Yambeta language
Yambeta or Nigi is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. Yambeta has four dialects. The two main dialects are Nigii and Nɛdɛk, and the two
lesser dialects are Begi and Nibum. Nigii is the largest dialect, and the one used in this article.
Phonology
Consonants
There are 20 contrastive consonants in Yambeta.The glottal stop occurs only in word-final position and is elided intervocalically. All other consonants, except,, and the prenasalized stops, may be word-final. All stops are voiceless word-initially and word-finally and voiced intervocalically. Following a nasal, is voiced, but and are not.
Vowels
Yambeta has eight vowels, four long and four short. Long vowels are only found in the first syllable of noun and verb roots. The vowel harmony system is based on advanced and [retracted tongue root].If two dissimilar vowels form a vowel sequence across morphemes and the first is close, it becomes a glide, e.g., from. Vowels become or remain identical across morpheme boundaries, e.g., from. Within roots, vowel sequences are attested with a close first vowel and a second vowel of any height, e.g., .