Meʼen language
Nilo-Saharan language spoken in Ethiopia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Meʼen (also Mekan, Mieʼen, Mieken, Meqan, Men) is a Nilo-Saharan language (Eastern Sudanic, Surmic, Southeast Surmic[2]) spoken in Ethiopia by the Meʼen people. In recent years, it has been written with the Geʽez alphabet, but in 2007 a decision was made to use the Latin alphabet. Dialects include Bodi (Podi) and Tishena (Teshina, Teshenna).
| Meʼen | |
|---|---|
| Mɛʼɛn | |
| Native to | Ethiopia |
| Region | Eastern Africa |
| Ethnicity | Me'en |
Native speakers | 150,000 (2007 census)[1] |
Nilo-Saharan?
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mym |
| Glottolog | meen1242 |
| ELP | Bodi |
Meʼen and Kwegu are unique among Surmic languages in that they have ejective consonants.
Reliable descriptions of some parts of the language have been produced by Hans-Georg Will, often contradicting Carlo Conti Rossini's work, the editing of the extensive language notes of a non-linguist.
Phonology
/p/ can be realized as a fricative [f] in initial and medial positions.
/i, u/ can have lax variants as [ɪ, ʊ].
