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.

References

Uses material from the Wikipedia article Chopi language, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.