Samwe language

{{Short description|Gur language of Burkina}} {{Update|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox language |name=Samwe |nativename=Wara |region=Burkina Faso |ethnicity=Samba |speakers=4,500 |date=1993 |ref=e18 |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=Atlantic–Congo? |fam3=Gur? |fam4=Wara–Natyoro |iso3=wbf |glotto=wara1292 |glottorefname=Samue }} '''Samwé''' (samoe), also known as '''Wara''' (ouara, ouala), is a Gur language of Burkina Faso. Dialects are Negueni-Klani, Ouatourou-Niasogoni, and Soulani. Niasogoni speakers have difficulty with Negueni, but not vice versa.

==Phonology== ===Consonants=== {|class=wikitable style=text-align:center |+Consonants{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=96}} ! colspan=2| !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Palatal !! Velar !! Labial- velar |- ! rowspan=2|Plosive !! voiceless | {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|t}} || {{IPA link|c}} || {{IPA link|k}} || {{IPA link|kp}} |- ! voiced | {{IPA link|b}} || || || || |- ! colspan=2|Nasal | {{IPA link|m}} || {{IPA link|n}} || || || |- ! colspan=2|Fricative | {{IPA link|f}} || {{IPA link|s}} || || || |- ! colspan=2|Flap | || {{IPA link|ɾ}} || || || |- ! colspan=2|Approximant | || {{IPA link|l}} || {{IPA link|j}} || || {{IPA link|w}} |}

* {{IPAslink|b}} can be lenited to {{IPAblink|β̞}} between vowels.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=98}} * {{IPAslink|t}} has a free variant {{IPAblink|d}} after nasals, vowels, and other consonants.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=98}} * {{IPAslink|c}} is voiced {{IPAblink|ɟ}} after nasals and between vowels.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=98}} * {{IPAslink|k}} is often {{IPAblink|g}} or {{IPAblink|ɰ}} between vowels. It tends to stay voiceless at morpheme boundaries.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=99}} * {{IPAslink|kp}} becomes voiced {{IPAblink|gb}} between vowels or after nasals. {{IPA|/kp}} is not allowed before {{IPAslink|u}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=99}} * {{IPAblink|ʔ}}, which is not phonemic, occurs intervocalically between the same vowel.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=100}} * {{IPAslink|f}} is always voiceless.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=105}} * {{IPAslink|s}} is voiced {{IPAblink|z}} intervocalically and after nasals, {{IPAblink|ʃ}} before {{IPA|/ia/}} and {{IPA|/ie/}}, and {{IPAblink|s}} elsewhere. {{IPA|/s/}} can be lenited to {{IPAblink|ɹ}}, which Ouattara represents as {{IPA|[z̞]}}. As with stops, voicing and lenition are in free variation.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|pp=105-106}} * {{IPAslink|ɾ}} can also be realized as {{IPAblink|r}} or {{IPAblink|ɹ}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=110}} {{IPA|/ɾ/}} is also in free variation with {{IPA|/n/}} in some words. Sometimes, {{IPA|/ɾn/}} becomes {{IPA|/nn/}} or {{IPA|/rr/}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=111}} * {{IPAslink|l}} and {{IPAslink|n}} are contrastive, but roughly 20 words have {{IPA|/l~n/}} in free variation.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=111}}

===Vowels=== Samwe has 20 vowels: 7 short oral vowels, 7 long oral vowels, 3 short nasal vowels, and 3 long nasal vowels.

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center |+Oral vowels{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=120}} ! rowspan=2| !! colspan=2|Front !! colspan=2|Central !! colspan=2|Back |- ! short !! long !! short !! long !! short !! long |- ! Close | {{IPA link|i}} || {{IPA link|iː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPA link|u}} || {{IPA link|uː}} |- ! Close-mid | {{IPA link|e}} || {{IPA link|eː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPA link|o}} || {{IPA link|oː}} |- ! Open-mid | {{IPA link|ɛ}} || {{IPA link|ɛː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPA link|ɔ}} || {{IPA link|ɔː}} |- ! Open | colspan=2| || {{IPA link|a}} || {{IPA link|aː}} || colspan=2| |}

{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center |+Nasal vowels{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=120}} ! rowspan=2| !! colspan=2|Front !! colspan=2|Central !! colspan=2|Back |- ! short !! long !! short !! long !! short !! long |- ! Close | {{IPA link|ĩ}} || {{IPA link|ĩː}} || colspan=2| || {{IPA link|ũ}} || {{IPA link|ũː}} |- ! Open | colspan=2| || {{IPA link|ã}} || {{IPA link|ãː}} || colspan=2| |}

Samwe has two types of vowel harmony: ATR harmony and front-back harmony. {{IPA|/ɛ, ɔ/}} do not occur in stems with {{IPA|/i, e, o, u/}}.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=155}} Front and back vowels ({{IPA|/i, e/}} and {{IPA|/u, o}}) do not co-occur in disyllabic imperative verb stems, but this rule is not followed in other verb forms.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=158}} {{IPA|/a/}} is neutral in both types.{{sfn|Ouattara|2015|p=155, 158}}

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== * {{cite thesis |last=Ouattara |first=Virpi |year=2015 |title=A phonological and tonal analysis of Samue using Optimality Theory |publisher=University of Turku |hdl=10024/104773 |isbn=978-951-29-6125-2}}

Category:Wara–Natyoro languages Category:Languages of Burkina Faso