Okpe language (Southwestern Edo)

{{short description|Edoid language of Nigeria}}

{{distinguish|Okpe language (Northwestern Edo)}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Okpe

|region=Delta State

|states=Nigeria

|ethnicity=Urhobo

|speakers={{sigfig|25400|2}}

|date=2000

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Volta–Niger

|fam4={{sm|yeai}}

|fam5=Edoid

|fam6=Southwestern

|iso3=oke

|lc1=ids|ld1=Idesa

|glotto=okpe1250

|glottorefname=Okpe (Southwestern Edo)

}}

Okpe is an Edoid language of Nigeria spoken by the Urhobo people.

Phonology

The sound system is rather conservative, and nearly the same as that of Urhobo. The vowels system is the same, and somewhat reduced compared to proto-Edoid: there are seven vowels, {{IPA|/i e ɛ a ɔ o u/}}.Archangeli & Pulleyblank, 1994. Grounded phonology, p 181ff Of the consonants, only significant differences are the addition of {{IPA|/ɣʷ/}} and of the distinction between l vs n and y vs ny: these alternate, depending on whether the following vowel is oral or nasal. {{IPA|/ɾ, ʋ, w/}} also have nasal allophones before nasal vowels.

class="wikitable"

!  

!Labial

!Labiodental

!Alveolar

!Palatal

!Velar

!Labio-velar

!Glottal

Nasal

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

|

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

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

|  

|  

|  

Plosive

| align=center | {{IPA link|p}}  {{IPA link|b}}

|

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

| align=center | {{IPA link|c}}  {{IPA link|ɟ}}

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

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

|  

Fricative

| align=center | {{IPA link|ɸ}}  

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

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

| align=center | {{IPA link|ɕ}}  {{IPA link|ʑ}}

| align=center |   {{IPA link|ɣ}}

| align=center |   {{IPA link|ɣʷ}}

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

Trill

|  

|

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

|  

|  

|  

|  

Flap

|  

|

| align=center | {{IPA link|ɾ}}

|  

|  

|  

|  

Approximant

|  

| align=center| {{IPA link|ʋ}}

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

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

|  

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

|  

References

{{reflist}}

{{Volta-Niger languages}}

Category:Edoid languages

{{VoltaNiger-lang-stub}}