Ehueun language

{{Short description|Edoid language of Ondo State, Nigeria}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Ehuẹun

|states=Nigeria

|region=Ondo State

|speakers={{sigfig|14200|2}}

|date=2000

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Volta–Niger

|fam4={{sm|yeai}}

|fam5=Edoid

|fam6=Northwestern

|fam7=Osse River

|iso3=ehu

|glotto=ehue1238

|glottorefname=Ehueun

}}

Ehuẹun (Ekpimi) is an Edoid language of Ondo State, Nigeria. It is sometimes considered the same language as Ukue.

Phonology

Ehuẹun has a rather reduced system, compared to proto-Edoid, of seven vowels; these form two harmonic sets, {{IPA|/i e a o u/}} and {{IPA|/i ɛ a ɔ u/}}.Archangeli & Pulleyblank, 1994. Grounded phonology, p 181ff

The language arguably has no phonemic nasal stops; {{IPA|[m, n]}} alternate with {{IPA|[β, l]}}, depending on whether the following vowel is oral or nasal. The inventory is:Jeff Mielke, 2008. The emergence of distinctive features, p 136ff;
also found in Variation and gradience in phonetics and phonology, p 26ff

class="wikitable"

!  

!Bilabial

!Labiodental

!Alveolar

!Palatal

!Velar

!Labio-velar

!Glottal

Plosive

| align=center |   {{IPA link|b}}

|

| align=center | {{IPA link|t}}  {{IPA link|d}}

|

| align=center | {{IPA link|k}}  {{IPA link|ɡ}}

| align=center | {{IPA link|k͡p}}  {{IPA link|ɡ͡b}}

|  

Fricative

| align=center | {{IPA link|ɸ}}  {{IPA link|β}} {{IPAblink|m}}

| align=center | {{IPA link|f}}  {{IPA link|v}}

| align=center | {{IPA link|s}}  {{IPA link|z}}

|

|

|  

| align=center | {{IPA link|h}}

Rhotic

|  

|

| align=center | {{IPA link|r̝}}  {{IPA link|r}}

|  

|  

|  

|  

Approximant

|

| align=center| {{IPA link|ʋ}}

| align=center| {{IPA link|l}} {{IPAblink|n}}

| align=center| {{IPA link|j}}

|  

| align=center| {{IPA link|w}}

|  

The two rhotics have been described as voiced and voiceless trills. However, Ladefoged{{SOWL}}{{page missing|date=August 2018}} found both to be approximants, with the pair being raised (without being fricatives) but not trills.

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Volta-Niger languages}}

Category:Edoid languages

{{VoltaNiger-lang-stub}}