Mmen language
| Mmen | |
|---|---|
| Bafmeng | |
| Native to | Cameroon |
Native speakers | (35,000 cited 2001)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bfm |
| Glottolog | mmen1238 |
| ELP | Lua error in Module:Endangered_Languages_Project at line 21: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
Mmen (Bafmeng) is a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon.
As a Centre Ring language of Narrow Grassfields, a subdivision of Wide Grassfields within the Southern Bantoid languages, Mmen is part of a cluster including six other languages i.e. Babanki, Bum, Kom, Kuk, Kung and Oku (Lewis 2009).
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The name Mmen ([mɛn]) comes from the verb sé mwɛ̀yn [sémɣɛ̀yn] ‘to open up thick bush-covered land’ and is used by the speakers referring to both their language and their land.
Ethnologue (Lewis 2009) and ALCAM, Atlas Linguistique du Cameroon (Dieu and Renaud 1983) use the name and spelling Mmen.
Bafumen is the name of the village where the largest number of speakers is found i.e. 30 000 (Troyer, et al. 1995:8) and the name adopted by German colonizers for the area and formerly used for the language. Other villages where Mmen is spoken are Cha’, Yemgeh, Nyos, Ipalim among others.
Phonology
[edit | edit source]Consonants
[edit | edit source]Mmen has 27 phonemic consonants.[2]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Velar | Labial–velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | voiceless | /p/ | /t/ | /k/[a] | /k͡p/ | |
| voiced | /ᵐb/ | /ⁿd/ | /ᵑg/ | |||
| Affricate | voiceless | /p͡f/ | /t͡s/ | /t͡ʃ/ | ||
| voiced | /ᵐb͡v/ | /ⁿd͡z/ | /ⁿd͡ʒ/ | |||
| Fricative | voiceless | /f/ | /s/ | /ʃ/ | ||
| voiced | /v/ | /z/ | /ʒ/ | /ɣ/ | ||
| Nasal | /m/ | /n/ | /ɲ/[b] | /ŋ/ | ||
| Lateral | /l/ | |||||
| Approximant | /j/ | /w/ | ||||
Vowels
[edit | edit source]Monophthongs
[edit | edit source]Mmen has 9 phonemic monophthongs.[5]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | /i/ | /u/ | |
| Close-mid | /e/[a][b] | /ə/[c] | /o/[d] |
| Open-mid | /ɛ/ | /ɜ/ | /ɔ/ |
| Open | /ä/ |
Diphthongs
[edit | edit source]Mmen also has six phonemic diphthongs, all ending in /i/.[9]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close-mid | əi̯ | oi̯ | |
| Open-mid | ɛi̯ | ɜi̯ | ɔi̯ |
| Open | äi̯ |
Tone
[edit | edit source]Mmen has 9 phonemic tones. There are three level tones (high, mid, and low) and six contour tones (high-low, high-mid, mid-low, mid-high, low-mid, and low-falling).[10]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Mmen at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:9)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:11)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:52)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:31)
- ^ a b Björkestedt (2010:32)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:32–33)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:33)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:36)
- ^ Björkestedt (2010:44)
Bibliography
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