Gwari language

{{short description|Language in Nigeria}} {{Expand Portuguese|Língua guari|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox language |name=Gbari |states=Nigeria |region=Abuja, Kaduna State, Niger State, and Nasarawa State |ethnicity=Gbagyi people |speakers= 1,290,000 Gbagyi |date=2020 |speakers2=550,000 Gbari (2020) |ref=e26 |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=Atlantic–Congo |fam3=Volta–Niger |fam4={{sm|noi}} |fam5=Nupoid |fam6=Nupe–Gbagyi |lc1=gbr |ld1=Gbagyi |lc2=gby |ld2=Gbari |glotto=gbag1256 |glottorefname=Gbari-Gbagyi }}

'''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 === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+Vowels ! !Front !Central !Back |- !Close |{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|ĩ}} | |{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|ũ}} |- !Mid |{{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|ẽ}} | |{{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|õ}} |- !Open | |{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|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].

=== Consonants === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Gbagyi consonants<ref name=":1" /> ! colspan="2" | !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal !Velar !Labial- velar !Glottal |- ! colspan="2" |Nasal |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} |({{IPA link|ɲ}}) |({{IPA link|ŋ}}) | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Stop/ Affricate !voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} |({{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}) |{{IPA link|k}} |{{IPA link|k͡p}} | |- !voiced |{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} |({{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}) |{{IPA link|g}} |{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}} | |- ! rowspan="2" |Fricative !voiceless |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|s}} |({{IPA link|ʃ}}) | | |{{IPA link|h}} |- !voiced |{{IPA link|v}} |{{IPA link|z}} |({{IPA link|ʒ}}) | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Approximant !central | |({{IPA link|ɹ}}) |{{IPA link|j}} | |{{IPA link|w}} | |- !lateral | |{{IPA link|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].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Rosendall |first=Heidi James |title=A phonological study of the Gwari Lects |publisher=Dallas, Tex.: Summer Institute of Linguistics |year=1992}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Gbari consonants<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> ! colspan="2" | !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal !Velar !Labial- velar !Glottal |- ! colspan="2" |Nasal |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} |({{IPA link|ɲ}}) |({{IPA link|ŋ}}) | | |- ! rowspan="4" |Stop !voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} | |{{IPA link|k}} |{{IPA link|k͡p}} | |- !voiced |{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} | |{{IPA link|g}} |{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}} | |- !implosive |{{IPA link|ɓ}} |{{IPA link|ɗ}} | | | | |- !ejective | | | |{{IPA link|kʼ}} | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Affricate !voiceless | |{{IPA link|t͡s}} |({{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}) | | | |- !voiced | | |({{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}) | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Fricative !voiceless |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|s}} |({{IPA link|ʃ}}) | | |{{IPA link|h}} |- !voiced |{{IPA link|v}} |{{IPA link|z}} |({{IPA link|ʒ}}) | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Approximant !central | |({{IPA link|ɹ}}) |{{IPA link|j}} | |{{IPA link|w}} | |- !lateral | |{{IPA link|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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Rosendall |first=Elias Patrick |title=Aspects of Gbari Grammar |publisher=University of Texas at Arlington |year=1998}}</ref>

==Varieties== '''Gbagye''' is also known as '''Gwari-Matai''' or '''Gwarin Ngenge''', which are recently adopted cover terms.<ref name="Blench2013">Blench, Roger. 2013. ''[http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Niger-Congo/VN/Nupoid/Nupoid%20Overview%202013.pdf The Nupoid languages of west-central Nigeria: overview and comparative word list]''.</ref>

There are two separate Gbagyi groups living in:<ref name="Blench2013"/> *Minna and Kuta (more prominent group) *around Diko, northeast of Suleja

Gbagye is the only Nupoid language that has the bilabial implosive /ɓ/.<ref name="Blench2013"/>

'''Gbagyi''' (also known as '''Gwari''') is a cover term for all the Gbari-speaking peoples, and includes many varieties.<ref name="Blench2013"/>

'''Gbari-Yama''' is a cover term used for all southern Gbari dialects. There are two closely related dialects, which are:<ref name="Blench2013"/> *'''Shigokpna''' *'''Zubakpna'''

'''Gbedegi''' is an extinct language (possibly a Nupe dialect) spoken near Mokwa (Nadel 1941).<ref name="Blench2013"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Nupoid languages Category:Languages of Nigeria