| Mprɛ | |
|---|---|
| Mpra | |
| Pronunciation | [ḿpŕ̩ɛ̀] |
| Native to | Ghana |
| Region | Savannah Region |
| Extinct | mid-20th century 5 rememberers (2007) |
Niger–Congo?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
| Glottolog | mpra1235 |
| ELP | Mpra |
Mpra or Mprɛ is an extinct language formerly spoken in the village of Butei (8°52′N 1°15′W / 8.867°N 1.250°W) in central Ghana, located between the towns of Techiman and Tamale near the confluence of the Black and White Voltas. Mprɛ has been difficult to classify due to its divergent vocabulary. It is known from two word lists given in a 1931 article, and the other collected in 1956. Roger Blench considered it to be a possible language isolate, or alternatively a Kwa language.
Painter (1967) briefly states that "ḿpŕ̩ɛ̀ has died" and that the ethnic group ("the Nnyamase-mprɛ") have "become Nnyamase-Gonja"; he appears to regard it as having been a dialect of Gonja. However, this is based only on the numerals, which are clearly related to Gonja. The rest of the vocabulary is "hard to recognise". Blench presented it initially as a language isolate, but also as a possible Kwa language; he later notes that it "may either be an isolate with [Kwa] borrowings or a highly divergent branch of Kwa".
Allan Wolsey Cardinall collected 106 words of Mpra, which are presented below.
| gloss | Mpra |
|---|---|
| God | agbem |
| it rains | agbem aba |
| earth | sunko |
| earth owner or tindana | suko kawuseggi |
| 1 | ekpe |
| 2 | enyo |
| 3 | eta |
| 4 | ena |
| 5 | enu |
| 6 | grume |
| 7 | ngpa |
| 8 | nenengene |
| 9 | gokpa |
| 10 | edu |
| 11 | edu bili mpe |
| 12 | edu bili nyo |
| 13 | edu bili ta |
| 20 | ado nyo |
| 30 | ado ta |
| 100 | kelafa |
| 200 | lefanyo |
| 1000 | agbu |
| cowrie | amuseraga |
| house | eso |
| cow | nogha |
| fowl | kohor |
| guinea-fowl | aiyili |
| manii | chonangsi |
| woman | ejo |
| child | nzui |
| father | chichi |
| mother | emo |
| son | nkemnzui |
| dog | tebe |
| goat | ade |
| water | nkaw |
| bow | etawa |
| arrow | ncho |
| fire | eja |
| it rains | agbemaba |
| yam | ampi |
| millet | avue |
| cassava | wanchi |
| corn | aboyin |
| beans | aza |
| nose | masuma |
| eyes | anisi |
| teeth | ate |
| tongue | nchuma |
| hair | nmin |
| hand | eno |
| arm | ebopa |
| leg | eputo |
| foot | eputo nasi |
| fingers | ataza |
| toe | atazai |
| cloth | busa |
| tree | eyia |
| kapok tree | ejini |
| native jumpers | kale |
| loincloth | dakor |
| elephant | ewogo |
| bush cow | zingilzinogha |
| lion | jikpajikpakoseggi |
| hartebeest | junga |
| roan | kol |
| waterbuck | bruguni |
| bushbuck | chankpala |
| reedbuck | kurunku |
| oribi | wulo |
| kob | volo |
| duiker | kukru |
| red-duiker | pumpu |
| bush pig | juro |
| hippopotamus | chaji |
| horse | vema |
| donkey | kwimi |
| black | ziri |
| white | fuli |
| red | ejuli |
| iron | epolebona |
| hoe | enwona |
| axe | etile |
| farm | ebaza |
| bush | zingelza |
| village | adebanza |
| fish | enchini |
| snake | ewoa |
| scorpion | lemma |
| locust | tintumba |
| bee | zinwi |
| honey | byunkonkon |
| bird | bobo |
| animal | abrimapre |
| leopard | jankamma |
| hyena | jingachi |
| bush-cat | bata |
| tobacco | asara |
| tail | edu |
| head | zekpa |
| skin | ekuli |
| mouth | nchumu |
| shea nut | gwizi |
| shea butter | ngu |
| Moon | nnopavo |
| sun | ezol |
| stars | achepreza |