Lelemi language
{{Short description|Language of Ghana}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Lelemi
|nativename=Lefana
|states=Ghana
|region=Jasikan
|ethnicity=Buem
|speakers={{sigfig|72,000|2}}
|date=2017
|ref=e25
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=Atlantic–Congo
|fam3=Kwa
|fam4=Na-Togo
|fam5=Lelemi languages
|iso3=lef
|glotto=lele1264
|glottorefname=Lelemi
}}
Lelemi or Lefana (Lε-lεmi, Lε-fana) is spoken by the Buem people in the mountainous Volta Region of Ghana. It belongs to the geographic group of Ghana Togo Mountain languages (traditionally called the Togorestsprachen or Togo Remnant languages) of the Kwa branch of Niger–Congo.
Phonology
= Consonants =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | |
| colspan="2" |Nasal
|m |n |ɲ |ŋ | | |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |Plosive/ Affricate !voiceless |p |t |t͡ʃ |k |k͡p | |
| voiced
|b |d |d͡ʒ |ɡ |ɡ͡b | |
| rowspan="2" |Fricative
!voiceless |f |s | | | |h |
| voiced
|v | | | | | |
| colspan="2" |Approximant
| |l |j | |w | |
| colspan="2" |Trill
| |r | | | | |
- /b/ may also be heard as an implosive [ɓ] in word-initial position.
- /f/ may have a variety of allophones when preceding /w/. Most notably a bilabial fricative [ɸ]. Although occasionally also as pharyngeal [ħ] and glottal [h] fricatives among different speakers.{{Cite book |last=Allan |first=Edward Jay |title=A grammar of Buem, the Lelemi language |publisher=University of London |year=1973}}
= Vowels =
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Languages of Ghana}}
{{Kwa languages}}
Category:Ghana–Togo Mountain languages
{{kwa-lang-stub}}