Tupuri language

{{distinguish|Kera language{{!}}Tuburi language}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Tupuri

|nativename=

|states=Chad, Cameroon

|ethnicity=Tupuri people

|speakers={{sigfig|321,000|2}}

|date=2005–2019

|ref=e25

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Mbum–Day

|fam4=Mbum

|fam5=Northern Mbum

|fam6=Tupuri–Mambai

|iso3=tui

|glotto=tupu1244

|glottorefname=Tupuri

}}

Tupuri (or Toupouri) is a language mostly spoken in the Mayo-Kebbi Est Region of southern Chad and in small parts of northern Cameroon. It is an Mbum language spoken by the Tupuri people with approximately 300,000 speakers.

Tupuri was erroneously classified as a Chadic language by Joseph Greenberg, due to a vocabulary list that is actually that of Kera (cf. K. Ebert 1974).

Distribution

Tupuri is predominantly spoken in the southeastern part of the Moulvouday plain, in:{{cite book|editor-last=Binam Bikoi|editor-first=Charles|date=2012|title=Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM)|trans-title=Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon|volume=1: Inventaire des langues|language=fr|location=Yaoundé|publisher=CERDOTOLA|series=Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC)|isbn=9789956796069}}

Kaélé, Porhi, Taibong villages in Moulvouday commune
Guidigis commune, in Mayo-Kani department
Kar-Hay, Kalfou, Datcheka, Tchatibali communes in Mayo-Danay department

The Viri or Wina are ethnically Tupuri, but today they speak a Massa dialect.

Tupuri is also spoken in Chad. In Cameroon, it has about 125,000 speakers (SIL 2000).

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! colspan="2" \| !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal !Velar !Glottal
rowspan="4" \|Plosive/ Affricate !voiceless \|{{IPA link\|p}} \|{{IPA link\|t}} \|{{IPA link\|t͡ʃ}} \|{{IPA link\|k}} \|{{IPA link\|ʔ}}
voiced \|{{IPA link\|b}} \|{{IPA link\|d}} \|{{IPA link\|d͡ʒ}} \|{{IPA link\|ɡ}} \|
prenasal \|{{IPA link\|ᵐb}} \|{{IPA link\|ⁿd}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ᵑɡ}} \|
implosive \|{{IPA link\|ɓ}} \|{{IPA link\|ɗ}} \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Fricative \|{{IPA link\|f}} \|{{IPA link\|s}} \| \| \|{{IPA link\|h}}
colspan="2" \|Nasal \|{{IPA link\|m}} \|{{IPA link\|n}} \|{{IPA link\|ɲ}} \|{{IPA link\|ŋ}} \|
colspan="2" \|Rhotic \| \|{{IPA link\|r}} \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Lateral \| \|{{IPA link\|l}} \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Approximant \| \| \|{{IPA link\|j}} \|{{IPA link\|w}} \|

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

! colspan="2" |

rowspan="4" |Plosive/
Affricate

!voiceless

|{{IPA link|p}}

|{{IPA link|t}}

|{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}

|{{IPA link|k}}

|{{IPA link|ʔ}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d}}

|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ᵐb}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd}}

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}}

implosive

|{{IPA link|ɓ}}

|{{IPA link|ɗ}}

colspan="2" |Fricative

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

|{{IPA link|h}}

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|{{IPA link|r}}

colspan="2" |Lateral

|{{IPA link|l}}

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPA link|j}}

|{{IPA link|w}}

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" \|+Oral vowels ! !Front !Central !Back
Close \|{{IPA link\|i}} {{IPA link\|iː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|u}} {{IPA link\|uː}}
Close-mid \|{{IPA link\|e}} {{IPA link\|eː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|o}} {{IPA link\|oː}}
Open-mid \|{{IPA link\|ɛ}} {{IPA link\|ɛː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ɔ}} {{IPA link\|ɔː}}
Open \| \|{{IPA link\|a}} {{IPA link\|aː}} \|

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

|+Oral vowels

!Front

!Central

!Back

|{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}}

|{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|uː}}

Close-mid

|{{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|eː}}

|{{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|oː}}

Open-mid

|{{IPA link|ɛ}} {{IPA link|ɛː}}

|{{IPA link|ɔ}} {{IPA link|ɔː}}

Open

|{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" \|+Nasal vowels ! !Front !Central !Back
Close \|{{IPA link\|ĩ}} {{IPA link\|ĩː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|ũ}} {{IPA link\|ũː}}
Close-mid \|{{IPA link\|ẽ}} {{IPA link\|ẽː}} \| \|{{IPA link\|õ}} {{IPA link\|õː}}
Open \| \|{{IPA link\|ã}} {{IPA link\|ãː}} \|

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

|+Nasal vowels

!Front

!Central

!Back

|{{IPA link|ĩ}} {{IPA link|ĩː}}

|{{IPA link|ũ}} {{IPA link|ũː}}

Close-mid

|{{IPA link|ẽ}} {{IPA link|ẽː}}

|{{IPA link|õ}} {{IPA link|õː}}

Open

|{{IPA link|ã}} {{IPA link|ãː}}

{{Cite book |last=Ruelland |first=Suzanne |title=Dictionnaire Tupuri-Français-Anglais (Région de Mindaoré- Tchad) |publisher=Paris: SELAF |year=1988}}

References

Category:Languages of Chad

Category:Languages of Cameroon

Category:Mbum languages

Category:Tupuri