View source for Ngbaka Minagende language

{{Short description|Gbaya language of DR Congo}}
{{Distinguish|Ngbaka Ma'bo|Ngbaka languages}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Ngbaka
|altname=Ngbaka Minagende
|nativename=Ngbaka Gbaya
|states=[[Democratic Republic of Congo]]
|speakers={{sigfig|1.02|3}} million
|date=2000
|ref=e18
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo]]
|fam3=[[Savanna languages|Savannas]]
|fam4=[[Gbaya languages|Gbaya]]
|fam5=Eastern
|fam6=Gbanu–Ngbaka
|iso3=nga
|glotto=ngba1285
|glottorefname=Ngbaka Minagende
}}

'''Ngbaka''' (''Ngbàkà'') is a [[Gbaya language]] spoken by just over a million people in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]]. It is a regionally important language, used by the [[Gilima]], [[Ngbundu]], [[Mbandja]] and [[Mono people (Congo)|Mono people]]s, and is taught in primary schools; 10% are literate in Ngbaka.

''Ngbaka'' is a common local ethnic name; the language may be distinguished from other languages called "Ngbaka" as '''Ngbaka Gbaya''' or '''Ngbaka Minagende'''.

There are no significant dialectal differences within Ngbaka, and it may be [[mutually intelligible]] with members of the [[Manza language|Manza dialect cluster]].

==Phonology==

=== Consonants ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Labialized velar consonant|Labio-<br>velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|m
|n
|ɲ
|ŋ
|ŋ͡m
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|p
|t
|
|k
|
|ʔ
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|b
|d
|
|ɡ
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small>
|ᵐb
|ⁿd
|
|ᵑɡ
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Implosive consonant|Implosive]]
!<small>voiced</small>
|ɓ
|ɗ
|
|
|ɠ͡ɓ
|
|-
!<small>voiceless</small>
|
|
|
|
|ɠ̊͡ɓ̥
|
|-
!<small>[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small>
|
|
|
|
|ᵑᵐɠ͡ɓ
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|f
|s
|
|
|
|h
|-
!<small>voiced</small>
|v
|z
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]</small>
|
|ⁿz
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|(r)
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Tap and flap consonants|Tap]]
|ⱱ
|ɺ
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
|l
|j
|
|w
|
|}

* The trill /r/ mainly occurs in ideophones, in both initial and final position. When it occurs in loanwords, it is often pronounced as a lateral [l].
* The glottal stop /ʔ/ mostly occurs before word-initial vowels.
* Sounds /ŋ͡m, ʔ, h, w/, do not appear in intervocalic position.
* /ŋ/ does not appear in word-initial position
* The fricative /f/ can be pronounced in the western dialects as a voiceless stop [p].
* The voiceless stop /k/ can be pronounced as a voiced stop [ɡ] in the western dialects.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Henrix|first=Marcel|title=Description grammaticale de la langue ngbaka: phonologie, tonologie et morphosyntaxe|last2=van den Eynde|first2=Karel|last3=Meeuwis|first3=Michael|publisher=München: Lincom Europa|year=2007}}</ref>

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
!
! colspan="3" |[[Oral vowel|Oral vowels]]
! colspan="3" |[[Nasal vowel|Nasal vowels]]
|-
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
|i iː
|
|u uː
|ĩ
|
|ũ
|-
![[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|e eː
|
|o oː
|
|
|
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|ɛ ɛː
|
|ɔ ɔː
|ɛ̃
|
|ɔ̃
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|a aː
|
|
|ã
|
|}

==Writing system==
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Alphabet ngbaka
|---
!colspan="27" | Uppercase
|---
| [[A (letter)|A]] || [[B (letter)|B]] || [[ʼB]] || [[D (letter)|D]] || [[ʼD]]
| [[E (letter)|E]] || [[Ɛ]] || [[F (letter)|F]] || [[G (letter)|G]] || [[Gb (digraph)|Gb]]
| [[H (letter)|H]] || [[I (letter)|I]] || [[K (letter)|K]] || [[Kp (digraph)|Kp]] || [[L (letter)|L]]
| [[M (letter)|M]] || [[N (letter)|N]] || [[Ng (digraph)|Ng]] || [[Ngg (trigraph)|Ngg]] || [[O (letter)|O]]
| [[Ɔ]] || [[S (letter)|S]] || [[T (letter)|T]] || [[U (letter)|U]] || [[V (letter)|V]]
| [[W (letter)|W]] || [[Z (letter)|Z]]
|---
!colspan="27" | Lowercase
|---
| a || b || ʼb || d || ʼd
| e || ɛ || f || g || gb
| h || i || k || kp || l
| m || n || ng || ngg || o
| ɔ || s || t || u || v
| w || z
|}
Nasalisation is indicated with a [[tilde]] on the vowel : {{anglebracket|ã, ɛ̃, ĩ, ɔ̃, ũ}}.

The tones of the syllables are shown with diacritics to prevent ambiguity :
* the high tone is indicated with the [[acute accent]] : {{anglebracket|á, é, ɛ́, í, ó, ɔ́, ú, ã́, ɛ̃́, ĩ́, ɔ̃́, ṹ}} ;
* the low tone is indicated with the [[grave accent ]] : {{anglebracket|à, è, ɛ̀, ì, ò, ɔ̀, ù, ã̀, ɛ̃̀, ĩ̀, ɔ̃̀, ũ̀}} ;
* the following tones are not usually indicated in the spelling but may be indicated in some linguistic works :
** the medium tone with the vertical line above : {{anglebracket|a̍, e̍, ɛ̍, i̍, o̍, ɔ̍, u̍, ã̍, ɛ̃̍, ĩ̍, ɔ̃̍, ũ̍}} ;
** the falling tone with the circumflex accent : {{anglebracket|â, ê, ɛ̂, î, ô, ɔ̂, ã̂, ɛ̃̂, ĩ̂, ɔ̃̂, ũ̂}} ;
** the rising tone with the caron/hacek : {{anglebracket|ǎ, ě, ɛ̌, ǐ, ǒ, ɔ̌, ã̌, ɛ̃̌, ĩ̌, ɔ̃̌, ũ̌}}.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ngbaka.ugent.be/ Ngbaka at Ghent University]

{{Ubangian languages}}
{{Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gbaya languages]]
[[Category:Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]