| States | Republic of Congo, Gabon |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Teke, Bongo Pygmies |
| Dateprefix | ca. |
| Date | 2000 |
| Ref | e18 |
| Speakers 2 | (some figures undated) |
| Familycolor | Niger-Congo |
| Fam 2 | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam 3 | Benue–Congo |
| Fam 4 | Bantoid |
| Fam 5 | Bantu (Zone B) |
| Fam 6 | Nzebi (B.50) (traditionally Teke, B.70) |
| Lc 1 | tyi |
| Ld 1 | Tsaayi |
| Lc 2 | lli |
| Ld 2 | Laali |
| Lc 3 | iyx |
| Ld 3 | Yaa |
| Lc 4 | tyx |
| Ld 4 | Tyee (Kwe) |
| Guthrie | B.73 |
| Glotto | west2969 |
| Glottoname | West Kasai-Ngounie |
West Teke is a Bantu language spoken in the Republic of Congo and Gabon.
West Teke is a dialect continuum. The varieties are Tsaayi (Ge-Tsaya, Tyaye, Tsayi), Laali, Yaa (Yaka), and Tyee (Tee, Kwe). The dominant variety by far is Tsaayi.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labio- velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ŋ͡m | ||
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | k͡p | ||
| voiced | b | d | ɡ | ||||
| prenasal vl. | ᵐp | ⁿt | ᵑk | ᵑk͡p | |||
| prenasal vd. | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᵑɡ | ᵑɡ͡b | |||
| Affricate | voiceless | p͡f | t͡s | ||||
| voiced | b͡v | d͡z | |||||
| prenasal vl. | ᵐp͡f | ⁿt͡s | |||||
| prenasal vd. | ᵐb͡v | ⁿd͡z | |||||
| Fricative | f | s | ɣ | h | |||
| Rhotic | ɾ | ||||||
| Approximant | (ɥ) | l | j | w | |||
- Sounds /k͡p, ᵑk͡p, ᵑɡ͡b/ are sometimes pronounced as labialized sounds [kʷ, ᵑkʷ, ᵑɡʷ].
- /ɡ/ when preceding /w/ or /j/, may labialize or palatalize as [ɡʷ, ɡʲ].
- /s/ may often be pronounced as [ʃ] when before /u/ or /w/.
- /j/ when preceding a /w/ or /u/, is pronounced as a labial-palatal [ɥ].
- /t͡s, ⁿt͡s, d͡z, ⁿd͡z/ may also be pronounced as [t͡ʃ, ⁿt͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, ⁿd͡ʒ] when before /u/, /w/ or /j/.[1]
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i ĩ | u ũ | |
| Close-mid | e | o | |
| Open-mid | ɛ ɛ̃ | ɔ ɔ̃ | |
| Open | a ã |
- Sounds /ɛ, ɔ/ may also be heard as more closed [e, o] in different positions.
- Vowel length is also distinctive.
References
- ^ Ntsiba Ngolo, Edouard & Raharimanantsoa, Ruth (2015). Petit guide d’orthographique et de grammaire du Téké du sud-ouest. Brazzaville: SIL Congo.