Rigwe language

{{Short description|Plateau language of Nigeria}} {{Infobox language |name=Rigwe |nativename=''Nkarigwe'' |region=Plateau State, Kaduna State |states=Nigeria |speakers=40,000 |date=1985 |ref = e18 |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=Atlantic–Congo |fam3=Benue–Congo |fam4=Plateau |fam5=Central ? |iso3=iri |glotto=irig1241 |glottorefname=Irigwe }} {{infobox ethnonym||Nneirigwe|Nkarigwe||Rigwe}} {{Infobox ethnonym|person=ƴîɾìgʷȅ|people=yíɾìgʷȅ|language=ɾȉgʷȅ|root=ɾȉgʷȅ<ref name="BlenchAtlas4">{{Cite book|title=An Atlas of Nigerian Languages|last=Blench|first=Roger|publisher=Kay Williamson Educational Foundation|year=2019|edition=4th|location=Cambridge}}</ref>}}

The '''Rigwe language''', '''''Nkarigwe''''', is a Plateau language of Nigeria<ref>{{Glottolog|irig1241|Irigwe}}</ref> spoken by the Irigwe people mainly found in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.<ref name=LOC>{{Cite web |url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2003003175.html |title=Irigwe (African people) |website=Library of Congress |access-date=August 10, 2020}}</ref><ref name=Ethno>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/iri |title=Rigwe |website=Ethnologue |publisher=SIL International |access-date=August 10, 2020}}</ref>

Rigwe has highly complex phonology.<ref name="Blench2018">Blench, Roger M. 2018. Nominal affixes and number marking in the Plateau languages of Central Nigeria. In John R. Watters (ed.), ''East Benue-Congo: Nouns, pronouns, and verbs'', 107–172. Berlin: Language Science Press. {{doi|10.5281/zenodo.1314325}}</ref> The presence of the lateral fricative /ɬ/ in Rigwe, unusual among Plateau languages, suggests that there used to be West Chadic languages in the area with this phoneme.<ref name="West Chadic Plateau">Blench, Roger (2022). ''[https://www.academia.edu/89023379/Contact_between_West_Chadic_and_Plateau_languages_new_evidence_languages_new_evidence Contact between West Chadic and Plateau languages: new evidence languages: new evidence]''. 11-12 November 2022, presentation given at Universität Wien.</ref>

== Phonology == Rigwe phonology:<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Daniel |first1=Gya |url=https://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Niger-Congo/BC/Plateau/Rigwe/Grammar/Rigwe%20Phonology.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250528121857/https://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Niger-Congo/BC/Plateau/Rigwe/Grammar/Rigwe%20Phonology.pdf |archive-date=2025-05-28 |pp=6, 13 |title=Phonology of the Rigwe language |last2=Blench |first2=Roger |date=2008}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Rigwe Consonants ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ! colspan="3" |Bilabial ! colspan="2" |Labiodental ! colspan="2" |Dental ! colspan="3" |Alveolar ! colspan="2" |Palato-alveolar ! colspan="4" |(Alveolo-)Palatal ! colspan="3" |Velar ! colspan="3" |Labial–velar/ Glottal |- !plain !pl. !{{small|lb.}} !plain !pal. !plain !pl. !plain !pl. !{{small|lb.}} !plain !{{small|lb.}} !plain !pl. !{{small|lb.}} !{{small|glo.}} !plain !{{small|lb.}} !{{small|glo.}} !plain !pal !{{small|glo.}} |- !Nasal !{{small|voiced}} |{{IPAlink|m}} |mʲ |mʷ |ɱ | | | |{{IPAlink|n}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|ɲ}}, ɲː | |ɲʷ | |{{IPAlink|ŋ}} |ŋʷ, ŋʷʲ | |{{IPAlink|ŋ͡m}} | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Stop !{{small|voiceless}} |{{IPAlink|p}} |pʲ | | | | | |{{IPAlink|t}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|c}} |cʲ |cʷ |ˀc |{{IPAlink|k}} |kʷ |ˀk |{{IPAlink|k͡p}} | |ˀkp |- !{{small|voiced}} |{{IPAlink|b}}, ˀb |bʲ | | | | | |{{IPAlink|d}} | | | | |ɟ |ɟʲ |ɟʷ | |{{IPAlink|ɡ}} |ɡʷ |ˀɡʷ |{{IPAlink|ɡ͡b}} | |ˀɡb |- ! rowspan="2" |Fricative !{{small|voiceless}} | | | |{{IPAlink|f}} |fʲ | | |{{IPAlink|s}}, ˀs | | |{{IPAlink|ʃ}} |ʃʷ, ˀʃʷ | | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|h}} |hʲ | |- !{{small|voiced}} | | | |{{IPAlink|v}} |vʲ |ð |ðʲ |{{IPAlink|z}} | | |{{IPAlink|ʒ}} |ʒʷ | | | | | | | | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Affricate !{{small|voiceless}} |ps | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|ts}} |tsʲ | |t̠ʃ |t̠ʃʷ |tɕ |tɕʷ | | | | | | | | |- !{{small|voiced}} | | | | | | | | | | |d̠ʒ |d̠ʒʷ | | | | | | | | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |Approximant !{{small|voiceless}} | | | | | | | |ɬ | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|j̊ʷ}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|w}} | | |- !{{small|voiced}} | | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|l}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|j}} | |jʷ |ˀj | | | |ʍ |ʍʲ |ˀʍ, ˀʍʲ |- ! colspan="2" |Tap | | | | | | | |ɾ |ɾʲ |ɾʷ | | | | | | | | | | | | |- ! colspan="2" |Trill |ʙ | | | | | | |r |rʲ |rʷ | | | | | | | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Rigwe Vowels ! rowspan="2" | ! colspan="2" align="center" |Front ! colspan="2" align="center" |Central ! colspan="2" align="center" |Back |- ! align="center" |Oral ! align="center" |Nasal ! align="center" |Oral ! align="center" |Nasal ! align="center" |Oral ! align="center" |Nasal |- ! align="center" |Close | align="center" |{{IPAlink|i}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ĩ}} | align="center" | | align="center" | | align="center" |{{IPAlink|u}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ũ}} |- ! align="center" |Close-mid | align="center" |{{IPAlink|e}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ẽ}} | align="center" | | align="center" | | align="center" |{{IPAlink|o}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|õ}} |- ! align="center" |Open | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ɛ}} |{{IPAlink|ɛ̃}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|a}} |{{IPAlink|ã}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ɔ}} |{{IPAlink|ɔ̃}} |} {| class="wikitable" |+Rigwe Tones ! !Toneme |- !High |˦ |- !Mid |˧ |- !Mid-low |˨ |- !Low |˩ |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Niger-Congo/BC/Plateau/Rigwe/RgwOP.htm Roger Blench: Rigwe page]

{{Platoid languages}} Category:Central Plateau languages Category:Languages of Nigeria