Vute language

{{short description|Mambiloid language of Cameroon}} {{infobox language |name=Vute |states=Cameroon |region= |speakers=21,000 |date=1997 |ref=e18 |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=Atlantic–Congo |fam3=Benue–Congo |fam4=Mambiloid |fam5=Mambila–Konja |fam6=Mambila–Vute |fam7=Tep–Vute |fam8=Vute languages |iso3=vut |glotto=vute1244 |glottorefname=Vute }}

'''Vute''' is a Mambiloid language of Cameroon and Gabon, with a thousand speakers in Nigeria. The orthography was standardized on March 9, 1979.<ref name=":0" /> Noted dialect clusters are eastern, central, and Doume.

==Phonology==

===Consonants===

Consonants in Vute are numerous and include pulmonic and implosive airstreams. Labialization is phonemic in many consonants, some of which is dialectal. {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |+ Consonants of Vute<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Thwing|first=Rhonda|orig-year=1981|year=2004|title=Vute Orthography Statement|url=https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/11/55/22/115522908478046307089743534852515072088/VuteOrthography.pdf|journal=General Alphabet of Cameroonian Languages}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Thwing |first=Rhonda Ann |title=The Vute Noun Phrase and the Relationship Between Vute and Bantu (Cameroon) |publisher=Ann Arbor: UMI |year=1987}}</ref> ! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | ! colspan="2" | Labial ! colspan="2" | Dental/ Alveolar ! colspan="2" | Post- alveolar ! rowspan=2| Palatal ! colspan=2| Velar ! rowspan=2| Labial– velar ! colspan="2" | Glottal |- !plain || lab.{{efn|name=labialized|Only vowels /i/ /e/ /a/ may follow a labialized consonant.}} !plain || lab.{{efn|name=labialized}} !plain || lab.{{efn|name=labialized}} !plain || lab. !plain || lab.{{efn|name=labialized}} |- ! colspan="2" | Nasal | {{IPA link|m}} {{angbr|m}} | {{IPA link|mʷ}} {{angbr|mw}} | {{IPA link|n}} {{angbr|n}} | | | |{{IPA link|ɲ}} {{angbr|ny}} | {{IPA link|ŋ}} {{angbr|ŋ}} | | | | |- ! colspan="2" | Implosive | {{IPA link|ɓ}} {{angbr|ɓ}} | {{IPA link|ɓʷ}} {{angbr|ɓw}} | {{IPA link|ɗ}} {{angbr|ɗ}} | {{IPA link|ɗʷ}} {{angbr|ɗw}}{{efn|name=Doume|Doume dialect only.}} | | | | | | | | |- ! rowspan="3" | Plosive/ Affricate ! voiceless | {{IPA link|p}} {{angbr|p}} | | {{IPA link|t}} {{angbr|t}} | | {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}} {{angbr|c}} | {{IPA link|t͡ʃʷ}} {{angbr|cw}}{{efn|name=Doume&eastern}} | | {{IPA link|k}} {{angbr|k}} | {{IPA link|kʷ}} {{angbr|kw}} | {{IPA link|k͡p}} {{angbr|kp}} | | |- ! voiced | {{IPA link|b}}{{Efn|becomes a fricative [β] intervocalically. [ŋgáb] "they" -> [ŋgáβè] "their"|name=intervocalic fricative}}{{angbr|b}} | | {{IPA link|d}} {{angbr|d}} | | {{IPA link|d͡ʒ}} {{angbr|j}} | {{IPA link|d͡ʒʷ}} {{angbr|jw}}{{efn|name=Doume&eastern}} | | {{IPA link|g}}{{Efn|becomes a fricative [ɣ] intervocalically. [ɡè nɨ] "to carry" -> [ɲdʒɨ̀ɨ̀ɣɨ̀βɨ̀] "of leprosy"|name=intervocalic}}{{angbr|g}} | {{IPA link|gʷ}} {{angbr|gw}} | {{IPA link|ɡ͡b}} {{angbr|gb}} | | |- ! prenasalized | {{IPA link|ᵐb}} {{angbr|mb}} | | {{IPA link|ⁿd}} {{angbr|nd}} | {{IPA link|ⁿdʷ}} {{angbr|ndw}}{{efn|name=Doume&eastern|Doume and eastern dialects only.}} | {{IPA link|ⁿd͡ʒ}} {{angbr|nj}}{{efn|name=low frequency}} | | | {{IPA link|ᵑg}} {{angbr|ŋg}} | {{IPA link|ᵑgʷ}} {{angbr|ŋgw}} | {{IPA link|ᵑᵐɡ͡b}} {{angbr|mgb}}{{efn|name=low frequency}} | | |- ! rowspan="3" | Fricative ! voiceless | {{IPA link|f}} {{angbr|f}} | {{IPA link|fʷ}} {{angbr|fw}}{{efn|name=Doume}} | {{IPA link|s}} {{angbr|s}} | {{IPA link|sʷ}} {{angbr|sw}}{{efn|name=Doume&eastern}} | | | | | | | {{IPA link|h}} {{angbr|h}} | {{IPA link|hʷ}} {{angbr|hw}}{{efn|Central dialects only}} |- ! voiced | {{IPA link|v}} {{angbr|v}} | | | | | | | | | | | |- ! prenasalized | {{IPA link|ᶬv}} {{angbr|mv}}{{efn|name=low frequency|Low frequency<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://phoible.org/inventories/view/837|title=PHOIBLE 2.0 -|website=phoible.org|access-date=2020-02-01}}</ref>}} | | | | | | | | | | | |- ! colspan="2" |Rhotic | | |({{IPA link|ɾ}}~{{IPA link|r}}){{efn|initially: [leè] "wall; intervocalically: [tòɾò] "papaya'; finally: [bɨ́r] "oil palm tree"}} | | | | | | | | | |- ! colspan="2" | Approximant | | | {{IPA link|l}} {{angbr|l}} | | | | {{IPA link|j}} {{angbr|y}} | | | {{IPA link|w}} {{angbr|w}} | | |} {{notelist}}

===Tones=== Source:<ref name=":0" />

There are more phonemic tones than are marked in orthography, such as mid-high rising tone and mid tone being both unmarked {{angbr|a}} for example. Phonologically conditioned downstep is unmarked.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center |- ! Tone Category !IPA ! Orthography !Example !Gloss |- ! high tone |˦ |á, áá |'''tím''' | blood |- ! mid tone |˧ | a, aa |'''məb''' | louse |- ! low tone |˨ |à, àà |'''tɨ̀mnɨ''' | to drown |- ! mid-high |˧˥ | a, aá |'''tɨm''' | antelope |- !low-high* |˩˥ |à |'''ɓùn''' |grass |- !high-low |˥˩ |â, áà |'''bɨ̂ŋ''' | round, complete |- !high-mid |˥˧ |â, áa |'''mîn''' |good |- !high-low-high |˥˩˦ |âá |'''sîím''' |rainy season |} <nowiki>*</nowiki>Only in eastern dialects, on short vowels. All other dialects merge this class with low tone.

===Vowels=== Sources:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan="2" |Oral ! colspan="2" |Nasal |- !Long !Short !Long !Short |- |[iː] ''ii'' |[i~ɪ] ''i'' |[ĩː] ''i̧i̧'' |[ĩ] ''i̧'' |- |[eː] ''ee'' |[e~ɛ] ''e'' |[ɛ̃ː] ''ȩȩ'' |[ɛ̃] ''ȩ'' |- |[ɨː] ''ɨɨ'' |[ɨ] ''ɨ'' |[ɨ̃ː] ''ɨ̧ɨ̧'' |[ɨ̃] ''ɨ̧'' |- |[əː] ''əə'' |[ə] ''ə'' |[ə̃ː] ''ə̧ə̧'' |[ə̃] ''ə̧'' |- |[aː] ''aa'' |[a] ''a'' |[ãː] ''a̧a̧'' |[ã] ''a̧'' |- |[uː] ''uu'' |[u~ʊ] ''u'' |[ũː] ''u̧u̧'' |[ũ] ''u̧'' |- |[oː] ''oo'' |[o~ɔ] ''o'' |[õː] ''o̧o̧'' |[õ] ''o̧'' |- |[ɔː] ''ɔɔ'' |[ɔ] ''ɔ'' |[ɔ̃ː] ''ɔ̧ɔ̧'' |[ɔ̃] ''ɔ̧'' |- |[ei] ''ei'' | |[ẽĩ] ''ȩi̧'' | |- |[ai] ''ai'' | |[ãĩ] ''a̧i̧'' | |- |[ɨi] ''ɨi'' | |[ɨ̃ĩ] ''ɨ̧i̧'' | |- |[əi] ''əi'' | |[ə̃ĩ] ''ə̧i̧'' | |- |[oi] ''oi'' | |[õĩ] ''o̧i̧'' | |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Mambiloid languages Category:Languages of Cameroon Category:Languages of Nigeria