Biyanda-Buli language

Biyanda-Buli
Southwest Gbaya
Native toCentral African Republic
Native speakers
200,000 (2007)[1]
Includes Toongo
Dialects
  • Biyanda
  • Buli
Language codes
ISO 639-3gso (partial)
Glottologsout2785

Biyanda (Ɓìyàndà) and Buli (Ɓùlì) constitute a Gbaya language of the Central African Republic. Ethnologue groups them as Southwest Gbaya, but it is not clear how many of the Southwest varieties are part of the same language; Toongo and Mbodomo, for example, are not closely related, though Toongo speakers identify ethnically as Buli, and Ethnologue also lists Mbodomo as a separate language.

Phonology

Consonants[2]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labiovelar Glottal
Plosive p b t d k g kp gb ʔ
Implosive ɓ ɗ
Prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd, ⁿz ᵑg ᵑgb
Fricative f v s z h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w l j
Vowels[2]
Front Central Back
High i u
Mid-high e o
Mid-low ɛ ɔ
Low a

There are also four tones;[2] high, low, falling, and rising.

References

  1. ^ Biyanda-Buli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c Moñino, Yves (1995). "Le proto-Gbaya: Essai de linguistique comparative historique sur vingt-et-une langues d'Afrique centrale". SELAF. 357. Paris: Peeters.


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