# Rigwe language > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rigwe_language > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Rigwe_language.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigwe_language > Source revision: 1345890644 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Plateau language of Nigeria}} {{Infobox language |name=Rigwe |nativename=''Nkarigwe'' |region=[Plateau State](/source/Plateau_State), [Kaduna State](/source/Kaduna_State) |states=[Nigeria](/source/Nigeria) |speakers=40,000 |date=1985 |ref = e18 |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=[Atlantic–Congo](/source/Atlantic%E2%80%93Congo_languages) |fam3=[Benue–Congo](/source/Benue%E2%80%93Congo_languages) |fam4=[Plateau](/source/Plateau_languages) |fam5=[Central](/source/Central_Plateau_languages) ? |iso3=iri |glotto=irig1241 |glottorefname=Irigwe }} {{infobox ethnonym||Nneirigwe|Nkarigwe||Rigwe}} {{Infobox ethnonym|person=ƴîɾìgʷȅ|people=yíɾìgʷȅ|language=ɾȉgʷȅ|root=ɾȉgʷȅ{{Cite book|title=An Atlas of Nigerian Languages|last=Blench|first=Roger|publisher=Kay Williamson Educational Foundation|year=2019|edition=4th|location=Cambridge}}}} The '''Rigwe language''', '''''Nkarigwe''''', is a [Plateau language](/source/Plateau_languages) of [Nigeria](/source/Nigeria){{Glottolog|irig1241|Irigwe}} spoken by the [Irigwe people](/source/Irigwe_people) mainly found in [Bassa Local Government Area](/source/Bassa%2C_Plateau_State) of [Plateau State](/source/Plateau_State).{{Cite web |url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2003003175.html |title=Irigwe (African people) |website=Library of Congress |access-date=August 10, 2020}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/iri |title=Rigwe |website=Ethnologue |publisher=SIL International |access-date=August 10, 2020}} Rigwe has highly complex phonology.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}} The presence of the [lateral fricative](/source/lateral_fricative) /ɬ/ in Rigwe, unusual among Plateau languages, suggests that there used to be [West Chadic languages](/source/West_Chadic_languages) in the area with this phoneme.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. == Phonology == Rigwe phonology:{{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}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Rigwe Consonants ! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | ! colspan="3" |[Bilabial](/source/Bilabial_consonant) ! colspan="2" |[Labiodental](/source/Labiodental_consonant) ! colspan="2" |[Dental](/source/Dental_consonant) ! colspan="3" |[Alveolar](/source/Alveolar_consonant) ! colspan="2" |[Palato-alveolar](/source/Palato-alveolar_consonant) ! colspan="4" |[(Alveolo-)](/source/Alveolo-palatal_consonant)[Palatal](/source/Palatal_consonant) ! colspan="3" |[Velar](/source/Velar_consonant) ! colspan="3" |[Labial–velar](/source/Labial%E2%80%93velar_consonant)/ [Glottal](/source/Glottal_consonant) |- !plain ![pl.](/source/Palatalization_(phonetics)) !{{small|[lb.](/source/Labialization)}} !plain ![pal.](/source/Palatalization_(phonetics)) !plain ![pl.](/source/Palatalization_(phonetics)) !plain ![pl.](/source/Palatalization_(phonetics)) !{{small|[lb.](/source/Labialization)}} !plain !{{small|[lb.](/source/Labialization)}} !plain ![pl.](/source/Palatalization_(phonetics)) !{{small|[lb.](/source/Labialization)}} !{{small|[glo.](/source/Glottalization)}} !plain !{{small|[lb.](/source/Labialization)}} !{{small|[glo.](/source/Glottalization)}} !plain ![pal](/source/Palatalization_(phonetics)) !{{small|[glo.](/source/Glottalization)}} |- ![Nasal](/source/Nasal_consonant) !{{small|[voiced](/source/voice_(phonetics))}} |{{IPAlink|m}} |mʲ |mʷ |ɱ | | | |{{IPAlink|n}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|ɲ}}, ɲː | |ɲʷ | |{{IPAlink|ŋ}} |ŋʷ, ŋʷʲ | |{{IPAlink|ŋ͡m}} | | |- ! rowspan="2" |[Stop](/source/Stop_consonant) !{{small|[voiceless](/source/voicelessness)}} |{{IPAlink|p}} |pʲ | | | | | |{{IPAlink|t}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|c}} |cʲ |cʷ |ˀc |{{IPAlink|k}} |kʷ |ˀk |{{IPAlink|k͡p}} | |ˀkp |- !{{small|[voiced](/source/voice_(phonetics))}} |{{IPAlink|b}}, ˀb |bʲ | | | | | |{{IPAlink|d}} | | | | |ɟ |ɟʲ |ɟʷ | |{{IPAlink|ɡ}} |ɡʷ |ˀɡʷ |{{IPAlink|ɡ͡b}} | |ˀɡb |- ! rowspan="2" |[Fricative](/source/Fricative_consonant) !{{small|[voiceless](/source/voicelessness)}} | | | |{{IPAlink|f}} |fʲ | | |{{IPAlink|s}}, ˀs | | |{{IPAlink|ʃ}} |ʃʷ, ˀʃʷ | | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|h}} |hʲ | |- !{{small|[voiced](/source/voice_(phonetics))}} | | | |{{IPAlink|v}} |vʲ |ð |ðʲ |{{IPAlink|z}} | | |{{IPAlink|ʒ}} |ʒʷ | | | | | | | | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |[Affricate](/source/Affricate_consonant) !{{small|[voiceless](/source/voicelessness)}} |ps | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|ts}} |tsʲ | |t̠ʃ |t̠ʃʷ |tɕ |tɕʷ | | | | | | | | |- !{{small|[voiced](/source/voice_(phonetics))}} | | | | | | | | | | |d̠ʒ |d̠ʒʷ | | | | | | | | | | |- ! rowspan="2" |[Approximant](/source/Approximant_consonant) !{{small|[voiceless](/source/voicelessness)}} | | | | | | | |ɬ | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|j̊ʷ}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|w}} | | |- !{{small|[voiced](/source/voice_(phonetics))}} | | | | | | | |{{IPAlink|l}} | | | | |{{IPAlink|j}} | |jʷ |ˀj | | | |ʍ |ʍʲ |ˀʍ, ˀʍʲ |- ! colspan="2" |[Tap](/source/Tap_consonant) | | | | | | | |ɾ |ɾʲ |ɾʷ | | | | | | | | | | | | |- ! colspan="2" |[Trill](/source/Trill_consonant) |ʙ | | | | | | |r |rʲ |rʷ | | | | | | | | | | | | |} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+Rigwe Vowels ! rowspan="2" | ! colspan="2" align="center" |[Front](/source/Front_vowel) ! colspan="2" align="center" |[Central](/source/Central_vowel) ! colspan="2" align="center" |[Back](/source/Back_vowel) |- ! align="center" |Oral ! align="center" |Nasal ! align="center" |Oral ! align="center" |Nasal ! align="center" |Oral ! align="center" |Nasal |- ! align="center" |[Close](/source/Close_vowel) | align="center" |{{IPAlink|i}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ĩ}} | align="center" | | align="center" | | align="center" |{{IPAlink|u}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ũ}} |- ! align="center" |[Close-mid](/source/Close-mid_vowel) | align="center" |{{IPAlink|e}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|ẽ}} | align="center" | | align="center" | | align="center" |{{IPAlink|o}} | align="center" |{{IPAlink|õ}} |- ! align="center" |[Open](/source/Open_vowel) | 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 {{plateau-lang-stub}} --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Rigwe language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigwe_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigwe_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.