Chopi language
Chopi, (also spelled Copi, Tschopi, and Txopi), is a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique.
Maho (2009) lists the possibly extinct Lenge dialect as a distinct language.
Phonology
Consonants
- Sounds /t͡sᶲ, t͡sᶲʰ, d͡zᵝ, ⁿd͡zᵝ/, are typically heard as labial-alveolar affricates [p͡sᶲ, p͡sᶲʰ, b͡zᵝ, ᵐb͡zᵝ], however in recent years there has been a shift in pronunciation having them pronounced purely as alveolar.
- Consonants when preceding /j, w/ are always either palatalized [Cʲ] or labialized [Cʷ].
- /ɟ/ may also be heard as an implosive [ʄ] in free variation.
- /v/ may also be heard as an affricate [b͡v] in free variation.
Vowels
- Nasalized vowel sounds [Ṽ] may be heard when preceding nasal consonants.