Central Kilimanjaro language

Last updated
Central Kilimanjaro
Central Chaga
Native to Tanzania
Region Kilimanjaro
Ethnicity Chaga
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Either:
vun  – Wunjo
old  – Mochi
Glottolog vunj1238   Vunjo
moch1256   Mochi
E.622 (ex-E.62a,62b) [1]

Central Kilimanjaro, or Central Chaga, is a Bantu language of Tanzania spoken by the Chaga people.

Contents

There are several dialects: [1]

Moshi is the language of the Chaga cultural capital, Moshi, and the prestige dialect of the Chaga languages.[ citation needed ]

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i u
Mid e o
Low a

In orthography, long vowels are written double. However, while older works suggest vowel length contrast may have formerly been phonemic, more recent works suggest the distinction has been partially or completely neutralized, unlike in West Kilimanjaro. [2]

Consonants

Consonants in the Moshi dialect [3] [4]
Labial Alveolar Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ ɲ ⟨ny⟩ ŋ ⟨ng'⟩
Stop voiceless p ⟨p⟩ t ⟨t⟩ k ⟨k⟩
voiced b ⟨b⟩ d ⟨d⟩
NCmb⟨mb⟩nd⟨nd⟩ŋɡ⟨ng⟩
Affricate voiceless pf ⟨pf⟩ ts ⟨ts⟩ tʃ ⟨ch⟩
NCmbv⟨mpf⟩ndz⟨nts⟩ndʒ⟨nch⟩
Fricative voiceless f ⟨f⟩ s ⟨s⟩ ʃ ⟨sh⟩ h ⟨h⟩
Rhotic trill r ⟨r⟩
tap ɾ ⟨r⟩
Lateral l ⟨l⟩
Approximant w ~ β ⟨w⟩ ɻ ⟨rh⟩ j ⟨y⟩
Consonants in the Vunjo dialect [5] [6]
Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m ⟨m⟩ n̪ ⟨n⟩ ɲ ⟨ny⟩ ŋ ⟨ng'⟩
Stop voiceless p ⟨p⟩ t̪ ⟨t⟩ c ⟨ky⟩ k ⟨k⟩
voiced( b ) ⟨b⟩ d ⟨d⟩( ɡ ) ⟨g⟩
NC‡m̩b⟨mb⟩n̩d⟨nd⟩ɲ̍ɟ⟨ngy⟩ŋ̍ɡ⟨ng⟩
Affricate voiceless pf ⟨pf⟩ ts ⟨ts⟩ tʃ ⟨c⟩
NC‡m̩bv⟨mv⟩n̩dz⟨nz⟩n̩dʒ⟨nj⟩
Fricative voiceless f ⟨f⟩ s ⟨s⟩ ʃ ⟨sh⟩ h ⟨h⟩
voiced ʝ ~ j
⟨ghy⟩		 ɣ ~ w
⟨gh⟩
Rhotic trill r ⟨r⟩†
tap ɺ ⟨lr⟩
Lateral l̪ ⟨l⟩† l̠ʲ ⟨ly⟩
Approximant w ~ β ⟨w⟩ ɹ ⟨zr⟩† j ⟨y⟩

‡ NC are not prenasalized consonants but rather consonant sequences; in initial position, the nasal is syllabic.

†/r/, /ɹ/ and /l̠ʲ/ may be pronounced as fricatives. /r/ being heard as an alveolar fricative trill [r̝], the /ɹ/ being heard as a retroflex fricative [ɻ̝], with an extent of frication on the palatalized lateral /l̠ʲ/ as [l̠̝ʲ]. [7]

Tones

Vunjo dialect has two underlying tones (high /H/ and low /L/) that surface as three level and five contour tones: [xH] (extra-high), [H], [L], falling [HL] and [xHL], rising [LH] and [LxH], and peaking [LHL], plus two downstepped tones [ꜝH] and [ꜝxH]. [5]

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  2. ↑ Shinagawa, Daisuke (2015). "Vowel Length and TMA Micro-Variation in Kilimanjaro Bantu" (PDF). Asian and African Languages and Linguistics (9): 5–21. hdl:10108/80343.
  3. ↑ Nurse, Derek; Philippson, Gérard (1977). Tone in Old Moshi (Chaga). Studies in African linguistics 8: University of California, Los Angeles. pp. 49–80.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. 1 2 Philippson, Gérard; Montlahuc, Marie-Laure (2003). Kilimanjaro Bantu (E60 and E74). In Nurse, Derek and Philippson, Gérard (eds.), The Bantu Languages: London & New York: Routledge. pp. 475–500.
  5. 1 2 3 4 McHugh, Brian David (1990). Cyclicity in the phrasal phonology of KiVunjo Chaga (PDF). University of California at Los Angeles.
  6. ↑ Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 210–211. ISBN   0-631-19815-6.
  7. ↑ Davey, Moshi & Maddieson (1982) Liquids in Chaga. UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics 54..


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