Central Teke | |
---|---|
Native to | Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Native speakers | (45,000 Ngungwel cited 1988)[1] 20,000 Boo (2000)[1] |
Dialects |
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Variously:ngz – Ngungwelebo – Boonzu – Nzikou |
Glottolog | ngun1278 |
B.72,74 [2] |
Central Teke is a member of the Teke languages dialect continuum of the Congolese plateau. Central Teke dialects are Ngungwel and Mpu (Mpumpum), Boo (Boma, Eboo – cf. Boma language), and Nzikou (Njyunjyu/Ndzindziu).[3] They are spoken in the Malebo Pool region of the Republic of Congo, with an unknown number of Boo speakers in DRC.
Phonology
[edit]Consonants
[edit]Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | ||
voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||
prenasal vl. | ᵐp | ⁿt | ᵑk | |||
prenasal vd. | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᵑɡ | |||
Affricate | voiceless | p͡f | t͡s | |||
voiced | b͡v | d͡z | ||||
prenasal vl. | ᵐp͡f | ⁿt͡s | ||||
prenasal vd. | ᵐb͡v | ⁿd͡z | ||||
Fricative | f | s | ʃ | h | ||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
Lateral | l | |||||
Approximant | ɥ | j | w |
- /h/ is only heard in the Nzikou dialect.
Vowels
[edit]Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i ĩ | u ũ | |
ɪ ɪ̃ | ʊ ʊ̃ | ||
Close-mid | e | o | |
Open-mid | ɛ ɛ̃ | ɔ ɔ̃ | |
Open | a ã |
- /u/ when preceding a palatal /j/ is heard as [ʉ], and when preceding a /w/ is heard as [y].[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ngungwel at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Boo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Nzikou at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) - ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
- ^ Raharimanantsoa, Ruth (2012). Aspects of phonology in Eboo-Nzikou. Göteborgs Universitet.