Ki language explained

Ki language should not be confused with Amto language.

Ki
Nativename:Tuki
States:Cameroon
Speakers:26,000
Date:1982
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Niger-Congo
Fam2:Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:Benue–Congo
Fam4:Southern Bantoid
Fam5:Mbam
Fam6:Sanaga
Iso3:bag
Glotto:tuki1240
Lc1:leo
Ld1:Leti
Lc2:mct
Ld2:Mengisa (duplicate code)
Glottorefname:Tuki
Guthrie:A.601 (ex-A.61,64), possibly also A.63

The Ki language, Tuki (Baki, Oki), is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. It is spoken by 26,000 people in the Central Province of Cameroon, in the Lekie division and in the Mbam and Kim division, along the Sanaga river.[1]

The dialects are Kombe (Tukombe), Cenga (Tocenga), Tsinga (Tutsingo), Bundum, Njo (Tonjo), Ngoro (Tu Ngoro), Mbere (Tumvele) and possibly Leti/Mengisa[2] and Mbwasa.

Phonology

Tuki distinguishes six phonetic vowels. It distinguishes between long and short vowels.[3]

Vowels!!Front!Back
Closeiu
Close-mideo
Open-midɔ
Opena
The consonants are as follows.
!Bilabial!Alveolar!Palatal!Velar/Glottal!Labiovelar
Stop/AffricateVoicelessptt͡ʃkk͡p
Voicedbdd͡ʒgg͡b
Prenasalizedⁿbⁿdⁿd͡ʒⁿg ⁿg͡b
FricativeVoicelesssh
Voicedβ
Nasalmnɲ ŋ
Approximantɾjw

Grammar

As in most Bantu languages, the noun consists of a class prefix and a stem. Verbs are conjugated for the noun class of the subject and object. The primary word order is SVO.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Biloa, E. (2013). Syntax of Tuki : A Cartographic Approach. John Benjamins Publishing Company.
  2. Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
  3. Description phonologique du tuki (ati), langue Sanaga . Université de Yaoundé . 1974 . masters . Jean-Jacques [Marie] . Essono . fr.
  4. Book: Biloa, Edmund . Functional Categories and the Syntax of Focus in Tuki . Lincom Europa . 1997 . 9783929075496 . Munchen.