Engenni language

Last updated
Engenni
Ẹgẹnẹ
Native to Nigeria
Region Bayelsa State, Rivers State
Ethnicity Engenni people
Native speakers
(20,000 cited 1980) [1]
Niger–Congo?
Language codes
ISO 639-3 enn
Glottolog enge1239

Engenni (Ẹgẹnẹ) is an Edoid language of Nigeria.

Grammar

Engenni is a fairly isolating language, having little affixation. [2] There is no plural form for words. It has definite articles, but no indefinite articles. There is a two-contrast with regards to demonstratives, while pronominal and adnominal demonstratives are identical (as in English). Verbs are marked for perfective/imperfective aspect, but there is no past tense. [3]

Contents

Engenni is an SVO language that uses prepositions. Adjectives, demonstratives, and numerals follow the noun they describe. Yes–no questions are marked with a special particle, which goes at the end of the question. Negation is indicated by a change in tone.

Writing System

Engenni has been written since the 1930s, initially in leaflets, posters and religious hymns, or a translation of the Bible. It took several decades before non-religious literary works were published in English. In the 1970s, several literacy works were published by Joycelyn Clevenger or Mosaic Urugba with the Rivers Readers Project. A translation of the New Testament, Baibulu Eba Fai was published in 1977 by World Home Bible League. An alphabet with 9 vowels and 25 consonants is used in epoch.

In 2011, a new alphabet with 10 vowels and 30 consonants was adopted and published.

Engenni alphabet (2011) [4]
abchdefggbgwijkkpkwlmnnynwoprsshswtuvwyz

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References

  1. Engenni at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. Thomas, Elaine. 1978. A Grammatical Description of the Engenni Language. Summer Institute of Linguistics Publications in Linguistics, 60. 60. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
  3. "WALS Online - Language Engenni".
  4. Ngulube 2011.

Works cited