Feʼfeʼ language

(Redirected from Fe'fe' language)

Feʼfeʼ or commonly Feʼefeʼe, also known as Nufi or Bafang (Fe'fe': Nufi), is a Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon, around the town of Bafang. It was one of the four languages selected for option at the Collège Libermann at Douala (along with Duala, Basaa and Ghɔmálá').[3]

Feʼfeʼ
Nufi, Fotouni, Bafang[1]
Fèʼéfěʼè
Native toCameroon
RegionHaut-Nkam (Upper Nkam)
EthnicityBamileke Feʼefeʼe
Native speakers
c. 140,000 (2005)[2]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3fmp
Glottologfefe1239

Writing system edit

Feʼfeʼ alphabet[citation needed]
Uppercase A B C D E Ə F G Gh H I J K L M N Ŋ O P S Sh T U Ʉ V W Y Z Zh ʼ
Lowercase a ɑ b c d e ə f g gh h i j k l m n ŋ o p s sh t u ʉ v w y z zh ʼ

Phonology edit

Consonants edit

Allophones are given in brackets.

Consonants[4]
Labial Dental Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n (ɲ) ŋ
Plosive voiceless (p) t t͡ʃ k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ
Fricative voiceless f s (ʃ) x
voiced v z (ʒ) (ɣ)
Approximant (w) (l) (j)


Vowels edit

Vowels[4]
Front Mid Back
High i ɨ[a] u
Mid e (ə)[b] o
(ɛ) (ɔ)
Low a ɑ
  1. ^ Hyman (1972) uses /ɯ/, represented by ⟨ʉ⟩.[5]
  2. ^ Hyman (1972) uses /ɤ/.[5]

Tone edit

The language has a complex tone system, carefully described, along with other aspects of the phonology and morphology, in Hyman (1972).[4]

References edit

  1. ^ OLAC resources in and about the Feʼfeʼ language. Open Language Archives.
  2. ^ Feʼfeʼ at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ Renaud, Patrick (1979). "Le Français au Cameroun". In Valdman, A. (ed.). Le Français hors de France. Paris: Editions Honoré Champion.
  4. ^ a b c Hyman, Larry (1972). A Phonological Study of Feʼfeʼ-Bamileke (PDF) (PhD thesis). Los Angeles: University of California.
  5. ^ a b Hyman 1972, p. 32.

External links edit