Samwe language
{{Update|date=April 2025}}
{{Short description|Gur language of Burkina}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Samwe
|nativename=Wara
|region=Burkina Faso
|ethnicity=Samba
|speakers=4,500
|date=1993
|ref=e18
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=Atlantic–Congo?
|fam3=Gur?
|fam4=Wara–Natyoro
|iso3=wbf
|glotto=wara1292
|glottorefname=Samue
}}
Samwé (samoe), also known as Wara (ouara, ouala), is a Gur language of Burkina. Dialects are Negueni-Klani, Ouatourou-Niasogoni, and Soulani. Niasogoni speakers have difficulty with Negueni, but not vice versa.
Phonology
=Consonants=
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Consonants{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=96}} ! colspan=2| !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Palatal !! Velar !! Labial- | |
| rowspan=2|Plosive | voiceless
| {{IPAlink|p}} || {{IPAlink|t}} || {{IPAlink|c}} || {{IPAlink|k}} || {{IPAlink|kp}} |
|---|---|
| voiced
| {{IPAlink|b}} || || || || | |
| colspan=2|Nasal
| {{IPAlink|m}} || {{IPAlink|n}} || || || | |
| colspan=2|Fricative
| {{IPAlink|f}} || {{IPAlink|s}} || || || | |
| colspan=2|Flap
| || {{IPAlink|ɾ}} || || || | |
| colspan=2|Approximant
| || {{IPAlink|l}} || {{IPAlink|j}} || || {{IPAlink|w}} |
- {{IPAslink|b}} can be lenited to {{IPAblink|β̞}} between vowels.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=98}}
- {{IPAslink|t}} has a free variant {{IPAblink|d}} after nasals, vowels, and other consonants.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=98}}
- {{IPAslink|c}} is voiced {{IPAblink|ɟ}} after nasals and between vowels.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=98}}
- {{IPAslink|k}} is often {{IPAblink|g}} or {{IPAblink|ɰ}} between vowels. It tends to stay voiceless at morpheme boundaries.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=99}}
- {{IPAslink|kp}} becomes voiced {{IPAblink|gb}} between vowels or after nasals. {{IPA|/kp}} is not allowed before {{IPAslink|u}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=99}}
- {{IPAblink|ʔ}}, which is not phonemic, occurs intervocalically between the same vowel.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=100}}
- {{IPAslink|f}} is always voiceless.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=105}}
- {{IPAslink|s}} is voiced {{IPAblink|z}} intervocalically and after nasals, {{IPAblink|ʃ}} before {{IPA|/ia/}} and {{IPA|/ie/}}, and {{IPAblink|s}} elsewhere. {{IPA|/s/}} can be lenited to {{IPAblink|ɹ}}, which Ouattara represents as {{IPA|[z̞]}}. As with stops, voicing and lenition are in free variation.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|pp=105-106}}
- {{IPAslink|ɾ}} can also be realized as {{IPAblink|r}} or {{IPAblink|ɹ}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=110}} {{IPA|/ɾ/}} is also in free variation with {{IPA|/n/}} in some words. Sometimes, {{IPA|/ɾn/}} becomes {{IPA|/nn/}} or {{IPA|/rr/}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=111}}
- {{IPAslink|l}} and {{IPAslink|n}} are contrastive, but roughly 20 words have {{IPA|/l~n/}} in free variation.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=111}}
=Vowels=
Samwe has 20 vowels: 7 short oral vowels, 7 long oral vowels, 3 short nasal vowels, and 3 long nasal vowels.
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Oral vowels{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=120}} ! rowspan=2| !! colspan=2|Front !! colspan=2|Central !! colspan=2|Back | |||||
| short | long | short | long | short | long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close
| {{IPAlink|i}} || {{IPAlink|iː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPAlink|u}} || {{IPAlink|uː}} | |||||
| Close-mid
| {{IPAlink|e}} || {{IPAlink|eː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPAlink|o}} || {{IPAlink|oː}} | |||||
| Open-mid
| {{IPAlink|ɛ}} || {{IPAlink|ɛː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPAlink|ɔ}} || {{IPAlink|ɔː}} | |||||
| Open
| colspan=2| || {{IPAlink|a}} || {{IPAlink|aː}} || colspan=2| |
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Nasal vowels{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=120}} ! rowspan=2| !! colspan=2|Front !! colspan=2|Central !! colspan=2|Back | |||||
| short | long | short | long | short | long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close
| {{IPAlink|ĩ}} || {{IPAlink|ĩː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPAlink|ũ}} || {{IPAlink|ũː}} | |||||
| Open
| colspan=2| || {{IPAlink|ã}} || {{IPAlink|ãː}} || colspan=2| |
Samwe has two types of vowel harmony: ATR harmony and front-back harmony. {{IPA|/ɛ, ɔ/}} do not occur in stems with {{IPA|/i, e, o, u/}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=155}} Front and back vowels ({{IPA|/i, e/}} and {{IPA|/u, o}}) do not co-occur in disyllabic imperative verb stems, but this rule is not followed in other verb forms.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=158}} {{IPA|/a/}} is neutral in both types.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=155, 158}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
- {{cite thesis |last=Ouattara |first=Virpi |year=2015 |title=A phonological and tonal analysis of Samue using Optimality Theory |publisher=University of Turku |hdl=10024/104773 |isbn=978-951-29-6125-2}}
{{Gur languages}}
{{Languages of Burkina Faso}}
Category:Wara–Natyoro languages
Category:Languages of Burkina Faso
{{gur-lang-stub}}