Yansi language

Yansi
Eyansi
Native toDR Congo
Native speakers
(100,000 cited 1997)
Dialects
  • Yans proper
  • Mbiem
  • Yeei
  • Mpur
Language codes
ISO 639-3yns
Glottologyans1239  Yansi
B.85

Yans (Yanzi) is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Bayanzi.

There are six language varieties Guthrie classified as Bantu B.85 (Yans):

According to Nurse (2003), most belong to the Yaka languages, but one or two are among the Boma–Dzing languages. Maho (2009) notes that the Tsong variety is the then-unclassified "Songo" language (ISO [soo]) of Ethnologue and is the one that does not belong with the rest. Glottolog likewise classifies "Nsong-Mpiin" [soo] apart from Yansi.

Phonology

Most of dialects have these sounds:

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labio-
velar
Nasal m n (ɲ) ŋ
Plosive voiceless p ᵐp t ⁿt (c) (ᶮc) k ᵑk
voiced b ᵐp d ⁿt (ɟ) (ᶮɟ) ɡ ᵑɡ
Fricative voiceless f ᵐf v s ⁿs t͡s ⁿt͡s
voiced z ⁿz
Rhotic ɾ
Lateral l
Approximant j w

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i iː ɨ ɨː u uː
Close-mid e eː ə əː o oː
Open-mid ɛ ɛː ɜ ɜː ɔ ɔː
Open a ɐ ɐː ɑ ɑː

References

  1. ↑ Yansi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online