Yemba language
{{Short description|Grassfields language spoken in Cameroon}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Yemba
|altname=Ashuŋne yémba
|nativename=Dschang
|region=Cameroon
|ethnicity=Bamileke
|speakers=~500,000
|date=2023
|ref=e25
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=Atlantic–Congo
|fam3=Volta-Congo
|fam4=Benue–Congo
|fam5=Bantoid
|fam6=Southern Bantoid
|fam7=Grassfields
|fam8=Eastern Grassfields
|fam9=Mbam-Nkam
|fam10=Bamileke
|fam11=West Bamileke
|fam12=Bamboutos
|dia1=various, including Foreke Dschang and Mmuock
|iso3=ybb
|glotto=yemb1246
|glottorefname=Yemba
}}
Yɛmba or Yemba, also Yémba or Bamiléké Dschang, is a major Bamileke language in West Region of Cameroon. It was approximately spoken by 500,000 or so people in the country in 2023.
Despite originally being exclusively a spoken language, Yemba writing was developed by Maurice Tadadjeu (co-creator of the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages) and Steven Bird. Their team developed a small Yemba–French Dictionary covering French translations of over 3,000 Yemba words and expressions.{{Cite book|first=Steven|last=Bird|author2=Maurice, Tadadjeu |title=Petit Dictionnaire Yémba - Français |publisher=ANACLAC (Association Nationale des Comités de langues du Cameroun) |year=1997 |url=http://www.ldc.upenn.edu/sb/home/papers/dictionary.pdf}} The Mmuock dialect also has a proposed orthography.
Phonology
= Consonants =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" | |
| rowspan="2" |Plosive
!voiceless |({{IPA link|p}}) |{{IPA link|t}} | |{{IPA link|k}} |{{IPA link|ʔ}} |
|---|
| voiced
|{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} | |{{IPA link|ɡ}} | |
| colspan="2" |Affricate
|{{IPA link|p͡f}} |{{IPA link|t͡s}} |{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} | | |
| rowspan="2" |Fricative
!voiceless |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|s}} |{{IPA link|ʃ}} | | |
| voiced
|{{IPA link|v}} |{{IPA link|z}} |{{IPA link|ʒ}} |({{IPA link|ɣ}}) | |
| colspan="2" |Nasal
|{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} | |{{IPA link|ŋ}} | |
| colspan="2" |Rhotic
| |({{IPA link|r}}) | | | |
| rowspan="2" |Approximant
!lateral | |({{IPA link|l}}) | | | |
| central
|{{IPA link|w}} | |{{IPA link|j}} | | |
- Sounds /t͡ʃ ʃ ʒ/ are included as phonemes in some analyses. In most analyses, they are considered as allophones of /t͡s s z/.
- Sounds [p l ɣ] are consonant alternation sounds between the following consonants /b d ɡ/.
- Alternation sounds of /j w/ are labialized and palatalized sounds [ɡʲ ɡʷ].
- Graphemes of the alterations and allophones [t͡ʃ ʃ ʒ p l] are noted in the Yemba alphabet as c sh j p l.
- An /r/ sound can also be included in the current language, and written in the Yemba alphabet as r.
- The prosodies of palatalization and labialization [ʲ ʷ], are written orthographically with lowercase graphemes y w.
- A grapheme for aspiration [ʰ] among consonants is written as h.
= Vowels =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! !Back |
| High
| align="center" |{{IPA link|i}} |{{IPA link|ʉ}} | align="center" | {{IPA link|u}} |
|---|
| rowspan="2" |Mid
|{{IPA link|e}} | |{{IPA link|o}} |
| {{IPA link|ɛ}}
| |{{IPA link|ɔ}} |
| Low
| |{{IPA link|a}} | |
- /ʉ/ is included as a phoneme in some analyses. In more abstract analyses, it is considered as a palatalization of /u/.
- Vowel length is distinguished using double vowel sounds (ex. aa [aː])
= Tone =
Three tones are marked as high [á], mid [ā], or low [à]. Low tones are unmarked when written.{{Cite book|last=Harro|first=Gretchen|title=Grammar Sketch of Yemba|last2=Haynes|first2=Nancy|publisher=SIL|year=1991|location=Yaoundé}}
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[ftp://ftp.cis.upenn.edu/pub/sb/papers/dictionary/dictionary.pdf Petit dictionnaire Yemba Francais]{{dead link|date=May 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
External links
- [http://www.yemba.net Aleco Yemba.net - Online Dictionaries and Learning Tools for the Yemba Language]
{{Languages of Cameroon}}
{{Grassfields Bantu languages}}
Category:Languages of Cameroon
{{Cameroon-lang-stub}}
{{gras-lang-stub}}