Bambalang language explained

Bambalang
Also Known As:Chrambo
Region:Cameroon
Ethnicity:Bamileke
Speakers:29,000
Date:2008
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Niger-Congo
Fam2:Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:Volta-Congo
Fam4:Benue–Congo
Fam5:Bantoid
Fam6:Southern Bantoid
Fam7:Grassfields
Fam8:Eastern Grassfields
Fam9:Mbam-Nkam
Fam10:Nun
Iso3:bmo
Glotto:bamb1265
Glottorefname:Bambalang

The Bambalang language, also called Chrambo (Chirambo, Tshirambo) or Mbawyakum (Mboyakum), is a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon.

Phonology

Consonants

These phones and phonemes were enumerated by Grove in 2007 and refined by Wright in 2012.

Phonemes
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Stop/AffricateVoicelesspronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Voiced pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
FricativeVoicelesspronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Voicedpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Nasalpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Approximantpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Phones
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Stop/AffricateVoicelesspronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Voiced pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
FricativeVoicelesspronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Voicedpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Tappronounced as /link/
Nasalpronounced as /link/~pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Approximantpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/~pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/~pronounced as /link/

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closepronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Close-midpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Midpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Open-midpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Openpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/

Diphthongs

In addition to simple oral and nasal vowels, Bambalang also has oral and nasal diphthongs and vowel sequences. Grove and Wright do not specify whether nasal diphthongs are truly diphthongs or vowel sequences.

OrthographicPhonemicPhonetic
eipronounced as //ei//pronounced as /link/
oupronounced as //ou//pronounced as /link/
aopronounced as //ao//pronounced as /link/
əɨpronounced as //əɨ//pronounced as /[ə.ɨ]/
ie/ie/pronounced as /[i.e]/
iapronounced as //ia//pronounced as /[i.a]/
uapronounced as //ua//pronounced as /[u.a]/
uopronounced as //uo//pronounced as /[u.o]/
aoŋpronounced as //aõ//
ɛiŋpronounced as //ɛĩ//
ieŋpronounced as //iẽ//
iɛŋpronounced as //iɛ̃//
iaŋpronounced as //iã//
uoŋpronounced as //uõ//

Tone

In addition, Bambalang has both lexical and grammatical tone.

Tones in Bambalang

Low (L)*!Rising (LH)!Falling (HL)
Diacriticáàāǎa
*ā for verbs; à for other types of words

Orthography

A segmental orthography was created for Bambalang in 2007 and revised in 2012.

Orthography
Upper Lower Phone
A a pronounced as /link/
B b pronounced as /link/
Ch ch pronounced as /link/
D d pronounced as /link/
E e pronounced as /link/
Ɛ ɛ pronounced as /link/
Ə ə pronounced as /link/
F f pronounced as /link/
G g pronounced as /link/
Gh gh pronounced as /link/
H h pronounced as /link/
I i pronounced as /link/
Ɨ ɨ pronounced as /link/
J j pronounced as /link/
K k pronounced as /link/
L l pronounced as /link/
M m pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/
N n pronounced as /link/
Ŋ ŋ pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/
O o pronounced as /link/
Ɔ ɔ pronounced as /link/
P p pronounced as /link/
R r pronounced as /link/
Sh sh pronounced as /link/
T t pronounced as /link/
U u pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/
V v pronounced as /link/
W w pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/
Y y pronounced as /link/~pronounced as /link/
pronounced as /link/

Works Cited

Further reading