Acheron language
Niger–Congo language of Kordofan, Sudan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acheron (Asheron) is a language in the Talodi family spoken in South Kordofan, Sudan.
| Acheron | |
|---|---|
| Asheron | |
| ɡə-rəmɛ | |
| Pronunciation | /ɡə-rəmɛ/ |
| Native to | Sudan |
| Region | Nuba Hills |
Native speakers | 20,000 (2006)[1] 9,800 in home area (2006)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | acz |
| Glottolog | ache1245 |
| ELP | Acheron |
 Acheron is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
Acheron derives from the Arabic word aɟɟur-uun [sic] which means "innocent people",[2] it was later "indigenised as /acʊrʊn/"[3] and turned into /aʃərɔn/. The autoethonym in Acheron is /wɑ-rəmɛ/ for the people and /ɡə-rəmɛ/ for the language.[2]
The number of active speakers is estimated to be 9,800.[2] This number includes the community members and "diaspora speakers" in other Sudanese towns and abroad.[2]
Phonology
Consonants
Norton (2000) calls /s/ and /k/ "stiff cord" segments, saying they are always voiceless, with other short plosives and fricatives varying in voicing.[4]
Vowels
Norton (1995) posited 10 vowels: 5 [-ATR] /ɪ, ɛ, a, ɔ ʊ/ and 5 [+ATR] /i, e, ɜ, o, u/.[6] However, Norton (2013) has 8 vowels: [-ATR] /ɪ, ɛ, ə, ɑ, ɔ, ʊ/ and [+ATR] /i u/.[2]
