Naki language

Last updated
Naki
Munkaf
Region Cameroon, Nigeria
Native speakers
(undated figure of 3,000 in Cameroon (1993), 2,000 in Nigeria) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Variously:
mff   Naki (Cameroon)
buz   Bukwen
jms   Mashi
Glottolog naki1240
ELP Naki

Naki, or Munkaf, is an Eastern Beboid language of Cameroon and Nigeria. There is no name for the language; it is known by the villages it is spoken in, including Naki and Mekaf (Munkaf) in Cameroon and Bukwen and Mashi in Nigeria, the latter listed as separate languages by Ethnologue, though they are not distinct.

Contents

Phonology

Naki is a tonal language. It has a high tone /á/, a low tone /à/, a rising tone /ǎ/, and a falling tone /â/.

Naki has eight phonemic vowels. These are as follows:

Vowel Phonemes
FrontMidBack
Close i u
Close-mid e ə o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

The consonants are as follows.

Consonants
BilabialLabiodentalAlveolarPostalveolar/PalatalVelar
PlosiveVoiceless p t c k
Voiced b bʷ bʲ d g
AffricateVoiceless f fʷ fʲ t͡s t͡sʷ t͡sʲ
Voiced d͡z d͡ʒ d͡ʒʷ
FricativeVoiceless s ʃ ʃʷ ʃʲ
Voiced ʒ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Approximant w l j

There are also the labio-velar plosives k͡p and g͡b. [2]

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References

  1. Naki (Cameroon) at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
    Bukwen at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
    Mashi at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. Kum Nang, Julius (2002). A sketch phonology and a step towards the standardization of Naki (masters thesis). Université de Yaoundé.

Sources