Firan language

Firan
Fəràn, Fɨràn
Native toNigeria
RegionPlateau State
Native speakers
5,000 (2019)
Language codes
ISO 639-3fir
Glottologfira1238
ELPFiran
Fɨràn
Personyes Fɨràn
Peopleyes Bèfɨràn
LanguageFɨràn

Firan (also Fəràn or Fɨran; also Ibaas) is a Plateau language closely related to Izere. Most Firan speakers are multilingual in Firan, Hausa, English, Iten, and sometimes Berom.

Villages

Fɨran is spoken exclusively in 15 villages of Ganawuri District, Riyom LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria. Kwakwi and Ntosso are the main villages.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants of Firan [SIL]
Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Labialvelar Glottal
Plosive b p d t ɡ k ɡ͡b k͡p
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Sibilant affricate dz ts d̠ʒ t̠ʃ
Sibilant fricative z s ʃ
Non-sibilant fricative ɸ v f ç ɣ h
Approximant j w
Tap/flap ɾ
Trill r
Lateral approximant l
Consonants of Firan [Blench]
Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Postalveolar Palatal Velar Labialvelar Glottal
Plosive b p d t ɡ k ɡ͡b k͡p
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Sibilant affricate ts d̠ʒ t̠ʃ
Sibilant fricative z~dz s ʃ
Non-sibilant fricative f h
Approximant j ɥ w
Tap/flap ɾ
Lateral approximant l

/Cj/ and /Cw/ sequences are permitted but are uncommon

Vowels

Vowels of Firan [SIL]
Front Near-front Central Near-back Back
Close i ɨ u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Close-mid e o
Mid ə
Open-mid ɛ ɜ/ə ɔ
Open a/ɑ
Vowels of Firan [Blench]
Front Near-front Central Near-back Back
Close i ɨ u
Close-mid e o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Tones

There are 5 tones -- high, mid, low, rising and falling. The rising and falling tones are described as 'aris[ing] from sequences of level tones', but it is not clear what is meant by that, as there are no long vowels in the language.

References

  1. ↑ Firan at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ↑ Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  3. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin (eds.). "Firan". Glottolog . Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  4. 1 2 3 "A Sociolinguistic Profile of the Firan [fir] Language of Plateau State, Nigeria". SIL International. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Blench, Roger. 2024. Introduction to a preliminary dictionary of the Fɨran language of Central Nigeria. Cambridge: Kay William Educational Foundation (KWEF).
  6. 1 2 3 Roger Blench, 2024, Introduction to a preliminary dictionary of the Fɨran language of Central Nigeria

Further reading