Klao language

{{Infobox language

|name = Klao

|nativename = Kru

|states = Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Guinea

|ethnicity= Kru people

|speakers = {{sigfig|402,000|2}}

|date=2020

|ref=e25

|familycolor = Niger-Congo

|fam2 = Atlantic–Congo

|fam3 = Kru

|fam4 = Western Kru

|fam5 = Klao–Tajuasohn

|iso3 = klu

|glotto=klao1243

|glottorefname=Klao

}}

File:WIKITONGUES- John speaking Klao.webm.]]

Klao (also Klaoh), or Kru, is a Kru language of the Niger–Congo language family, spoken primarily in Liberia, with some speakers also in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Guinea. It uses SVO word order for main clauses and SOV for embedded clauses. A Klao translation of the Bible by missionary Nancy Lightfoot was released in 2000.{{Cite web |url=http://www.goodnewsnews.org/americanbible/tgnn/item.php?id=109 |title=The GOOD NEWS News |access-date=2007-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930185638/http://www.goodnewsnews.org/americanbible/tgnn/item.php?id=109 |archive-date=2011-09-30 |url-status=dead }} The language has Western, West Central, Central, and Eastern dialects.[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=klu Ethnologue report for language code:klu]

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+Klao consonants{{Cite book \|last=Duitsman \|first=John \|title=A Survey of Kru Dialects \|last2=Bertkau \|first2=Jana \|last3=Laesch \|first3=James \|year=1975 \|location=Studies in African Linguistics 6(1) \|pages=77-103}} ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" \| ! rowspan="2" \|Labial ! rowspan="2" \|Alveolar ! rowspan="2" \|Palatal ! colspan="2" \|Velar ! rowspan="2" \|Labio- velar
plain !lab.
rowspan="2" \|Plosive !voiceless \|{{IPA link\|p}} \|{{IPA link\|t}} \|{{IPA link\|c}} \|{{IPA link\|k}} \|{{IPA link\|kʷ}} \|{{IPA link\|k͡p}}
voiced \|{{IPA link\|b}} \|{{IPA link\|d}} \|{{IPA link\|ɟ}} \| \| \|{{IPA link\|ɡ͡b}}
colspan="2" \|Fricative \|{{IPA link\|f}} \|{{IPA link\|s}} \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Nasal \|{{IPA link\|m}} \|{{IPA link\|n}} \|{{IPA link\|ɲ}} \|{{IPA link\|ŋ}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ŋ͡m}}
colspan="2" \|Lateral \| \|{{IPA link\|l}} \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Approximant \|{{IPA link\|w}} \| \|{{IPA link\|j}} \| \| \|

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

|+Klao consonants{{Cite book |last=Duitsman |first=John |title=A Survey of Kru Dialects |last2=Bertkau |first2=Jana |last3=Laesch |first3=James |year=1975 |location=Studies in African Linguistics 6(1) |pages=77-103}}

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

! rowspan="2" |Labial

! rowspan="2" |Alveolar

! rowspan="2" |Palatal

! colspan="2" |Velar

! rowspan="2" |Labio-
velar

plain

!lab.

rowspan="2" |Plosive

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p}}

|{{IPA link|t}}

|{{IPA link|c}}

|{{IPA link|k}}

|{{IPA link|kʷ}}

|{{IPA link|k͡p}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d}}

|{{IPA link|ɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}}

colspan="2" |Fricative

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ͡m}}

colspan="2" |Lateral

|{{IPA link|l}}

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPA link|w}}

|{{IPA link|j}}

/l/ may also be heard as flap sounds [ɺ] or [ɾ].{{Cite book |last=Lightfoot |first=Nancy |title=Tones on Kru Monosyllables |year=1974 |location=Anthropological Linguistics, 16(9) |pages=425–441}}

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" \|+Klao vowels ! !Front ! colspan="2" \|Central !Back
Close \|{{IPA link\|i}} {{IPA link\|ĩ}} \| colspan="2" \| \|{{IPA link\|u}} {{IPA link\|ũ}}
Close-mid \|{{IPA link\|e}} \|{{IPA link\|ə}} {{IPA link\|ə̃}} \|{{IPA link\|ɵ}} {{IPA link\|ɵ̃}} \|{{IPA link\|o}}
Open-mid \|{{IPA link\|ɛ}} {{IPA link\|ɛ̃}} \| colspan="2" \| \|{{IPA link\|ɔ}} {{IPA link\|ɔ̃}}
Open \| \| colspan="2" \|{{IPA link\|a}} {{IPA link\|ã}} \|

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

|+Klao vowels

!Front

! colspan="2" |Central

!Back

|{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|ĩ}}

| colspan="2" |

|{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|ũ}}

Close-mid

|{{IPA link|e}}

|{{IPA link|ə}} {{IPA link|ə̃}}

|{{IPA link|ɵ}} {{IPA link|ɵ̃}}

|{{IPA link|o}}

Open-mid

|{{IPA link|ɛ}} {{IPA link|ɛ̃}}

| colspan="2" |

|{{IPA link|ɔ}} {{IPA link|ɔ̃}}

Open

| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|ã}}

Sounds /ə, ə̃, ɵ, ɵ̃/ may also be heard as [ɪ, ɪ̃, ʊ, ʊ̃] among dialects.{{Cite book |last=Singler |first=John Victor |title=Vowel harmony in Klao: linear and nonlinear analysis |year=1983 |location=Studies in African Linguistics 14(1) |pages=1-33}}

References

Category:Kru languages

Category:Languages of Liberia

Category:Languages of Sierra Leone