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Ghomalaʼ language

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(Redirected from Ghomala language) Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon
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‹ The template Infobox language is being considered for merging. ›
Ghomala
Ghɔmálá’
Native toCameroon
RegionWest Region (Cameroon)
EthnicityBamileke
Native speakers350,000 (2005)
Language familyNiger–Congo?
Writing systemLatin
Language codes
ISO 639-3bbj
Glottologghom1247

Ghɔmálá’ or Ghomala is a major Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon, originally in the following departments of the West region:

It is spoken by an estimated 2 million people in two main population groups.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t k ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
Affricate voiceless p͡f t͡s t͡ʃ
voiced b͡v d͡z d͡ʒ
Fricative voiceless f s (ʃ) h
voiced (v) (ʒ) (ɣ)
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant lateral (l)
central w j
centralized ɥ̈
  • The glottal stop /ʔ/ only occurs as word-final.
  • Sounds are alternative consonant sounds of /b͡v d t͡ʃ d͡ʒ ɡ/.
  • /t d/, when occurring before close front-central vowel sounds /i ʉ/, can sound palatalized as .
  • Sounds /p b t d k/, when preceding a /h/ sound, are realized as affricated .
  • /ɡ/, when occurring before central vowel sounds /ə ɐ/, may sound affricated as .
  • A word-final /k/ sound, may be realized as uvular sounds .

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i ʉ u
Mid e ə o
ɛ ɐ ɔ
Low a
  • Sounds /ɐ u ɔ/ when occurring with a velar nasal /ŋ/, can be realized as nasalized vowel sounds .

Tone

Tones are marked as high , low , mid (unmarked) , rising , or falling .

References

  1. Ghomala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Nissim, Gabriel M. (1981). Le Bamileke-Ghomálá' (Parler de Bandjoun, Cameroun). Paris: Centre National de la Recherche Sciéntifique.
Languages of Cameroon
Official languages
Major languages
Pidgins
Indigenous languages
Sign languages
Immigrant languages
See also: General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages
Grassfields languages
Ring
Central
Southern
Western
Other
Eastern
Grassfields
Bamileke
Western
Eastern
Ngemba
Nkambe
Nun
Momo
Others


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