Login
Login

Nzema language

{{Short description|Tano language of Ghana and Ivory Coast}}

{{Redirect|Appolo}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Nzema

| nativename =

| region = Ghana, Ivory Coast

| ethnicity = Nzema

| speakers = {{sigfig|427,000|2}}

| date = 2013–2021

| ref = e26

| familycolor = Niger-Congo

| fam2 = Atlantic–Congo

| fam3 = Kwa

| fam4 = Potou–Tano

| fam5 = Tano

| fam6 = Central Tano

| fam7 = Bia

| fam8 = South Bia

| iso2 = nzi

| iso3 = nzi

| glotto = nzim1238

| glottorefname = Nzima

}}

Nzema, also known as Nzima or Appolo, is a Central Tano language spoken by the Nzema people of southwestern Ghana and southeastern Ivory Coast.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/nzi|title=Nzema|website=Ethnologue|language=en|access-date=2020-01-03}} It is partially intelligible with Jwira-Pepesa and is closely related to Baoulé.{{Cite journal|last=Burmeister|first=Jonathan L.|date=1976|title=A comparison of variable nouns in Anyi-Sanvi and Nzema|url=https://www.sil.org/resources/archives/2509|journal=Annales de l'Université d'Abidjan|volume=H|issue=Linguistique 9|pages=7–19}}

Being a Bia language, Nzema is one of the many Akan languages, and it has had considerable influence from other Akan languages, especially Twi and Fante.{{Cite journal|last=Berry|first=J.|date=1955|title=Some Notes on the Phonology of the Nzema and Ahanta Dialects|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|language=en|volume=17|issue=1|pages=160–165|doi=10.1017/S0041977X00106421|issn=1474-0699}} There are notable towns in Nzemaland such as Bonyere, Nkroful, Half Assini, Axim, Eikwe, Baku, Atuabo, Beyin, Essiama and Anokyi.

Phonology

= Consonants =

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

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

! rowspan="2" |Labial

! colspan="2" |Labiodental

! rowspan="2" |Dental

! colspan="3" |Alveolar

! colspan="2" |(Alveolo-)
Palatal

! colspan="2" |Velar

! rowspan="2" |Labial-velar

! colspan="2" |Glottal

{{small|plain}} || {{small|lab.}}

!{{small|plain}} || {{small|lab.}} || {{small|pal.}}

!{{small|plain}} || {{small|lab.}}

!{{small|plain}} || {{small|lab.}}

!{{small|plain}}

!{{small|lab.}}

Nasal

!{{small|plain}}

|{{IPA link|m}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|n̪}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ɲʷ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋʷ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋm}}

|

|

rowspan="2" |Plosive/
Affricate

!{{small|voiceless}}

|{{IPA link|p}}

|{{IPA link|tp}}

|

|{{IPA link|t̪}}

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|tɕ}}

|{{IPA link|tɕʷ}}

|{{IPA link|k}}

|{{IPA link|kʷ}}

|{{IPA link|kp}}

|{{IPA link|ʔ}}

|

{{small|voiced}}

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|db}}

|

|{{IPA link|d̪}}

|{{IPA link|d|d}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|dʑ}}

|{{IPA link|dʑʷ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

|{{IPA link|gʷ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡb}}

|

|

rowspan="2" |Fricative

!{{small|voiceless}}

|

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|fʷ}}

|

|{{IPA link|s}}

|{{IPA link|sʷ}}

|{{IPA link|sʲ}}

|{{IPA link|ɕ}}

|{{IPA link|ɕʷ}}

|{{IPA link|x}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|h}}

|{{IPA link|hʷ}}

{{small|voiced}}

|

|{{IPA link|v}}

|{{IPA link|vʷ}}

|

|{{IPA link|z}}

|{{IPA link|zʷ}}

|{{IPA link|zʲ}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɣ}}

|

|

|{{IPA link|ɦ}}

|

colspan="2" |Trill

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|r}}

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

rowspan="2" |Lateral

! {{small|plain}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|l}}

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

{{small|nasalized}}

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|l̃}}

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Approximant

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|{{IPA link|j}}

|{{IPA link|ɥ}}

|

|{{IPA link|w}}

|

|

|

= Vowels =

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

!

!Front

!Central

!Back

Close

|{{IPA link|i}}

|

|{{IPA link|u}}

Near-close

|{{IPA link|ɪ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ʊ}}

Close-mid

|{{IPA link|e}}

|

|{{IPA link|o}}

Open-mid

|{{IPA link|ɛ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɔ}}

Near-open

|

|{{IPA link|ɐ|ɐ}}

|

Open

|

|{{IPA link|a}}

|

Of Nzema's ten vowels, eight may be nasalized: /ĩ/, /ɪ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /ɐ̃/, /ã/, /ũ/, /ʊ̃/ and /ɔ̃/.{{Cite book |last=Chinebuah |first=Isaac Kodwo |title=Grammatical categories of the verbal piece in Nzema |publisher=University of London |year=1973}}

Writing system

class="wikitable"

|+Nzema alphabetLanguage Guide, 1977{{full citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Uppercase

| A || B || D || Ɛ || E

| F || G || H || I || K

| L || M || N || Ɔ || O

| P || R || S || T || U

| V || W || Y || Z

Lowercase

| a || b || d || ɛ || e

| f || g || h || i || k

| l || m || n || ɔ || o

| p || r || s || t || u

| v || w || y || z

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://nzi.kasahorow.org/app/d Nzema language dictionaries]

{{incubator|nzi}}

{{Languages of Ghana}}

{{Languages of Ivory Coast}}

{{Kwa languages}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Central Tano languages

Category:Languages of Ghana

Category:Languages of Ivory Coast

{{kwa-lang-stub}}