Guere language

Guéré, also called Wè, is a Kru language spoken by over 300,000 people in the Dix-Huit Montagnes and Moyen-Cavally regions of Ivory Coast.

Phonology

The phonology of Guere is briefly sketched out below.

Consonants

The consonant phonemes are as follows:
Allophones of some of these phonemes include:

is an allophone of before nasal vowels
is an allophone of before nasal vowels
is an allophone of before nasal vowels
is an allophone of in word-initial position
is an allophone of after a coronal consonant

In addition, while the nasal consonants and contrast with and before oral vowels, and are thus separate phonemes, before nasal vowels only the nasal consonants occur. and do not occur before nasal vowels, suggesting that historically a phonemic merger between these sounds and the nasals may have occurred in this position.

Vowels

Like many West African languages, Guere makes use of a contrast between vowels with advanced tongue root and those with retracted tongue root. In addition, nasal vowels contrast phonemically with oral vowels.

Tones

Guere is a tonal language and contrasts ten tones:

Tone	IPA	Example	Gloss
Low			"to scatter"
Mid			"to destroy"
High			"to die"
Top			"full"
Low–high rising			"hat"
Low–top rising			"banana"
Mid–high rising			"wall"
High–top rising			"younger brother"
High–low falling			"goat"
Mid–low falling			"penis"