| Kélé | |
|---|---|
| Dikele | |
| Native to | Gabon, a few in Congo |
| Ethnicity | Kele people |
Native speakers | 14,000 (2000–2007)[1] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:keb – West Kele, Bubinra – Ngom |
B.22[2] | |
Kele is a Bantu language of Gabon. Dialects of the Kele language are scattered throughout Gabon.
- West Kele (Kili) is spoken by the Kele people, scattered in Middle Ogooué Province, Mimongo area.[3]
- Ngom (Angom, Ungomo) is used with only minor differences by the Kola/Koya Pygmies. It is spoken on both sides of the border with the Republic of the Congo.
- Bubi (not the same as the Bubi language)
- Tombidi
- Mwesa
Phonology[edit]
| Labial | Alveolar | Dorsal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g |
| Fricative | f v | s z | |
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ |
| Approximant | w | l | j |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid-high | e eː | o oː | |
| Mid-low | ɛ ɛː | ɔ ɔː | |
| Low | a aː |
Kele also has two tones[4]; high and low.
References[edit]
- ^ West Kele, Bubi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Ngom at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) - ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ "Kélé A language of Gabon". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
- ^ a b c Bingoumou, Justin (2008). Esquisse phonologique du ntumbidi parlé à Rébé (MA thesis). Libreville: Université Omar Bongo.