Gwari language


Gwari is a Nupoid language spoken by the Gbagyi people, which make up over a million people in Nigeria. There are two principal varieties, Gbari and Gbagyi, which have some difficulty in communication; sociolinguistically they are distinct languages.

Phonology

Vowels

  • /i, u, e, o/ can also have allophones .
  • Nasal vowels /ĩ, ũ, ẽ, õ/ can also be heard as .

Consonants

  • The following sounds may be labialized as /pʷ, bʷ, fʷ, vʷ, kʷ, ɡʷ, mʷ, k͡pʷ, ɡ͡bʷ, hʷ/ and palatalized as /pʲ, bʲ, fʲ, vʲ, kʲ, ɡʲ, mʲ, lʲ, wʲ/.
  • Sounds /t, d, s, z, n/ when palatalized are always heard as .
  • Sounds /f, b/ can be heard as bilabial sounds in free variation.
  • /n/ is heard as velar when preceding velar consonants.
  • /n/ becomes a labialized-velar when preceding a /w/.
  • Sounds /bʷ, ɡʷ, ɡʲ/ are softened to fricatives when preceding a glide, in medial-intervocalic position.
  • /ɡ͡b/ is heard as an implosive in free variation.
  • /h/ only has a limited occurrence, but it also may be allophonic with /f/ in Northern Gbagyi. In Southern Gbagyi, is heard in free variation with /j/, when /j/ occurs before /i/ in syllable-final position.
  • The palatalized /lʲ/ may also be heard as a central glide .
  • The following sounds may be labialized as /pʷ, bʷ, fʷ, vʷ, kʷ, ɡʷ, mʷ/ and palatalized as /pʲ, bʲ, fʲ, vʲ, tʲ, dʲ, kʲ, ɡʲ, mʲ, lʲ, wʲ/.
  • Stops may also be heard as post-nasalized as .
  • Palatalized sounds /tʲ, dʲ/, typically occur as or in free variation, and as, they can be represented orthographically as . Sounds /s, z, n/ when palatalized are always heard as, and can be represented orthographically as zh, ny>.
  • Sounds /f, fʲ, b/ can be heard as bilabial sounds in free variation.
  • /d/ can also be heard as .
  • Sounds /b, ɡ/ and /bʷ, ɡʷ, ɡʲ/ are softened to fricatives and when preceding a glide, in medial-intervocalic position.
  • /n/ becomes a labialized-velar when preceding a /w/.
  • The palatalized /lʲ/ may also be heard in free variation, as a central glide or as a palatalized equivalent .
  • /n/ when palatalized is heard as a palatal nasal, and is velar as when preceding velar consonants.

Varieties

Gbagye is also known as Gwari-Matai or Gwarin Ngenge, which are recently adopted cover terms.
There are two separate Gbagyi groups living in:
Gbagye is the only Nupoid language that has the bilabial implosive /ɓ/.
Gbagyi is a cover term for all the Gbari-speaking peoples, and includes many varieties.
Gbari-Yama is a cover term used for all southern Gbari dialects. There are two closely related dialects, which are:
  • Shigokpna
  • Zubakpna
Gbedegi is an extinct language spoken near Mokwa.