Gwari language

Language in Nigeria
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Gbari
Native toNigeria
RegionAbuja, Kaduna State, Niger State, and Nasarawa State
EthnicityGbagyi people
Native speakers
1,290,000 Gbagyi (2020)[1]
550,000 Gbari (2020)
Language family
Niger–Congo?
  • Atlantic–Congo
    • Volta–Niger

      • Gwari is a Nupoid language spoken by the Gbagyi people, which make up over a million people in Nigeria. There are two principal varieties, Gbari (West Gwari) and Gbagyi (East Gwari), which have some difficulty in communication; sociolinguistically they are distinct languages.

        Phonology

        Vowels
        Front Central Back
        Close i ĩ u ũ
        Mid e ẽ o õ
        Open a ã
        • /i, u, e, o/ can also have allophones [ɪ, ʊ, ɛ, ʌ].
        • Nasal vowels /ĩ, ũ, ẽ, õ/ can also be heard as [ɪ̃, ʊ̃, ɛ̃, ʌ̃].
        Gbagyi consonants[2]
        Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labial-
        velar         		Glottal
        Nasal m n (ɲ) (ŋ)
        Stop/
        Affricate         		voiceless p t (t͡ʃ) k k͡p
        voiced b d (d͡ʒ) g ɡ͡b
        Fricative voiceless f s (ʃ) h
        voiced v z (ʒ)
        Approximant central (ɹ) j w
        lateral l
        • The following sounds may be labialized as /pʷ, bʷ, fʷ, vʷ, kʷ, ɡʷ, mʷ, k͡pʷ, ɡ͡bʷ, hʷ/ and palatalized as /pʲ, bʲ, fʲ, vʲ, kʲ, ɡʲ, mʲ, lʲ, wʲ/.
        • Sounds /t, d, s, z, n/ when palatalized are always heard as [tʃ, dʒ, ʃ, ʒ, ɲ].
        • Sounds /f, b/ can be heard as bilabial sounds [ɸ, β] in free variation.
        • /n/ is heard as velar [ŋ] when preceding velar consonants.
        • /n/ becomes a labialized-velar [ŋʷ] when preceding a /w/.
        • Sounds /bʷ, ɡʷ, ɡʲ/ are softened to fricatives [βʷ, ɣʷ, ɣʲ] when preceding a glide, in medial-intervocalic position.
        • /ɡ͡b/ is heard as an implosive [ɓ] in free variation.
        • /h/ only has a limited occurrence, but it also may be allophonic with /f/ in Northern Gbagyi. In Southern Gbagyi, [h] is heard in free variation with /j/, when /j/ occurs before /i/ in syllable-final position.
        • The palatalized /lʲ/ may also be heard as a central glide [ɹ].[2]
        Gbari consonants[3][2]
        Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labial-
        velar         		Glottal
        Nasal m n (ɲ) (ŋ)
        Stop voiceless p t k k͡p
        voiced b d g ɡ͡b
        implosive ɓ ɗ
        ejective kʼ
        Affricate voiceless t͡s (t͡ʃ)
        voiced (d͡ʒ)
        Fricative voiceless f s (ʃ) h
        voiced v z (ʒ)
        Approximant central (ɹ) j w
        lateral l
        • The following sounds may be labialized as /pʷ, bʷ, fʷ, vʷ, kʷ, ɡʷ, mʷ/ and palatalized as /pʲ, bʲ, fʲ, vʲ, tʲ, dʲ, kʲ, ɡʲ, mʲ, lʲ, wʲ/.
        • Stops may also be heard as post-nasalized as [pᵐ, bᵐ, tⁿ, dⁿ, kᵑ, ɡᵑ, k͡pᵐ, ɡ͡bᵐ].
        • Palatalized sounds /tʲ, dʲ/, typically occur as [tʃ, dʒ] or [tʲ, dʲ] in free variation, and as [tʃ, dʒ], they can be represented orthographically as <ch, j>. Sounds /s, z, n/ when palatalized are always heard as [ʃ, ʒ, ɲ], and can be represented orthographically as <sh, zh, ny>.
        • Sounds /f, fʲ, b/ can be heard as bilabial sounds [ɸ, ɸʲ, β] in free variation.
        • /d/ can also be heard as [ɾ].
        • Sounds /b, ɡ/ and /bʷ, ɡʷ, ɡʲ/ are softened to fricatives [β, ɣ] and [βʷ, ɣʷ, ɣʲ] when preceding a glide, in medial-intervocalic position.
        • /n/ becomes a labialized-velar [ŋʷ] when preceding a /w/.
        • The palatalized /lʲ/ may also be heard in free variation, as a central glide [ɹ] or as a palatalized equivalent [ɹʲ].
        • /n/ when palatalized is heard as a palatal nasal [ɲ], and is velar as [ŋ] when preceding velar consonants.[3]

        Varieties

        Gbagye is also known as Gwari-Matai or Gwarin Ngenge, which are recently adopted cover terms.[4]

        There are two separate Gbagyi groups living in:[4]

        Gbagye is the only Nupoid language that has the bilabial implosive /ɓ/.[4]

        Gbagyi (also known as Gwari) is a cover term for all the Gbari-speaking peoples, and includes many varieties.[4]

        Gbari-Yama is a cover term used for all southern Gbari dialects. There are two closely related dialects, which are:[4]

        • Shigokpna
        • Zubakpna

        Gbedegi is an extinct language (possibly a Nupe dialect) spoken near Mokwa (Nadel 1941).[4]

        References

        1. ^ Gbari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed access icon
          Gbagyi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed access icon
        2. ^ a b c Rosendall, Heidi James (1992). A phonological study of the Gwari Lects. Dallas, Tex.: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
        3. ^ a b Rosendall, Elias Patrick (1998). Aspects of Gbari Grammar. University of Texas at Arlington.
        4. ^ a b c d e f Blench, Roger. 2013. The Nupoid languages of west-central Nigeria: overview and comparative word list.
Ayere-Ahan
Gbe
Igboid
Yoruboid
Edoid
Delta
North-Central
Northwestern
Southwestern
Nupoid
Idomoid
Others


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