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Naki language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naki
Munkaf
RegionCameroon, Nigeria
Native speakers
(3,000 cited 1993)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
mff – Naki (Cameroon)
buz – Bukwen
jms – Mashi
Glottolognaki1240
ELPNaki

Naki, or Munkaf, is an Eastern Beboid language of Cameroon and Nigeria. There is no name for the language; it is known by the villages it is spoken in, including Naki and Mekaf (Munkaf) in Cameroon and Bukwen and Mashi in Nigeria, the latter listed as separate languages by Ethnologue, though they are not distinct.

Phonology

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Naki is a tonal language. It has a high tone /á/, a low tone /à/, a rising tone /ǎ/, and a falling tone /â/.

Naki has eight phonemic vowels. These are as follows:

Vowel Phonemes
Front Central Back
Close i u
Close-mid e ə o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

The consonants are as follows.

Consonants
Labial Coronal Palatal Velar
Plosive voiceless p t c k
voiced b bʷ bʲ d g
Affricate voiceless f fʷ fʲ t͡s t͡sʷ t͡sʲ
voiced d͡z d͡ʒ d͡ʒʷ
Fricative voiceless s ʃ ʃʷ ʃʲ
voiced ʒ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Approximant w l j

There are also the labio-velar plosives k͡p and g͡b.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Naki (Cameroon) at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
    Bukwen at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
    Mashi at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Kum Nang, Julius (2002). A sketch phonology and a step towards the standardization of Naki (masters thesis). Université de Yaoundé.

Sources

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