Fwe language
Fwe language
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| Fwe | |
|---|---|
| cìfwè | |
| Region | Zambezi region, Namibia and Western Province, Zambia |
Native speakers | 10,200 (2006)[1] |
Language family | Niger–Congo
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | fwe |
| Glottolog | fwee1238[2] |
Guthrie code | K.402[3] |
| Person | màfwè |
|---|---|
| People | cìfwè |
Fwe, or Chifwe, is a Bantu language spoken by 10,000 people along the Okavango River in the Zambezi region of Namibia and in the Western Province in Zambia. It is closely related to Kuhane, and is one of several Bantu languages of the Okavango which have click consonants.
Although under the pressure of Lozi and Kuhane (Subiya), Fwe speakers tend to have a positive attitude towards Fwe, and speaking Fwe is often considered an important part of one’s identity,[4] and thus underscores the vitality of the language.[5]
Contents
1 Regional variation
2 Phonology
2.1 Consonants
2.2 Vowels
3 References
Regional variation[edit]
Main phonological differences between Zambian and Namibian Fwe, as noted by both the speakers and seen in the data:[6]
| Zambian Fwe | Namibian Fwe |
|---|---|
| loss of clicks | maintenance of clicks |
| overgeneralization of /l/ | [l] only as conditioned allophone of /r/ |
epenthetic [h] frequently used | epenthetic [h] rarely used |
Morphological differences between Zambian and Namibian Fwe:
| Zambian Fwe | Namibian Fwe | |
|---|---|---|
| past | na- | a- |
| reflexive | kí- | rí- |
| remote past | na- | ni- |
| remote future | na- | (á)rá- |
| inceptive | sha- | shi- |
| connective | PP - o | PP - a |
| persistive | shí- | shí-/-sí- |
| negative imperative | ásha- | ásha-/-ása- |
| negative infinitive | shá- | shá-/-sá- |
| negative subjunctive | sha | sha-/-sa- |
| near future | mbo-/mba- | mbo |
Phonology[edit]
Consonants[edit]
Consonant inventory of Fwe[7]
Bilabial
Dental
Alveolar
Palatal
Velar
Glottal
Click
plain
[ǀ] [ɡǀ]
prenasalized
[ⁿǀ̥] [ⁿǀ]
Nasal
[m]
[n]
[ɲ]
[ŋ]
Stop
voiceless
[p]
[t]
[k]
voiced
[b]
[d]
[g]
prenasalized
[ᵐp] [ᵐb]
[ⁿt] [ⁿd]
[ᵑk] [ᵑg]
Fricative
voiceless
[f]
[s]
[ʃ]
[h]
voiced
[β]
[v]
[z]
[ʒ]
prenasalized
[ᶬf] [ᶬv]
[ⁿs] [ⁿz]
[ᶮʃ]
Affricate
plain
[tʃ]
prenasalized
[ᶮtʃ] [ᶮdʒ]
Tap
[ɾ]
Glide
[j]
[w]
- The plosives /p b d g/ are considered peripheral phonemes, as they are relatively infrequent in the lexicon. They are not reflexes of *p, *b, *d and *g as reconstructed for Proto-Bantu, but mainly appear in loanwords.[8]
- Though there are numerous cases where /h/ contrasts with zero, i.e. where /h/ can-not be omitted, [h] is also often used as an epenthetic consonant, in which case it freely commutes with [w], [j] and zero. Phonemic /h/, on the other hand, cannot commute with a glide nor can it be dropped.[9]
Vowels[edit]
Fwe has five contrastive vowel phonemes: /i u ɛ ɔ a/.
References[edit]
^ Fwe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Fwe". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
^ Gunnink, Hilde (2018: 4)
^ Gunnink, Hilde (2018: 5)
^ Gunnink, Hilde (2018: 5, 6)
^ Gunnink, Hilde (2018: 11, 12)
^ Gunnink, Hilde (2018: 13)
^ Gunnink, Hilde (2018: 19)
 Languages of Namibia | |
|---|---|
| Official language |
|
| Recognized regional |
|
| Other Bantu languages |
|
| Khoisan |
|
| Sign languages |
|
Categories:
- Subia languages
- Languages of Namibia
- Click languages
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