Chamba Leko

Chamba
Samba Leekɔ
Regionnorthern Nigeria and Cameroon
EthnicityChamba people
Native speakers
62,000 in Nigeria (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ndi
Glottologsamb1305

Chamba Leko is one of two languages spoken by the Chamba people, the other being Chamba Daka. It is a member of the Leko branch of Savanna languages, and is spoken across the northern Nigerian–Cameroonian border.

Chamba is also spelled 'Samba', Leko also 'Leeko', 'Lego' or 'Lekon'. The language is also known as Suntai.

Dialects

Samba, also called Samba Leeko, is highly distinct from Chamba Daka, also called Daga Mumi ('language of the Daka'), spoken in Nigeria by another subgroup of the Chamba people. These two languages are respectively classified in groups 2 and 3 of the Adamawa branch by Joseph Greenberg (see Adamawa languages).[2]

In Cameroon, the two main groups of dialects are:[2]

  • Samba languages proper (consisting of the Samba Leeko, Deenu, Bangla, Wangai varieties, as well as Sampara, mainly spoken in Nigeria) located between the Alantika Mountains in one area, and Faro and Mayo-Déo as well (in the south of Béka commune, Bénoué department, North Region)
  • Daganjonga, spoken in two enclaves of 25,000 speakers surrounded by Grassfields languages, near the Ndop Plain (more than 400 kilometers from the Alantika Mountains). It is spoken in the villages of Balikumbat, Baligashu, Baligashu (Balikumbat commune, Ngoketunjia department, North-West Region) and Baligam (Santa commune, Mezam department, North-West Region)

Phonology

Consonants

[3]: 21 
Labial Labiodental Apical Palatal Velar Labial–velar Glottal
Fricative Voiceless p f t s k kp ʔ
Voiced b v d z g gb
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ  ̰w
Oral l y w (h)
Flap (ⱱ) (r)

Vowels

[3]: 47 
Front Central Back
Close i ə u
Mid e o
Open ɛ a ɔ

References

  1. ^ Chamba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069.
  3. ^ a b Fabre, Anne Gwenaëlle (2003). "Étude du samba leko, parler d'Allani (Cameroun du Nord, famille Adamawa)" (in French). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


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