Kunama language

{{short description|Nilo-Saharan language family spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Kunama

|nativename=Baada, Baazayn, Diila

|states=Eritrea, Ethiopia

|ethnicity=Kunama

|region=western Eritrea, northern Ethiopia

|speakers={{sigfig|179,430|2}}

|date=2022

|ref=e27

|dia1=Barka (Berka)

|dia2=Marda

|dia3=Aymasa

|dia4=Tika (Lakatakura-Tika)

|dia5=Sokodasa

|dia6=Takazze-Setit

|dia7=Tigray

|minority={{ERI}}

|familycolor=Nilo-Saharan

|fam2=Kunama

|iso3=kun

|glotto=kuna1268

|glottorefname=Kunama

|script=Latin

|image = Kunama.png

|imagecaption =

}}

File:Kunamamap.png

The Kunama language has been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family, though it is distantly related to the other languages, if at all.{{cn|date=June 2024}} Kunama is spoken by the Kunama people of the Gash-Barka Region in western Eritrea and just across the Ethiopian border. The language has several dialects including: Barka, Marda, Aimara, Odasa, Tika, Lakatakura, Sokodasa, Takazze-Setit and Tigray. Ilit and Bitama are not mutually intelligible and so may be considered distinct languages.

There have been some use of the Kunama language in publications. "The first Bible translation product in Kunama was the Gospel of Mark prepared by Andersson and published in 1906."{{cite journal |last1=Andemariam |first1=Senai Woldeab |title=The Polygon of the Bible Translation Efforts in Eritrea 1880–2012 |journal=Journal of Translation |date=2020 |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.54395/jot-d389t|doi-access=free}}

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan="2" \| !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal !Velar !Glottal
rowspan="2" \|Stop !{{Small\|voiceless}} \| \|{{IPAlink\|t}} \|{{IPAlink\|tʃ}} \|{{IPAlink\|k}} \|
{{Small\|voiced}} \|{{IPAlink\|b}} \|{{IPAlink\|d}} \|{{IPAlink\|dʒ}} \|{{IPAlink\|g}} \|
colspan="2" \|Fricative \|{{IPAlink\|f}} \|{{IPAlink\|s}} \|{{IPAlink\|ʃ}} \| \|({{IPAlink\|h}})
colspan="2" \|Nasal \|{{IPAlink\|m}} \|{{IPAlink\|n}} \|{{IPAlink\|ɲ}} \|{{IPAlink\|ŋ}} \|
colspan="2" \|Rhotic \| \|{{IPAlink\|r}} \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Lateral \| \|{{IPAlink\|l}} \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Approximant \|{{IPAlink\|w}} \| \|{{IPAlink\|j}} \| \|

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

! colspan="2" |

rowspan="2" |Stop

!{{Small|voiceless}}

|{{IPAlink|t}}

|{{IPAlink|tʃ}}

|{{IPAlink|k}}

|{{IPAlink|b}}

|{{IPAlink|d}}

|{{IPAlink|dʒ}}

|{{IPAlink|g}}

colspan="2" |Fricative

|{{IPAlink|f}}

|{{IPAlink|s}}

|{{IPAlink|ʃ}}

|({{IPAlink|h}})

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPAlink|m}}

|{{IPAlink|n}}

|{{IPAlink|ɲ}}

|{{IPAlink|ŋ}}

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|{{IPAlink|r}}

colspan="2" |Lateral

|{{IPAlink|l}}

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPAlink|w}}

|{{IPAlink|j}}

{{IPA|/h/}} is only of marginal status.
{{IPA|/k, ɡ/}} are labialized as {{IPA|[kʷ, ɡʷ]}} after back vowels.
{{IPA|/k/}} is heard as aspirated {{IPA|[kʰ]}} in syllable-initial position.

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! !Front !Central !Back
Close \|{{IPAlink\|i}} {{IPAlink\|iː}} \|({{IPAlink\|ɨ}}) \|{{IPAlink\|u}} {{IPAlink\|uː}}
Mid \|{{IPAlink\|e}} {{IPAlink\|eː}} \|({{IPAlink\|ə}}) \|{{IPAlink\|o}} {{IPAlink\|oː}}
Open \| \|{{IPAlink\|a}} {{IPAlink\|aː}} \|

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

!Front

!Central

!Back

|{{IPAlink|i}} {{IPAlink|iː}}

|({{IPAlink|ɨ}})

|{{IPAlink|u}} {{IPAlink|uː}}

Mid

|{{IPAlink|e}} {{IPAlink|eː}}

|({{IPAlink|ə}})

|{{IPAlink|o}} {{IPAlink|oː}}

Open

|{{IPAlink|a}} {{IPAlink|aː}}

{{IPA|/i, e/}} can be heard as {{IPA|[ɨ, ə]}} when in unstressed syllable position.{{Cite book |last=Getachew |first=Anteneh |title=Segmental and Non-Segmental Phonology of Kūnámá |publisher=Addis Ababa University |year=2018}}

References

Relevant literature

{{cite book |last=Bender |first=M. Lionel |year=1996 |title=Kunama |series=Languages of the World/Materials |volume=59 |location=München |publisher=Lincom Europa |isbn=978-3-89586-072-0}}
{{cite journal |last=Bender |first=Marvin Lionel |year=2001 |title=English-Kunama lexicon |journal=Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere |volume=65 |pages=201–253}}
{{cite thesis |last=Idris |first=Nikodimos |year=1987 |title=The Kunama and their language |publisher=Addis Ababa University |degree=BA}}
{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=E. D. |year=1983 |chapter=Kunama: phonology and noun phrase |editor-last=Bender |editor-first=M. L. |title=Nilo-Saharan Language Studies |location=East Lansing |publisher=African Studies Center, Michigan State University |pages=280–322}}
{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=E. David |year=1989 |chapter=Kunama Verb Phrase |editor-last=Bender |editor-first=M. Lionel |title=Topics in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics |location=Hamburg |publisher=Helmut Buske |pages=305–346}}
{{cite book |editor-last1=Tucker |editor-first1=A. N. |editor-last2=Bryan |editor-first2=M. A. |year=1966 |chapter=Kunama |title=Linguistic Analyses: the Non-Bantu Languages of North-Eastern Africa |location=London |publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9781315104645 |isbn=978-1-315-10464-5 |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/mono/10.4324/9781315104645-22/kunama-tucker-bryan}}

External links

World Atlas of Language Structures information on [http://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_knm Kunama]

Category:Languages of Eritrea

Category:Languages of Ethiopia

Category:Kunama languages