Day language explained

Day
States:southern Chad
Date:1993 census
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Niger-Congo
Fam2:Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:Volta-Congo
Fam4:Savannas
Fam5:Mbum–Day
Iso3:dai
Glotto:dayy1236
Glottorefname:Day

Day (also spelled Daye) is an Adamawa language of southern Chad, spoken by 50,000 or so people southeast of Sarh. Ethnologue reports that its dialects are mutually intelligible, but Blench (2004) lists Ndanga, Njira, Yani, Takawa as apparently separate languages.

Pierre Nougayrol's publications and field notes of Day from the 1970s constitute almost all of the available materials on the Day language.[1] [2] [3]

Güldemann (2018) notes that Day has few morphological and lexical features that are typical of Niger-Congo, and hence cannot be classified with certainty.[4]

Phonology

Consonants!!Labial!Alveolar!Palatal!Velar!Glottal
Plosivepronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Implosivepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Prenasalizedpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Fricativepronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Nasalpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Approximantpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Vowels!!Front!Central!Back
Highpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Mid-highpronounced 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/ pronounced as /link/
Mid-lowpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Lowpronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/

There are three tones: high, low, and mid.

Lexicon

Some fish names in Day:[2]

Day (Bouna) Scientific name
gàgàChrysichthys auratus
jí yēēHepsetus odoe
gūrúHeterobranchus bidorsalis
bɔ́gɔ̀Heterotis niloticus
sɔ̄rɔ̄ŋOphiocephalus obscurus
jīɲProtopterus annectens
kɔ̀tɔ̀kúnɔ̀Tetraodon fahaka

Other animal names:

Plant names in Day:

Day (Bouna) Scientific name Family
njīlīCarissa edulisApocynaceae
vɔ̄r gɔ̀jɔ̀Amaranthus viridisAmaranthaceae
ndūgū re vōōAmpelocissus africana / Ampelocissus multistriataAmpelidaceae
rívAnnona senegalensisAnnonaceae
ndáávòHexalobus monopetalusAnnonaceae
hádìsóLeptadenia hastataAsclepiadaceae
mbɔ̄lɔ̄Stereospermum kunthianumBignoniaceae
mbéèrBurkea africanaCaesalpiniaceae
mōkílàŋCassia sieberianaCaesalpiniaceae
kèŋgèlibāCassia toraCaesalpiniaceae
gívDaniellia oliveriCaesalpiniaceae
pōgōDetarium microcarpumCaesalpiniaceae
jōŋ, njílàPiliostigma reticulatum / Bauhinia reticulataCaesalpiniaceae
sùùTamarindus indicaCaesalpiniaceae
kʷéygíráGynandropsis gynandraCapparidaceae
ɲíí dāŋVernonia sp.Asteraceae
gɔ̀ɔ̄ɲɔ̀Cochlospermum tinctoriumCochlospermaceae
ŋīmí yēēMerremia sp.Convolvulaceae
bónCombretum glutinosumCombretaceae
kíbāná, kɔ̄r dàrCombretum sp.Combretaceae
rɔ̀gɔ̀Terminalia sp.Combretaceae
pálpùū (ré) vōōCommelina benghalensisCommelinaceae
pálpùū (ré) tánáCommelina forskailiiCommelinaceae
ɗàláCitrullus vulgarisCucurbitaceae
jɔ̀gɔ́Citrullus vulgaris / Colocynthis vulgarisCucurbitaceae
kùsú ŋín yēēCucumis melo var. agrestisCucurbitaceae
kùsúCucumis sativusCucurbitaceae
rùúŋCucurbita pepoCucurbitaceae
ŋúùLagenaria siceraria / Lagenaria vulgarisCucurbitaceae
njòrò/gìndɔ́gɔ̀ (ɲíí ndògō)Momordica charantiaCucurbitaceae
bēɲ mbɔ̀rɔ́ŋBulbostylis sp.Cyperaceae
gāgrāHymenocardia acidaEuphorbiaceae
kùmɔ̄Jatropha curcasEuphorbiaceae
báná mbéèrBurkea africana / Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthiiEuphorbiaceae
ŋòórkúmɔ̀Combretum glutinosumEuphorbiaceae
mbɔ̀rVitellaria paradoxatree
kɔ̀ndìHymenocardia acidatree
sàkàrāànCenchrus biflorusPoaceae
gàlā tánáCymbopogon giganteusPoaceae
bànjáDactyloctenium aegyptiacumPoaceae
mbáàEleusine coracana var. striataPoaceae
tērīm/tērēmEragrostis cylindricaPoaceae
kítíkáŋláEragrostis tremulaPoaceae
tórImperata cylindricaPoaceae
dōrPennisetum gibbosumPoaceae
kàmsà, gɔ̀jɔ̀Sorghum caudatum var. coloransPoaceae
kōró mīɲSorghum caudatum var. feteritaPoaceae
kōró dúŋ-núSorghum elegans var. elegansPoaceae
mbùlSorghum guineense var. involutumPoaceae
ʔɔ́r (tōō-rɔ̄)Sorghum guineense var. scintillonsPoaceae
sīɲ bììSorghum mellitum var. mellitumPoaceae
tíɲāSorghum membranaceum var. firmiusPoaceae
mbàtì kóò (var. indurata), mbàtì kóò mānjāZea maysPoaceae
gēr tōō-rɔ̄Andropogon sp.Poaceae
ndàgə̰̀mɔ̀ tèmbèBrachiaria sp.Poaceae
bɔ̀gɔ́ gààMicroprotus sp.Poaceae
dàlà, sīɲ ndìlàSorghum sp.Poaceae
kīnāvò, vòòCeiba pentandratree
sōnVitellaria paradoxatree
kò̰ kūūAsparagus africanusLiliaceae
hə̰̄Dipcadi longifoliumLiliaceae
ŋìrà bò̰ dànáGloriosa simplexLiliaceae
dúúHibiscus asperMalvaceae
dúú dí njàgáUrena lobataMalvaceae
ɗènjī, ŋùúrkútūStrychnos spinosaLoganiaceae
kítíjàlàCissampelos mucronataMenispermaceae
kò̰ tōō-rɔ̄Acacia sieberianaMimosaceae
mbéèrAmblygonocarpus schweinfurthiiMimosaceae
lēlParkia biglobosaMimosaceae
sáàmProsopis africanaMimosaceae
lòò kéréGisekia pharnaceoidesMolluginaceae
yāá yēēBoerhavia repensNyctaginaceae
sìɲáFicus sp.Moraceae
tírāáɲAfrormosia laxifloraPapilionaceae
sōō dìmArachis hypogaeaPapilionaceae
mbámbàālErythrina sigmoideaPapilionaceae
gìndī gēRhynchosia minimaPapilionaceae
rēɲ ré tánáTephrosia bracteolataPapilionaceae
nɔ́n dɔ́gɔ̀Tephrosia lupinifoliaPapilionaceae
sàà bíí, sàà bāná, sàà tōō-rɔ̄Vigna catjang var. sinensisPapilionaceae
sōōVoandzeia subterraneaPapilionaceae
hòg mbúŋCeratotheca sesamoidesPedaliaceae
sɔ̀n tōō-rɔ̄Sesamum indicumPedaliaceae
sɔ̀n pùūSesamum radiatumPedaliaceae
tàvSecuridaca longipedunculataPolygalaceae
bònòPolypterus bichirPolygalaceae
kírùgjúPortulaca oleraceaPortulacaceae
ŋūtāSarcocephalus esculentusRubiaceae
hòg nām vàrāSolanum sp.Solanaceae
gìmī ré tánáMelochia corchorifoliaSterculiaceae
sōnVitellaria paradoxa / Butyrospermum parkiiSapotaceae
hòg gìtì kàrāCorchorus tridensTiliaceae
bɔ̄rGrewia mollisTiliaceae
gìmī ré vōōTriumfetta pentandraTiliaceae
kóg/kóò kɔ̀ɔ̄lTriumfetta sp.Tiliaceae
laɲ yāā bāráTribulus terrestrisZygophyllaceae

References

Notes and References

  1. Nougayrol, Pierre. 1979. Le day de Bouna (Tchad), I: phonologie, syntagmatique nominale, synthématique. (Bibl. de la SELAF (Société des Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France), 71-72.) Paris: Paris. 174pp.
  2. Nougayrol, Pierre. 1980. Le Day de Bouna (Tchad), II: Lexique Day-Français, Index Français-Day. (Société d'Études Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France, 77-78.) Paris: Centre National de la Récherche Sciéntifique. 176pp.
  3. Nougayrol, P. 1977. Éléments de phonologie du day de Bouna. In Caprile, J.-P. (ed.), Études phonologiques tchadiennes, 213-231. Paris: SELAF.
  4. Book: Güldemann, Tom. The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. Güldemann. Tom. De Gruyter Mouton. Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa. 2018. 978-3-11-042606-9. 10.1515/9783110421668-002. Berlin. 58–444. The World of Linguistics series. 11.