Munka language

Munka
Bamunka
Ŋgieməkɔʼkə
Native toCameroon
Native speakers
31,000 (2008)
Language codes
ISO 639-3bvm
Glottologbamu1256

Bamunka, or Ngiemekohke (Ŋgieməkɔʼkə Bamunka pronunciation: [ˈŋgiěꜜmə́ˌkɔ̀ʔkə̌]) is a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labial-velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate		 Voiceless /t/ /t͡ʃ/ /k/ /k͡p/ /ʔ/
Voiced /b/ /d/ /d͡ʒ/ /g/
Fricative Voiceless /f/ /s/ /ʃ/
Voiced /v/ /ʒ/ /ɣ/
Nasal /m/ /n/ /ɲ/ /ŋ/
Approximant /l/ /j/ /w/

Vowels

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close /i/ /ɨ/ /u/
Mid-close /e/ /ə/ /o/
Mid-open /ɛ/ /ɔ/
Open /a/

Tones

In addition, Munka has five phonemic tones: three level tones (high, mid, and low) and two contour tones (rising, and falling).

Orthography

Ngeloh Takwe proposed this orthography in her post-graduate diploma dissertation in 2002.

Bamunka alphabet (2002)
Letters abcdeɛəfghghɨjkkplmnnyŋoɔsshtuvwyzh
IPA /a//b//t͡ʃ//d//e//ɛ//ə//f//ɣ//g//ʔ//ɨ//d͡ʒ//k//k͡p//l//m//n//ɲ//ŋ//o//ɔ//s//ʃ//t//u//v//w//j//ʒ/

References

  1. ↑ Munka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Ingle, Jane (2013). The Bamunka Noun Phrase (PDF). Yaoundé: SIL.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Ngeloh Takwe, Jeannette (October 2002). Structural Phonology of Bamunka (post-graduate diploma thesis). Yaoundé: The University of Yaoundé I.

Further reading