Ngwe (Ŋwɛh, Nweh) is a Bamileke language spoken predominantly in Lebialem, Cameroon. As of 2001, Ngwe had 73,200 speakers, which was an increase from the numbers of previous censuses. Its closest relatives are Yemba and Ngiemboon.
| Ngwe | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Cameroon |
Native speakers | 73,000 (2001)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nwe |
| Glottolog | ngwe1238 |
Writing system
edit| a | b | c | d | e | ə | ɛ | f | g | gh | ' | h | i | j | k | kh | l |
| m | n | ŋ | o | ɔ | p | pf | r | s | t | ts | u | ʉ | v | w | y | z |
Phonology
editVowels
editIt has at least thirteen vowels, /i y e ɛ æ ɐ ɑ ɔ o u ɯ ɤ ʌ/.[3] /ɤ ʌ/ are centralised.[3] /y/ sounds somewhat like [ø] or [œ] and has a tongue position similar to that of /ɑ/, but with the jaw raised and the lips very close together.[3]
References
edit- ^ Ngwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ The Languages of Cameroon Series.
- ^ a b c Ladefoged, Peter. A Phonetic Study of West African Languages: An Auditory-instrumental Survey. Cambridge University Press, 1968, pp. 33–36.
External links
edit- Ayotte, Michael & Ayotte, Charlene. 2002. "Sociolinguistic Language Survey of Ngwe." SIL International
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