toe

Definite article: ta

F. Cascade class

Examples:
kutintọ ko - cascade;
kekeň ko - country;
kutiň ko - dog

Definite article: ko

G. Dogs class, plurals of F.

Examples:
ňatintọ ňa - cascades;
ňakeň ňa - countries
ňatiň ňa - dogs

Definite article: ňa

H. Arrival class

Examples:
matebeň ma - calm (noun);
matalaň ma - arrival;
masandiň ma - needle

Definite article: ma

I. Needles class, plurals of H.

Examples:
masandi ma - needles;
matubucuciň ma - signs;
mendeň ma - days, sleeps

Definite article: ma

J. Yam class

Examples:
ndamba ki - yam;
nbēn ki (the b is a "smothered b") - bracelet;
nkala ki - vine

Definite article: ki

K. Bracelets class, plurals of J.

Examples:
ndambeň ki - yams;
nbēni ki ("smothered b" as above) - bracelets;
nbuliň ki (also with "smothered b") - windpipes

Definite article: ki

L. Meat class

Examples:
piňkari ba - gun, musket;
bọňa ba (bọňa has "smothered b", as above) - path, way;
bara ba - meat, flesh

Definite article: ba

M. Boxes class, plurals of L.

Examples:
piňkariň ba - guns, muskets;
bọňeň ba (bọňeň also has "smothered b") - paths, ways;
kankaren ba - boxes, trunks

Definite article: ba

N. Yarn class

Examples:
mulufu mu - woof, yarn;
muceňi mu - suffering;
mufukeki mu - fan

Definite article: mu

O. Waves class

Examples:
muňkuliň mu - waves;
mudọňiň mu - habitations

Definite article: mu

P. Kusini-fruits class

Examples:
busini bu - fruits of the kusini tree

Definite article: bu

Q. A class with definite article wu

Examples: - ? -

Other nouns, including nouns of quantity, etc., take no article. It may be that they are classless:

Examples:
Alukorana - the Qur'an (Arabic);
disa - fringe, shawl;
duba - ink (from Mandingo);
kameci - late, brown rice

References

^ "Limba, East". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
^ "Limba, West-Central". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
^ Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 58–444. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9. S2CID 133888593.
^ Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 42. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.
^ Mary Lane Clarke, A Limba–English Dictionary, or, Tampeň ta ka Taluň ta ka Hulimba ha in Huiňkilisi ha, Houghton, New York, 1922, reprinted 1971 by Gregg International Publishers, Farnborough, England. ^{[page needed]} This information is based on the Biriwa and Safroko dialects.