Njebi language

{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in Gabon and the Republic of Congo}} {{Infobox language |name=Njebi |nativename=Yinjebi |states=Gabon, Republic of Congo |region= |ethnicity=Banjabi, Bongo |speakers={{sigfig|135,100|2}} |date=2000–2007 |ref=e18 |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=Atlantic–Congo |fam3=Benue–Congo |fam4=Bantoid |fam5=Bantu (Zone B) |fam6=Nzebi languages (B.50) |iso3=nzb |glotto=njeb1242 |glottorefname=Njebi |guthrie=B.52 }} thumb|Map of Gabon, with Njebi language area in gray '''Njebi''' (or Nzebi, Njabi, Ndzabi, Yinjebi, etc.) is a Bantu language spoken in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.

== Phonology ==

=== Consonants === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! colspan="2" | !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal !Velar |- ! rowspan="3" |Plosive !voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} | |{{IPA link|k}} |- !voiced |{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} | |{{IPA link|ɡ}} |- !prenasal |{{IPA link|ᵐb}} |{{IPA link|ⁿd}} | |{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}} |- ! colspan="2" |Affricate |{{IPA link|p͡f}} |{{IPA link|t͡s}} |{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} | |- ! rowspan="3" |Fricative !voiceless |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|s}} |{{IPA link|ʃ}} | |- !voiced |{{IPA link|β}} |{{IPA link|z}} |({{IPA link|ʒ}}) | |- !prenasal |{{IPA link|ᶬv}} |{{IPA link|ⁿz}} |{{IPA link|ⁿʒ}} | |- ! colspan="2" |Nasal |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} |{{IPA link|ɲ}} | |- ! colspan="2" |Rhotic | |{{IPA link|r}} | | |- ! colspan="2" |Lateral | |{{IPA link|l}} | | |- ! colspan="2" |Approximant |{{IPA link|w}} | |{{IPA link|j}} | |}

* /z/ is heard as [ʒ] when before /i/. * /ɡ/ can be pronounced as [ɣ] or [x] in free variation. * /b/ can be heard as an implosive [ɓ] in free variation in initial position.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marchal-Nasse |first=Colette |title=De la phonologie à la morphologie du nzèbi, langue bantoue (B52) du Gabon |publisher=Université Libre de Bruxelles |year=1989 |url=https://difusion.ulb.ac.be/vufind/Record/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/213225/Holdings}}</ref>

=== Vowels === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! !Front !Central !Back |- !Close |{{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}} | |{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|uː}} |- !Close-mid |{{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|eː}} | rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|ə}} |{{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|oː}} |- !Open-mid |{{IPA link|ɛ}} {{IPA link|ɛː}} |{{IPA link|ɔ}} {{IPA link|ɔː}} |- !Open | |{{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}} | |} Vowel sounds may also be heard as tense in different positions.

==Example== Gabonese singer SeBa's writes and sings her songs in the Njebi language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gabonreview.com/blog/musique-kundu-retour-de-seba/|title=Musique : "Kundu", le retour de SeBa|last=Andy Steen dit|date=2016-11-21|website=Gabonreview.com {{!}} Actualité du Gabon {{!}}|language=fr-FR|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Pygmy languages}} {{Languages of the Republic of the Congo}} {{Languages of Gabon}} {{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B)}}

Category:Languages of Gabon Category:Nzebi languages Category:Languages of the Republic of the Congo