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Yambeta language

{{Short description|Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Yambeta

|nativename=

|states=Cameroon

|speakers=3,700

|date=1982

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Benue–Congo

|fam4=Southern Bantoid

|fam5=Mbam

|fam6=West Mbam

|iso3=yat

|glotto=yamb1252

|glottorefname=Yambeta

|guthrie=A.462

}}

Yambeta or Nigi{{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}} is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon.

Phonology

There are 20 contrastive consonants in Yambeta.

class="wikitable"

|+Consonants

! colspan="2" |

!Labial

!Alveolar

!Palatal

!Velar

!Glottal

colspan="2" |Stop

|p

|t

|t͡ʃ

|k

|ʔ

rowspan="2" |Prenasalized

!Voiceless

|

|ⁿt

|

|ⁿk

|

Voiced

|ⁿb

|ⁿd

|

|ⁿg

|

colspan="2" |Fricatives

|f

|s

|

|

|h

colspan="2" |Nasals

|m

|n

|ɲ

|ŋ

|

colspan="2" |Approximants

|

|l

|j

|w

|

The glottal stop occurs only in word-final position and is elided intervocalically. All other consonants, except /t͡ʃ/ and /w/ as well as the prenasalized stops, may be word-final. All stops are voiceless word-initial and word-final, and voiced intervocalically or following a nasal.

There are two vowel sets in Yambeta. The most common noun syllable structure is CVC.Boyd, V. L. (2015). [https://www.lotpublications.nl/the-phonological-systems-of-the-mbam-languages-of-cameroon-with-a-focus-on-vowels-and-vowel-harmony The phonological systems of the Mbam languages of Cameroon with a focus on vowels and vowel harmony] (pp. XVIII+-394). Utrecht: LOT.

class="wikitable"

|+

! rowspan="3" |

! colspan="6" |+ATR

! colspan="6"

ATR
colspan="2" |Front

! colspan="2" |Mid

! colspan="2" |Back

! colspan="2" |Front

! colspan="2" |Mid

! colspan="2" |Back

Short

!Long

!Short

!Long

!Short

!Long

!Short

!Long

!Short

!Long

!Short

!Long

Close

|ɪ

|ɪː

|

|

|ʊ

|ʊː

|i

|iː

|

|

|u

|uː

Close-mid

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

| rowspan="2" |ə

| rowspan="2" |əː

|o

|oː

Open-mid

|

|

|

|

|ɔ

|ɔː

|

|

|

|

Open

|

|

|a

|aː

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Mbam languages}}

{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B)}}

Category:Mbam languages

Category:Languages of Cameroon

{{Mbam-lang-stub}}