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'''Kemezung''' (''Dumbo, Dumbu, Dzumbo, Kumaju'') is a [[Southern Bantoid]] ([[Eastern Beboid languages|Eastern Beboid]]) language of [[Cameroon]]. According to ''Ethnologue'', it's 85% lexically similar to [[Bebe language|Bebe]].<ref name=e18/>
'''Kemezung''' (''Dumbo, Dumbu, Dzumbo, Kumaju'') is a [[Southern Bantoid]] ([[Eastern Beboid languages|Eastern Beboid]]) language of [[Cameroon]]. According to ''Ethnologue'', it's 85% lexically similar to [[Bebe language|Bebe]].<ref name=e18/>

==Consonants==
Kemezung has 19 "unmodified" consonants.<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Cox|2005|p=2}}</ref> Cox also claims Kemezung has labialized, palatalized, and prenasalized consonants but does not list all of them.<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Cox|2005|pp=2-4}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! colspan="2" |
! Labial !! Coronal !! Palatal !! Velar !! Labial-velar !! Laryngeal
|-
! rowspan="2" | Plosive
! Voiceless
| || {{IPAslink|t}} || || {{IPAslink|k}} || {{IPAslink|k͡p}} ||
|-
! Voiced
| {{IPAslink|b}} || {{IPAslink|d}} || || {{IPAslink|g}} || {{IPAslink|g͡b}} ||
|-
! rowspan="2" | Affricate
! Voiceless
| || {{IPAslink|t͡s}}{{efn|{{IPA|/t͡s/}} becomes {{IPAblink|t͡ʃ}} before /i/.}} || || || ||
|-
! Voiced
| || {{IPAslink|d͡z}}{{efn|{{IPA|/d͡z/}} becomes {{IPAblink|d͡ʒ}} before /i/.}} || || || ||
|-
! colspan="2" | Fricative
| {{IPAslink|f}} || {{IPAslink|s}}{{efn|{{IPA|/s/}} becomes {{IPAblink|ʃ}} before {{IPA|/i/}}. It becomes {{IPAblink|s̬}} or {{IPAblink|ɾ}} between vowels root-medially.}} || || || || {{IPAslink|h}}
|-
! colspan="2" | Nasal
| {{IPAslink|m}} || {{IPAslink|n}} || {{IPAslink|ɲ}} || {{IPAslink|ŋ}} || ||
|-
! colspan="2" | Approximant
| || {{IPAslink|l}}{{efn|{{IPA|/l/}} optionally becomes {{IPAblink|d}} in many words before {{IPA|/i/}} root-medially.}} || {{IPAslink|j}}{{efn|{{IPA|/j/}} optionally becomes {{IPAblink|ʒ}} before {{IPA|/i/}} root-medially.}} || ||{{IPAslink|w}} ||
|}

{{notelist}}

==Vowels==
Kemezung has 9 phonemic vowels.<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Cox|2005|p=5}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! !! Front !! Central !! Back
|-
! Close
| {{IPAslink|i}} || || {{IPAslink|u}}
|-
! Close-mid
| {{IPAslink|e}} || {{IPAslink|ɘ}}{{efn|Cox uses {{angbr|{{IPA|ɨ}}}}, which normally represents the close central unrounded vowel {{IPAslink|ɨ}}.}} || {{IPAslink|o}}
|-
! Open-mid
| {{IPAslink|ɛ}} || {{IPAslink|ɜ}}{{efn|Cox uses {{angbr|{{IPA|ə}}}}, which normally represents the mid central unrounded vowel {{IPAslink|ə}}.}} || {{IPAslink|ɔ}}
|-
! Open
| || {{IPAslink|ä}} ||
|}

{{notelist}}

==Tone==
Kemezung also has 7 (or possibly 8) tones.<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Cox|2005|pp=7-8}}</ref> There are three level tones (high, mid, and low), three falling tones (high-low, mid-low, and long mid-low), and one or two rising tones (low-mid and possibly mid-high).


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 01:45, 23 December 2023

Kemezung
Native toCameroon
RegionNorthwest Province, Donga-Mantung Division, Southwest corner of Ako Subdivision, Northwest of Nkambé, town of Dumbu and village of Kwei.
Native speakers
3,540 (2008)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3dmo
Glottologkeme1240

Kemezung (Dumbo, Dumbu, Dzumbo, Kumaju) is a Southern Bantoid (Eastern Beboid) language of Cameroon. According to Ethnologue, it's 85% lexically similar to Bebe.[1]

Consonants

Kemezung has 19 "unmodified" consonants.[2] Cox also claims Kemezung has labialized, palatalized, and prenasalized consonants but does not list all of them.[3]

Labial Coronal Palatal Velar Labial-velar Laryngeal
Plosive Voiceless /t/ /k/ /k͡p/
Voiced /b/ /d/ /g/ /g͡b/
Affricate Voiceless /t͡s/[a]
Voiced /d͡z/[b]
Fricative /f/ /s/[c] /h/
Nasal /m/ /n/ /ɲ/ /ŋ/
Approximant /l/[d] /j/[e] /w/
  1. ^ /t͡s/ becomes [t͡ʃ] before /i/.
  2. ^ /d͡z/ becomes [d͡ʒ] before /i/.
  3. ^ /s/ becomes [ʃ] before /i/. It becomes [s̬] or [ɾ] between vowels root-medially.
  4. ^ /l/ optionally becomes [d] in many words before /i/ root-medially.
  5. ^ /j/ optionally becomes [ʒ] before /i/ root-medially.

Vowels

Kemezung has 9 phonemic vowels.[4]

Front Central Back
Close /i/ /u/
Close-mid /e/ /ɘ/[a] /o/
Open-mid /ɛ/ /ɜ/[b] /ɔ/
Open /ä/
  1. ^ Cox uses ⟨ɨ⟩, which normally represents the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/.
  2. ^ Cox uses ⟨ə⟩, which normally represents the mid central unrounded vowel /ə/.

Tone

Kemezung also has 7 (or possibly 8) tones.[5] There are three level tones (high, mid, and low), three falling tones (high-low, mid-low, and long mid-low), and one or two rising tones (low-mid and possibly mid-high).

Notes

  1. ^ a b Kemezung at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Cox (2005:2)
  3. ^ Cox (2005:2–4)
  4. ^ Cox (2005:5)
  5. ^ Cox (2005:7–8)

References

  • Blench, Roger (2011). The membership and internal structure of Bantoid and the border with Bantu (PDF). Bantu IV, Humboldt University, Berlin.
  • Brye, Edward; Brye, Elizabeth (2004). "Intelligibility testing survey of Bebe and Kemezung and synthesis of sociolinguistic research of the Eastern Beboid cluster" (PDF). SIL. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-07.
  • Cox, Bruce (2005). "Notes on the Phonology of Kemezung" (PDF). Yaoundé: SIL. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-11-06.
  • Smoes, Christopher L. "A Sketch Grammar of the Kemezung language" (PDF). SIL. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-12-08.


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