| Nzema | |
| Region: | Ghana, Ivory Coast |
| Ethnicity: | Nzema |
| Date: | 2013–2021 |
| Ref: | e26 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Kwa |
| Fam4: | Potou–Tano |
| Fam5: | Tano |
| Fam6: | Central Tano |
| Fam7: | Bia |
| Fam8: | South Bia |
| Iso2: | nzi |
| Iso3: | nzi |
| Glotto: | nzim1238 |
| Glottorefname: | Nzima |
Nzema, also known as Nzima or Appolo, is a Central Tano language spoken by the Nzema people of southwestern Ghana and southeastern Ivory Coast.[1] It is partially intelligible with Jwira-Pepesa and is closely related to Baoulé.[2]
Although it is a Bia language, Nzema is also one of the many Akan languages, and it has had considerable influence from other Akan languages, especially Twi and Fante.[3] There are notable towns in Nzemaland such as Bonyere, Nkroful, Half Assini, Axim, Eikwe, Baku, Atuabo, Beyin and Essiama.
| Labial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | (Alveolo-) Palatal | Velar | Labial-velar | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||
| Plosive/ Affricate | 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/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||
| Fricative | 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/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||||||||
| Trill | pronounced as /link/ | |||||||||||||
| Lateral | pronounced as /link/ | |||||||||||||
| pronounced as /link/ | ||||||||||||||
| Approximant | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||||||||||||
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Close | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Near-close | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Close-mid | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Open-mid | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Near-open | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Open | pronounced as /link/ |
| Uppercase | E | K | O | U | Z | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowercase | a | b | d | ɛ | e | f | g | h | i | k | l | m | n | ɔ | o | p | r | s | t | u | v | w | y | z |