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Chopi language

{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in Mozambique}}

{{About|the Bantu language|the ethnic group|Chopi people|the aromatic plant|Zanthoxylum piperitum}}

{{distinguish|Chopi language (Sudanic)}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Chopi

|nativename=Chichopi

|states=Mozambique

|speakers={{sigfig|1.100000|2}} million

|date=2017

|ref=e26

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Volta-Congo

|fam4=Benue–Congo

|fam5=Bantoid

|fam6=Southern Bantoid

|fam7=Bantu

|fam8=Southern Bantu

|fam9=Chopi (S.60)?

|dia1=Lenge

|iso3=cce

|glotto=chop1243

|glottorefname=Chopi

|lingua=[http://linguasphere.info/?page=linguascale&linguacode=99-AUT-cc 99-AUT-cc]
incl. varieties
99-AUT-cca...-ccd

|guthrie=S.61,611

}}

Chopi, (also spelled Copi, Tschopi, and Txopi), is a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique.

Maho (2009) lists the possibly extinct Lenge dialect as a distinct language.

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |

! rowspan="2" |Labial

! colspan="3" |Alveolar

! rowspan="2" |Post-
alveolar

! rowspan="2" |Palatal

! rowspan="2" |Velar

! rowspan="2" |Glottal

plain

!whstld.

!lateral

rowspan="5" |Click

!voiceless

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᵏǃ}}

|

|

|

aspirated

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᵏǃʰ}}

|

|

|

voiced

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᶢǃ}}

|

|

|

prenasal vl.

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᵑǃᵏ}}

|

|

|

prenasal vd.

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᵑǃᶢ}}

|

|

|

rowspan="2" |Nasal

!plain

|{{IPA link|m}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|

murmured

|{{IPA link|mʱ}}

|{{IPA link|nʱ}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɲʱ}}

|

|

rowspan="6" |Plosive

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p}}

|{{IPA link|t}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|k}}

|

aspirated

|{{IPA link|pʰ}}

|{{IPA link|tʰ}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|kʰ}}

|

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

|

implosive

|{{IPA link|ɓ}}

|{{IPA link|ɗ}}

|

|

|

|({{IPA link|ʄ}})

|

|

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ᵐb}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}}

|

murmured/pren.

|{{IPA link|ᵐbʱ}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿdʱ}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡʱ}}

|

rowspan="5" |Affricate

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p͡f}}

|{{IPA link|t͡s}}

|{{IPA|t͡sᶲ}}

|{{IPA link|t͡ɬ}}

|{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}

|

|

|

aspirated

|{{IPA link|p͡fʰ}}

|{{IPA link|t͡sʰ}}

|{{IPA|t͡sᶲʰ}}

|{{IPA link|t͡ɬʰ}}

|{{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}}

|

|

|

voiced

|({{IPA link|b͡v}})

|{{IPA link|d͡z}}

|{{IPA|d͡zᵝ}}

|{{IPA link|d͡ɮ}}

|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}

|

|

|

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ᶬb͡v}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd͡z}}

|{{IPA|ⁿd͡zᵝ}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd͡ɮ}}

|{{IPA link|ᶮd͡ʒ}}

|

|

|

murmured/pren.

|

|{{IPA link|ⁿd͡zʱ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ⁿd͡ɮʱ}}

|{{IPA link|ᶮd͡ʒʱ}}

|

|

|

rowspan="2" |Fricative

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

|{{IPA|sᶲ}}

|{{IPA link|ɬ}}

|{{IPA link|ʃ}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|h}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|v}}

|{{IPA link|z}}{{Efn|Voiced fricative sounds are heard mostly as realizations of voiced affricates among modern speakers|name=Voiced fricatives}}

|{{IPA|zᵝ}}{{Efn|name=Voiced fricatives}}

|{{IPA link|ɮ}}{{Efn|name=Voiced fricatives}}

|{{IPA link|ʒ}}{{Efn|name=Voiced fricatives}}

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|

|{{IPA link|r}}

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rowspan="2" |Approximant

!lateral

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|l}}

|

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central

|{{IPA link|ʋ}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|j}}

|{{IPA link|w}}

|

{{notelist}}

  • Sounds /t͡sᶲ, t͡sᶲʰ, d͡zᵝ, ⁿd͡zᵝ/, are typically heard as labial-alveolar affricates [p͡sᶲ, p͡sᶲʰ, b͡zᵝ, ᵐb͡zᵝ], however in recent years there has been a shift in pronunciation having them pronounced purely as alveolar.
  • Consonants when preceding /j, w/ are always either palatalized [Cʲ] or labialized [Cʷ].
  • /ɟ/ may also be heard as an implosive [ʄ] in free variation.
  • /v/ may also be heard as an affricate [b͡v] in free variation.

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!

!Front

!Central

!Back

Close

|{{IPA link|i}}

|

|{{IPA link|u}}

Mid

|{{IPA link|ɛ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɔ}}

Open

|

|{{IPA link|a}}

|

  • Nasalized vowel sounds [Ṽ] may be heard when preceding nasal consonants.{{Cite book |last=Bailey |first=Richard Anthony |chapter=Issues in the phonology and orthography of Chopi (ciCopi S 61) |location=Köln |publisher=Rüdiger Köppe |year=1995 |editor-last1=Traill |editor-first1=A. |editor-first2=R. |editor-last2=Vossen |editor-first3=M. M. A. |editor-last3=Biesele |title=The complete linguist: papers in memory of Patrick J. Dickens |pages=135-170 |isbn=978-3-927620-84-1}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Languages of Mozambique}}

{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S)}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Southern Bantu languages

Category:Languages of Mozambique