Kemezung language

Bantoid language spoken in Cameroon From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kemezung (Dumbo, Dumbu, Dzumbo, Kumaju) is a Southern Bantoid (Eastern Beboid) language of Cameroon. According to Ethnologue, it's 85% lexically similar to Bebe.[1]

NativetoCameroon
RegionNorthwest Province, Donga-Mantung Division, Southwest corner of Ako Subdivision, Northwest of Nkambé, town of Dumbu and village of Kwei.
Native speakers
3,540 (2008)[1]
Quick facts Native to, Region ...
Kemezung
Native toCameroon
RegionNorthwest Province, Donga-Mantung Division, Southwest corner of Ako Subdivision, Northwest of Nkambé, town of Dumbu and village of Kwei.
Native speakers
3,540 (2008)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3dmo
Glottologkeme1240
Close

Consonants

Kemezung has 19 "unmodified" consonants.[2] Cox also claims Kemezung has labialized, palatalized, and prenasalized consonants but does not list all of them.[3]

More information Labial, Coronal ...
LabialCoronalPalatalVelarLabial–velarGlottalic
Plosive voiceless tkk͡p
voiced bdgg͡b
Affricate voiceless t͡s[a]
voiced d͡z[b]
Fricative fs[c]h
Nasal mnɲŋ
Approximant l[d]j[e]w
Close
  1. [a]
    /t͡s/ becomes [t͡ʃ] before /i/.
  2. [b]
    /d͡z/ becomes [d͡ʒ] before /i/.
  3. [c]
    /s/ becomes [ʃ] before /i/. It becomes [s̬] or [ɾ] between vowels root-medially.
  4. [d]
    /l/ optionally becomes [d] in many words before /i/ root-medially.
  5. [e]
    /j/ optionally becomes [ʒ] before /i/ root-medially.

Vowels

Kemezung has 9 phonemic vowels.[4]

More information Front, Central ...
Front CentralBack
Close i u
Close-mid eɘ[a]o
Open-mid ɛɜ[b]ɔ
Open ä
Close
  1. [a]
    Cox uses ⟨ɨ⟩, which normally represents the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/.
  2. [b]
    Cox uses ⟨ə⟩, which normally represents the mid central unrounded vowel /ə/.

Tone

Kemezung also has 7 (or possibly 8) tones.[5] There are three level tones (high, mid, and low), three falling tones (high-low, mid-low, and long mid-low), and one or two rising tones (low-mid and possibly mid-high).

Notes

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI