Yemba language
| Yemba | |
|---|---|
| Ashuŋne yémba | |
| Dschang | |
| Region | Cameroon |
| Ethnicity | Bamileke |
Native speakers | ~500,000 (2023)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ybb |
| Glottolog | yemb1246 |
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.[1]
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.[2] The Mmuock dialect also has a proposed orthography.
Phonology
[edit]Consonants
[edit]| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | (p) | t | k | ʔ | |
| voiced | b | d | ɡ | |||
| Affricate | p͡f | t͡s | t͡ʃ | |||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | ʃ | ||
| voiced | v | z | ʒ | (ɣ) | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
| Rhotic | (r) | |||||
| Approximant | lateral | (l) | ||||
| central | w | 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
[edit]| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ʉ | u |
| Mid | e | o | |
| ɛ | ɔ | ||
| Low | 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
[edit]Three tones are marked as high [á], mid [ā], or low [à]. Low tones are unmarked when written.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Yemba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Bird, Steven; Maurice, Tadadjeu (1997). Petit Dictionnaire Yémba - Français (PDF). ANACLAC (Association Nationale des Comités de langues du Cameroun).
- ^ Harro, Gretchen; Haynes, Nancy (1991). Grammar Sketch of Yemba. Yaoundé: SIL.
Petit dictionnaire Yemba Francais
External links
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