| Region | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Abbé |
| Date | 2017 |
| Ref | e25 |
| Familycolor | Niger-Congo |
| Fam 2 | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam 3 | Kwa |
| Script | latin |
| Iso 3 | aba |
| Glotto | abee1242 |
| Glottorefname | Abe |
Abé (also spelled Abbé, Abbey, Abi) is a language of uncertain classification within the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family. It is spoken in Ivory Coast.
The dialects of Abé are Tioffo, Morie, Abbey-Ve, and Kos.
In 1995 there were estimated to be 170,000 speakers, primarily in the Department of Agboville.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | Labiovelar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless stops | p | t | c | k | kp | |
| Voiced stops | b | d | ɟ | gb | ||
| Voiceless fricatives | f | s | h | |||
| Voiced fricatives | v | ɣ | ||||
| Nasals | m | n | ɲ | |||
| Laterals | l | |||||
| Trill | r | |||||
| Glides | j | w |
Vowels
| Front ATR | Front RTR | Central | Back ATR | Back ATR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɪ | u | ʊ | |
| Mid | e | ɛ | (ə) | o | ɔ |
| Low | a |
Abé demonstrates a tendency towards vowel harmony, with regard to both placement (front vs. back) and +/-ATR. /a/ does not participate in this system.[1]
References
- ^ Kouadio Nguessan, Jérémie (1983). Atlas des langues kwa de Côte d'Ivoire (in French). Herault, Georges (ed.). Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire: Agence de cooperation culturelle et technique. pp. 13–39.