Mantsi language (Nigeria)

(Redirected from Mangas language)

Mantsi (also known as Ma’as or Mangas) is an endangered Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Mangas town in Bauchi State, Nigeria.[1] Blench (2020) reports that it is also called Mantsi. According to Blench, the structure of Mantsi differs significantly from the other South Bauchi languages.[2]

Mantsi
Pyik Mantsi
Pronunciation[pʲìk mántsì]
Native toNigeria
RegionBauchi State
Native speakers
(100 cited 1995)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3zns
Glottologmang1416
ELPMangas
Mantsi
Peoplemántsì
Languagepʲìk mántsì

Word lists of Mantsi had previously been published in Kiyoshi Shimizu's (1978) South Bauchi survey, which first mentioned the existence of the language.[3] An unpublished word list was also recorded by Ronald Cosper (n.d.).[4]

Names

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Mantsi speakers refer to their language as Pyik Mantsi [pʲìk mántsì], and to themselves as the Mantsi [mántsì] people. Although there are fewer than 1,000 speakers, the language is still being spoken by children.[2]

Demographics

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Mantsi is spoken in the single village of Mantsi (locally known as Maɗana [mánànā] or Ma’as [màʔās]) in the southern part of Bauchi LGA, Bauchi State. The Kir [Kyiir] and Laar peoples, who speak closely related but distinct languages, live just to the northeast of Mantsi village in the nearby villages of Kir and Laar, respectively.[2]

Classification

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Mantsi belongs to the Kir branch of the South Bauchi languages. It is most closely related to Kir and Laar, as shown by the lexical comparisons below.[2]

Gloss Mantsi Kir Laar
ash múrə̀m ŋúreŋ ŋŋoro
bird ɗōōr dot ɗwoot
blood púrùm pirə̀ŋ firàŋ
bone gùl gwàŋàl gwaŋal
fat gìndɨ́r yində̀r yində̀r
leg wāsɨ̄m wasəm wasəm
moon pʲāŋ pyaŋ pyaŋ
mountain lamba lamba lamba
stone pʲār pyat pyat
kill túk tuk tuk

Mantsi also has some lexical innovations, which are:

Gloss Mantsi
fish kʲáálòŋ
night dāːhùr
path da᷄n
nine krōmsā

Phonology

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Mantsi has 3 level tones, as well as rising and falling contour tones.[2]

Grammar

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Number is not marked morphologically.[2]

Lexicon

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Plants and animals

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Some Mantsi names of plants and animals:[2]

Mantsi name Mantsi name in IPA English name Scientific name
alade nawe àládè náwè bush pig
anggulu àŋgùlú vulture Necrosyrtes monachus
asha áʃà acha; fonio Digitaria exilis
baanpɨri bàːnpɨŕ ì patas monkey Erythrocebus patas
bagərəm bàgə̀rə̀m spitting cobra Naja nigricollis
banggira bàŋgìrà monitor lizard
banyangwe bàɲāŋwé jackal Canis adustus
bapakɨr bàpākɨŕ leopard Panthera pardus
barasa bàràsā risga Plectranthus esculentus
busha búʃá hedgehog Atelerix albiventris
bəbaamkam bə̀bàːmkām agama lizard
ɓal ɓāl bean; cowpea Vigna unguiculata
ɓalyagho ɓàljáɣò chameleon
ɓar ɓār pumpkin Cucurbita pepo
ɓarwak ɓàrʷāk rock python Python sebae
ɓauna ɓáwná buffalo Syncerus caffer
ɓiikhi ɓíːxì silk-cotton tree sp.
ɓindɨr ɓīndɨr̄ scorpion
ɓoko ɓókò baobab Adansonia digitata
ɓonggutər ɓòŋgútə̄r grasscutter; cane rat Thryonomys swinderianus
dabra dàbrà shea tree Vitellaria paradoxa
ɗeesi ɗéːsì tamarind Tamarindus indica
gar gàr black monkey Cercopithecus tantalus
giginya gígíɲà fan palm Borassus aethiopum
giler gílēr weaver bird Ploceus cucullatus
goprang gòpràŋ okra Abelmoschus esculentus
gwomli gʷòmlì pouched rat, giant rat Cricetomys gambianus
gyerwul gʲérwúl spiral cowpea Vigna unguiculata
hangkaka hànkákà pied crow Corvus albus
hom ho᷄m baboon Papio anubis
hur hùr porcupine Hystrix cristata
iski wandɨr ískì wàndɨr̀ Angolan green snake Philothamnus angolensis
kambong kāmbôŋ cocoyam Colocasia esculenta
koon kōːn bush fowl; francolin Francolinus
kursi kūrsī sorrel; roselle Hibiscus esculentus
kwongsi kʷóŋsì garden egg Solanum incanum
kyap kʲâp beniseed; sesame Sesamum indicum
kyoor kʲóːr crocodile Crocodylus suchus
lalo lálò Jews' mallow Corchorus olitorius
lɨng lɨŋ̂ elephant Elephas maximus
maiwa màjwā millet sp.
mam bakin mám bàkìn aerial yam Dioscorea bulbifera
mam nawe mám nàwè bush yam Dioscorea sp.
min mīn locust bean Parkia biglobosa
ndyaar ndʲáār house bat Scotophilus sp.
nnyan ɲɲân black plum Vitex doniana
rama rámà kenaf Hibiscus cannabinus
rimi rímí silk-cotton tree Ceiba pentandra
rwaknisisan barina rʷàknísīsān bàrīnā royal python Python regius
sham ʃàm guinea fowl Numida meleagris
shin ʃìn dassie, rock rabbit, rock hyrax Procavia capensis
shuwaka ʃùwākā bitterleaf Vernonia amygdalina
tlari ɬàrì ground squirrel Xerus erythropus
tlari kɨɓaryam ɬàrì kɨɓ́ àrja᷄m Senegal galago Galago senegalensis
twang tʷáŋ tigernut Cyperus esculentus
wang wāŋ Bambara nut Vigna subterranea

Numerals

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Mantsi numerals:[2]

Gloss Mantsi
one nə̄m
two ɗīːn
three wéːn
four úpsí
five tūːn
six màɣà
seven ɲíngí
eight gàːmfí
nine krōmsā
ten zúp
eleven sūlūŋ nə᷄m

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Mantsi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Blench, Roger. 2020. An introduction to Mantsi, a South Bauchi language of Central Nigeria.
  3. ^ Shimizu, Kiyoshi 1978. The Southern Bauchi Group of Chadic Languages: A survey report. Coll. Africana Marburgensia, n° 2 (Special Issue).
  4. ^ Cosper, Ronald n.d. Wordlist of South Bauchi (West Chadic) languages ; Boghom, Mangas, Buli, Dott, Geji, Jimi, Polci, Sayanci, Zul. ms.