# Grebo language

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Grebo_language
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Grebo_language.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grebo_language
> Source revision: 1335487429
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Kru language of Liberia}}
{{Infobox language
 |name          = Grebo
 |nativename    = {{native name|grb|Kréébo}}
 |pronunciation = 
 |states        = [Liberia](/source/Liberia)
 |speakers      = {{sigfig|387,000|2}}
 |date          = 2001
 |ref           = <ref>{{e18|gry|Barclayville Grebo}}</ref>
 |speakers2     = possibly a few Southern Grebo in [Ivory Coast](/source/Ivory_Coast), plus refugees
 |familycolor   = Niger-Congo
 |fam2          = [Kru](/source/Kru_languages)
 |fam3          = Western Kru
 |fam4          = [Grebo languages](/source/Grebo_languages)
 |iso2          = grb
 |iso3          = grb
 |lc1=grj |ld1  = [Southern](/source/Southern_Grebo_language) (including [Jabo](/source/Jabo_language)) 
 |lc2=grv |ld2  = Central 
 |lc3=gbo |ld3  = Northern 
 |lc4=gec |ld4  = Gboloo 
 |lc5=gry |ld5  = Barclayville 
 |lc6=oub |ld6  = [Glio-Ubi](/source/Glio-Ubi_language)
 |glotto        = greb1256
 |glottorefname = Liberian Grebo 
}}

'''Grebo''' is a [Kru language](/source/Kru_language) of [Liberia](/source/Liberia). All of the Grebo languages are referred to as Grebo, though in [Ivory Coast](/source/Ivory_Coast), ''[Krumen](/source/Krumen_language)'' is the usual name. The [Grebo people](/source/Grebo_people) live in the extreme south-west of Liberia, both on the coast and inland, between the rivers Cavally and Cess.<ref>Gordon Innes, ''A Grebo - English Dictionary'', Cambridge University Press, 1967</ref>

As in the other Kru languages, [tone](/source/tone_(linguistics)) is extremely important. For instance, {{lang|grb|né}} with a high (or high-mid) tone is the first-person pronoun "I", while {{lang|grb|nè}} with a low tone is the singular form of "you".<ref>Gordon Innes, as above. A dictionary was compiled from previous dictionaries and the speech of Assistant 1955-1957 at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, Mr. J.Y.Dennis</ref>

== Phonology ==
=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" |[Labial](/source/Labial_consonant)
! rowspan="2" |[Alveolar](/source/Alveolar_consonant)
! rowspan="2" |[Palatal](/source/Palatal_consonant)
! colspan="2" |[Velar](/source/Velar_consonant)
! rowspan="2" |[Labio-<br>velar](/source/Labial-velar)
! rowspan="2" |[Glottal](/source/Glottal_consonant)
|-
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>lab.</small>
|-
! rowspan="2" |[Nasal](/source/Nasal_stop)
!<small>voiced</small>
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|{{IPA link|ɲ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋʷ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋ͡m}}
|
|-
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|m̥}}
|{{IPA link|n̥}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[Plosive](/source/Plosive)
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|{{IPA link|c}}
|{{IPA link|k}}
|
|{{IPA link|k͡p}}
|
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d}}
|{{IPA link|ɟ}}
|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[Fricative](/source/Fricative)
|{{IPA link|f}}
|{{IPA link|s}}
|
|
|
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |[Approximant](/source/Approximant)
!<small>voiced</small>
|{{IPA link|w}}
|{{IPA link|l}}
|{{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|w̥}}
|{{IPA link|l̥}}
|
|
|
|
|
|}

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Oral vowels
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" |[Front](/source/Front_vowel)
! rowspan="2" |[Central](/source/Central_vowel)
! colspan="2" |[Back](/source/Back_vowel)
|-
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[ret.](/source/Retracted_(phonetics))</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[ret.](/source/Retracted_(phonetics))</small>
|-
![Close](/source/Close_vowel)
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|i}}
|
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|u}}
|-
![Close-mid](/source/Close-mid_vowel)
|{{IPA link|e}}
|{{IPA link|e̠}}
|
|{{IPA link|o}}
|{{IPA link|o̠}}
|-
![Open-mid](/source/Open-mid_vowel)
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|ɛ}}
|
| colspan="2" |{{IPA link|ɔ}}
|-
![Open](/source/Open_vowel)
| colspan="2" |
|{{IPA link|a}}
| colspan="2" |
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Nasal vowels
!
![Front](/source/Front_vowel)
![Central](/source/Central_vowel)
![Back](/source/Back_vowel)
|-
![Close](/source/Close_vowel)
|{{IPA link|ĩ}}
|
|{{IPA link|ũ}}
|-
![Close-mid](/source/Close-mid_vowel)
|{{IPA link|ẽ}}
|
|{{IPA link|õ}}
|-
![Open-mid](/source/Open-mid_vowel)
|{{IPA link|ɛ̃}}
|
|{{IPA link|ɔ̃}}
|-
![Open](/source/Open_vowel)
|
|{{IPA link|ã}}
|
|}
Vowels /e̠, o̠/ are considered as retracted or "muffled" vowels according to source.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Innes |first=Gordon |title=An Introduction to Grebo |publisher=London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London |year=1966}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cite book|author=John Payne (Bp.)|title=A dictionary of the Grebo language|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7AoUAAAAYAAJ|access-date=25 August 2012|year=1860|publisher=E.O. Jenkins}}

{{Languages of Liberia}}
{{Kru languages}}
Category:Grebo people
Category:Grebo languages
Category:Languages of Liberia

{{Kru-lang-stub}}
{{Liberia-stub}}

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Grebo language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grebo_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grebo_language?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.