| Rigwe | |
| Nativename: | Nkarigwe |
| Region: | Plateau State, Kaduna State |
| States: | Nigeria |
| Speakers: | 40,000 |
| Date: | 1985 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam4: | Plateau |
| Fam5: | Central ? |
| Iso3: | iri |
| Glotto: | irig1241 |
| Glottorefname: | Irigwe |
| Person: | ƴîɾìgʷȅ |
| People: | yíɾìgʷȅ |
| Language: | ɾȉgʷȅ |
| Root: | ɾȉgʷȅ[1] |
The Rigwe language, Nkarigwe, is a Plateau language of Nigeria spoken by the Irigwe people mainly found in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.[2] [3]
Rigwe has highly complex phonology.[4] The presence of the lateral fricative /ɬ/ in Rigwe, unusual among Plateau languages, suggests that there used to be West Chadic languages in the area with this phoneme.[5]
Rigwe phonology:[6]
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | (Alveolo-)Palatal | Velar | Labial–velar/Glottal | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | pl. | plain | pal. | plain | pl. | plain | pl. | plain | plain | pl. | plain | plain | pal | |||||||||||
| Nasal | pronounced as /ink/ | mʲ | mʷ | ɱ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/, ɲː | ɲʷ | pronounced as /ink/ | ŋʷ, ŋʷʲ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||||||||||||
| Stop | pronounced as /ink/ | pʲ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | cʲ | cʷ | ˀc | pronounced as /ink/ | kʷ | ˀk | pronounced as /ink/ | ˀkp | ||||||||||||
| pronounced as /ink/, ˀb | bʲ | pronounced as /ink/ | ɟ | ɟʲ | ɟʷ | pronounced as /ink/ | ɡʷ | ˀɡʷ | pronounced as /ink/ | ˀɡb | ||||||||||||||
| Fricative | pronounced as /ink/ | fʲ | pronounced as /ink/, ˀs | pronounced as /ink/ | ʃʷ, ˀʃʷ | pronounced as /ink/ | hʲ | |||||||||||||||||
| pronounced as /ink/ | vʲ | ð | ðʲ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ʒʷ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Affricate | ps | pronounced as /ink/ | tsʲ | t̠ʃ | t̠ʃʷ | tɕ | tɕʷ | |||||||||||||||||
| d̠ʒ | d̠ʒʷ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Approximant | ɬ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | jʷ | ˀj | ʍ | ʍʲ | ˀʍ, ˀʍʲ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tap | ɾ | ɾʲ | ɾʷ | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Trill | ʙ | r | rʲ | rʷ | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Front | Central | Back | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral | Nasal | Oral | Nasal | Oral | Nasal | ||
| Close | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| Close-mid | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| Open | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |
| High | ˦ | |
|---|---|---|
| Mid | ˧ | |
| Mid-low | ˨ | |
| Low | ˩ |