Bak languages
Atlantic language group of West Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bak languages are a group of typologically Atlantic languages of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau linked in 2010 to the erstwhile Atlantic isolate Bijago. Bak languages are non-tonal.
distributionSenegal, Guinea-Bissau
- Bak proper
- Bijago
| Bak | |
|---|---|
| Bak–Bijago | |
| Geographic distribution | Senegal, Guinea-Bissau |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo? |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | cent2230 |
Name
David Dalby coined the term Bak from the bVk- prefix found in the personal plural forms of demonstratives in the Bak languages. The -k- is not found in other Atlantic languages.[1]
Languages
- Bak languages
- Bak proper
- Balanta
-
- Jola languages (Diola)
- Papel languages (Manjaku)
- Bijago
- Bak proper
Classification of Bijago
Bijago is highly divergent. Sapir (1971) classified it as an isolate within West Atlantic.[2] However, Segerer (2010) showed that this is primarily due to unrecognized sound changes, and that Bijago is in fact close to the Bak languages.[3][4] For example, the following cognates in Bijago and Joola Kasa (one of the Jola languages) are completely regular, but had not previously been identified:
| Gloss | Bijago | Joola Kasa |
|---|---|---|
| head | bu | fu-kow |
| eye | nɛ | ji-cil |
Segerer reconstructs the ancestral forms as *bu-gof and *di-gɛs, respectively, with the following developments:
- *bu-gof
- > *bu-kof > *bu-kow > fu-kow
- > *bu-ŋof > *bu-ŋo > (u-)bu
- *di-gɛs
- > *di-kis > *di-kil > ji-cil
- > *ne-ŋɛs > *ne-ŋɛ > nɛ
Comparative vocabulary
Comparison of basic vocabulary words of the Bak languages:[1]
| Language | eye | ear | nose | tooth | tongue | mouth | blood | bone | tree | water | name; surname |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diola (Felup) | nyi-kil / ku- | ka-ɔs / o- | e-ŋindu / si- | ka-ŋin / o- | u-reeruɸ / ku- | bo-ʂom / o- | ha-sim | ka-gaka | |||
| Diola (Husuy) | ji-kil | ka-noo (outer); ɛ-jan (inner) | ɛ-ŋendu | ka-ŋiin | ho-leluf | bu-tum | h-äsim | ɛ-wool | bu-nunukɛn / u- | mal | ka-jaw; ka-saaf / u- |
| Diola (Diembereng) | di-gin | ka-gɔndin; ɛ-jamo | ɛ-yinu | ka-ŋiin | kaa-leeluf | bu-tum | hallna | na-nukanuk / nyu- | mɔ-hujɔ | ho-roo | |
| Karon | ni-kin | kaa-now | y-iinu | ka-ŋiin | hi-lɛɛluuf | pu-tum | hi-sim | kaa-cɛc | |||
| Papel (Biombo) | p-kihl / k- / i- | k-warʂ | bu-ihl / i- 'nose'; b-ihl 'nostril' | p-nyiḭ | p-remtɛ́ / k- / i- | m-ntum | p-nyaak | p-mɔ(h)ɔ | b-oonoʔ / ŋ- / m-; bu-mul 'log' | m-nrʂup | k-tim / i-; p-nɔntʂa |
| Papel (Safim) | kiś | b-iś | m-tuɣum | ||||||||
| Manjaco (Baboque) | pə-kəs / k- | kä-batʂ | b-iis / g- | pə-roomaj / i- | pə-ndeämənt | m-tum | pə-nyak | ka-muä | b-kɔʔ / g- / m-ŋk | m-lek | ka-tim |
| Manjaco (Pecixe) | kəkähl / kə- / i- | ka-barʂ | bu-ahl / iihl 'nose'; b-iihl / ŋ- 'nostril' | pədoomiʔ | p-diämət | m-tum / ŋ- / i- | pə-nyaak | ka-mua | ka-tim | ||
| Manjaco (Churo) | pə-kəs | ka-bah | b-iis | p-roomɛɛʔ | p-reemint | n-tum | pə-nyaak | ka-muh | bo-mol / o- | n-nek | ka-tim 'land' |
| Mancanha | pə-kəʂ | ka-batʂ | b-yis | pə-nyḭ | pə-ndɛmənt | m-ntum | pə-nyaak | pə-mɔh | bə-jɛl / ŋ- | m-ɛl | ka-tim; ka-bɛp |
| Balanta (northern, Kəntɔhɛ) | f-kit / k- | kə-lɔʔ / k- | b-fuŋa / #- | f-sec / k- | kə-dɛmat / Ø- | b-sum / #- | k-saham | f-hool / k- | b-ta / Ø- | wɛdɛ | f-tookɛ; f-mbɛɛm |
| Bijago | n-ɛ̂ / ŋ- | kɔ-nnɔ / ŋa- | ŋɔ́-mɔ̀ | ká-nyì / ŋá | nú-númɛ̀ | ká-nà / ŋa- | nɛ-nyɛ | ka-ŋkpeene / ŋa- | ŋɔ-maŋgi / mɔ- | n-nyo; n-to 'brine' | ŋa-βin / N- |