Yansi language

Yansi
Eyansi
Native to	DR Congo
Native speakers	(100,000 cited 1997) [1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu (Zone B) some Yaka (H.30) some Boma–Dzing (B.80) Yansi
Dialects	Yans proper Mbiem Yeei Mpur
Language codes
ISO 639-3	yns
Glottolog	yans1239   Yansi
Guthrie code	B.85 [2]

Yans (Yanzi) is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Bayanzi.

There are six language varieties Guthrie classified as Bantu B.85 (Yans):

• B.85A Mbiem, West Yansi
• B.85B East Yans
• B.85C Yeei
• B.85D Tsong (Itsong, Nsong, Ntsuo, "Songo")
• B.85E Mpur (Mput)
• B.85F Tsambaan

According to Nurse (2003), most belong to the Yaka languages, but one or two are among the Boma–Dzing languages. Maho (2009) notes that the Tsong variety is the then-unclassified "Songo" language (ISO [soo]) of Ethnologue and is the one that does not belong with the rest. Glottolog likewise classifies "Nsong-Mpiin" [soo] apart from Yansi.

Phonology

Most of dialects have these sounds:

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labio- velar
Nasal		m	n	( ɲ )	ŋ
Plosive	voiceless	p ᵐp	t ⁿt	( c ) ( ᶮc )	k ᵑk
	voiced	b ᵐp	d ⁿt	( ɟ ) ( ᶮɟ )	ɡ ᵑɡ
Fricative	voiceless	f ᵐf v	s ⁿs t͡s ⁿt͡s
	voiced		z ⁿz
Rhotic			ɾ
Lateral			l
Approximant				j		w

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i iː	ɨ ɨː	u uː
Close-mid	e eː	ə əː	o oː
Open-mid	ɛ ɛː	ɜ ɜː	ɔ ɔː
Open	a	ɐ ɐː	ɑ ɑː

References

1. Yansi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online

• Maho (2009)