Nzema language
In today's world, Nzema language is a major issue that affects millions of people around the world. With the advancement of technology and changes in society, Nzema language has become a point of debate and discussion in various areas. Understanding the importance and implications of Nzema language is necessary to be able to effectively address its challenges and find solutions that benefit society as a whole. In this article, we will explore different aspects related to Nzema language and analyze its impact on various aspects of daily life.
| Nzema | |
|---|---|
| Region | Ghana, Ivory Coast |
| Ethnicity | Nzema |
Native speakers | 430,000 (2013–2021) |
Niger–Congo?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | nzi |
| ISO 639-3 | nzi |
| Glottolog | nzim1238 |
Nzema, also known as Nzima or Appolo, is a Central Tano language spoken by the Nzema people of southwestern Ghana and southeastern Ivory Coast. It is partially intelligible with Jwira-Pepesa and is closely related to Baoulé.
Although it is a Bia language, Nzema is also one of the many Akan languages, and it has had considerable influence from other Akan languages, especially Twi and Fante. There are notable towns in Nzemaland such as Bonyere, Nkroful, Half Assini, Axim, Eikwe, Baku, Atuabo, Beyin and Essiama.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | (Alveolo-) Palatal |
Velar | Labial-velar | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | plain | lab. | pal. | plain | lab. | plain | lab. | |||||
| Nasal | plain | m | n̪ | n | ɲ | ɲʷ | ŋ | ŋʷ | ŋm | ||||
| Plosive/ Affricate |
voiceless | p | tp | t̪ | dʑ | dʑʷ | k | kʷ | kp | ||||
| voiced | b | db | d̪ | d | tɕ | tɕʷ | ɡ | gʷ | ɡb | ||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | fʷ | s | sʷ | sʲ | ɕ | ɕʷ | x | ||||
| voiced | v | vʷ | z | zʷ | zʲ | ɣ | |||||||
| Trill | r | ||||||||||||
| Lateral | plain | l | |||||||||||
| nasalized | l̃ | ||||||||||||
| Approximant | j | w | |||||||||||
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Near-close | ɪ | ʊ | |
| Close-mid | e | o | |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Near-open | ɐ | ||
| Open | a |
Of Nzema's ten vowels, eight may be nasalized: /ĩ/, /ɪ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /ɐ̃/, /ã/, /ũ/, /ʊ̃/ and /ɔ̃/.
Writing system
| Uppercase | A | B | D | Ɛ | E | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | Ɔ | O | P | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowercase | a | b | d | ɛ | e | f | g | h | i | k | l | m | n | ɔ | o | p | r | s | t | u | v | w | y | z |
References
- ^ Nzema at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
- ^ "Nzema". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2020-01-03.
- ^ Burmeister, Jonathan L. (1976). "A comparison of variable nouns in Anyi-Sanvi and Nzema". Annales de l'Université d'Abidjan. H (Linguistique 9): 7–19.
- ^ a b c d Berry, J. (1955). "Some Notes on the Phonology of the Nzema and Ahanta Dialects". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 17 (1): 160–165. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00106421. ISSN 1474-0699.
- ^ Language Guide, 1977
External links
| National | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
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