Okpe language (Southwestern Edo)

Last updated
Okpe
Native to Nigeria
Region Delta State
Ethnicity Urhobo
Native speakers
25,000 (2000) [1]
Niger–Congo?
  • Atlantic–Congo
    • Volta–Niger
      • yeai
Language codes
ISO 639-3 oke – inclusive code
Individual code:
ids   Idesa
Glottolog okpe1250

Okpe is an Edoid language of Nigeria spoken by the Urhobo people.

Phonology

The sound system is rather conservative, and nearly the same as that of Urhobo. The vowels system is the same, and somewhat reduced compared to proto-Edoid: there are seven vowels, /i e ɛ a ɔ o u/. [2] Of the consonants, only significant differences are the addition of /ɣʷ/ and of the distinction between l vs n and y vs ny: these alternate, depending on whether the following vowel is oral or nasal. /ɾ, ʋ, w/ also have nasal allophones before nasal vowels.

  Labial Labiodental Alveolar Palatal Velar Labio-velar Glottal
Nasal ml [n]j [ɲ]   
Plosive p  bt  dc  ɟk  ɡk͡p  ɡ͡b 
Fricative ɸ  f  vs  zɕ  ʑ  ɣ  ɣʷh
Trill  r    
Flap  ɾ    
Approximant  ʋl [n]j [ɲ] w 

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References

  1. Okpe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Idesa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Archangeli & Pulleyblank, 1994. Grounded phonology, p 181ff