# Ntcham language

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ntcham_language.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntcham_language
> Source revision: 1337881939
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{{Short description|Gur language spoken in Togo and Ghana}}
{{distinguish|Bassari language (Senegal)}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Ntcham
|nativename=''Basari''
|states=[Togo](/source/Togo), [Ghana](/source/Ghana)
|ethnicity=[Gurma](/source/Gurma_people)
|speakers={{sigfig|388,200 |2}}
|date=2004–2013
|ref=e26
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=[Atlantic–Congo](/source/Atlantic%E2%80%93Congo)
|fam3=[Gur](/source/Gur_languages)
|fam4=Northern
|fam5=[Oti–Volta](/source/Oti%E2%80%93Volta_languages)
|fam6=[Gurma](/source/Gurma_languages)
|lc1=bud|ld1=Ntcham
|lc2=aks|ld2=Akaselem
|glotto=ntch1241
|glottorefname=Gurma A<!-- Actual name of referenced Glottolog page -->
|script=[Latin](/source/Latin_script) (Basari alphabet)<br/>[Basari Braille](/source/Basari_Braille)
}}

'''Ntcham''', or '''Basari''', is a language of the [Gurma people](/source/Gurma_people) in [Togo](/source/Togo) and [Ghana](/source/Ghana). '''Akaselem''' (Tchamba) is frequently listed as a separate language.

== Phonology ==
The [phonology](/source/phonology) used by Chanard and Hartell is given below. Abbott and Cox (1966) had a similar phonology, though the non [labial-velar](/source/labial-velar_consonant) voiceless plosives were analyzed as aspirated, and vowel length was not distinguished.<ref>{{cite web |first=Christopher |last=Green |first2=Steven |last2=Moran |year=2019 |title=Ntcham sound inventory (GM). |editor-last=Moran |editor-first=Steven |editor-last2=McCloy |editor-first2=Daniel |work=PHOIBLE |version=2.0 |location=Jena |publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History |url=http://phoible.org/inventories/view/1453 |access-date=2024-09-24}}, citing {{cite book |last=Abbott |first=Mary |last2=Cox |first2=Monica |year=1966 |title=Collected field reports on the phonology of Basari |publisher=University of Ghana}}</ref> Badie (1995) analyzes {{IPAslink|t͡ʃ}} and {{IPAslink|d͡ʒ}} as {{IPAslink|c}} and {{IPAslink|ɟ}} and also includes phonemic {{IPAslink|ɱ}}, vowel lengths, and nasalized vowels.<ref>{{cite web |first=Christopher |last=Green |first2=Steven |last2=Moran |year=2019 |title=Ntcham sound inventory (GM) |editor-last=Moran |editor-first=Steven |editor-last2=McCloy |editor-first2=Daniel |work=PHOIBLE |version=2.0 |location=Jena |publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History |url=http://phoible.org/inventories/view/1264 |access-date=2024-09-24}}, citing {{cite thesis |last=Badie |first=Manglibè Joseph |year=1995 |title=Contribution a une etude morphosyntaxique du N'cam |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Paris VII}}</ref>

=== Consonants ===
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Consonants<ref name="Phoible-2019">{{cite web |first=Christian |last=Chanard |first2=Rhonda L. |last2=Hartell |year=2019 |title=Ntcham sound inventory (AA)
|editor-last=Moran |editor-first=Steven |editor-last2=McCloy |editor-first2=Daniel |work=PHOIBLE |version=2.0 |location=Jena |publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History |url=http://phoible.org/inventories/view/672 |access-date=2024-09-24}}</ref>
! colspan=2| !! [Labial](/source/Labial_consonant) !! [Alveolar](/source/Alveolar_consonant) !! [Palatal](/source/Palatal_consonant) !! [Velar](/source/Velar_consonant) !! [Labial-<br />velar](/source/Labial-velar_consonant)
|-
! rowspan=2|[Plosive](/source/Plosive)/[Affricate](/source/Affricate) !! <small>voiceless</small>
| {{IPA link|p}} || {{IPA link|t}} || {{IPA link|tʃ}} || {{IPA link|k}} || {{IPA link|kp}}
|-
! <small>voiced</small>
| {{IPA link|b}} || {{IPA link|d}} || {{IPA link|d͡ʒ}} || {{IPA link|g}} || {{IPA link|gb}}
|-
! colspan=2|[Fricative](/source/Fricative)
| {{IPA link|f}} || {{IPA link|s}} || || ||
|-
! colspan=2|[Nasal](/source/Nasal_consonant)
| {{IPA link|m}} || {{IPA link|n}} || {{IPA link|ɲ}} || {{IPA link|ŋ}} || {{IPA link|ŋm}}
|-
! colspan=2|[Trill](/source/Trill_consonant)
| || {{IPA link|r}} || || ||
|-
! colspan=2|[Approximant](/source/Approximant)
| || {{IPA link|l}} || {{IPA link|j}} || || {{IPA link|w}}
|}

=== Vowels ===
{|class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|+Vowels<ref name="Phoible-2019"/>
! !! [Front](/source/Front_vowel) !! [Back](/source/Back_vowel)
|-
! [Close](/source/Close_vowel)
| {{IPA link|i}} || {{IPA link|u}}
|-
! [Close-mid](/source/Close-mid_vowel)
| {{IPA link|eː}} || {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
! [Open-mid](/source/Open-mid_vowel)
| || {{IPA link|ɔ}}
|-
! [Open](/source/Open_vowel)
| {{IPA link|a}} ||
|}

=== Tones ===
Ntcham also has high, low, and mid tones.<ref name="Phoible-2019"/>

== Writing system ==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Ntcham Alphabet
|-
! Majuscules
| A || B || C || D || EE
| F || G || GB || I || J
| K || KP || L
|-
! Minuscules
| a || b || c || d || ee
| f || g || gb || i || j
| k || kp || l
|-
| colspan=14 |
|-
! Majuscules
| M || N || NY || Ŋ || ŊM
| OO || Ɔ || P || S || T
| U || W || Y
|-
! Minuscules
| m || n || ny || ŋ || ŋm
| oo || ɔ || p || s || t
| u || w || y
|}

Long vowels are indicated by doubling the letter ‹aa, ii, ɔɔ, uu› and two vowels are always long ‹ee, oo›. The tones are represented by acute accents for high tone and grave accents for low tone, on the vowels and the consonants m, n, b, l : ‹ḿ, ń, b́, ĺ›, ‹m̀, ǹ, b̀, l̀›.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Languages of Ghana}}
{{Languages of Togo}}
{{Gur languages}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Languages of Togo
Category:Gurma languages
Category:Languages of Ghana

{{gur-lang-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ntcham language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntcham_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ntcham_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.
