Kenswei Nsei (Kensense), also Nsei or Mesing (Bamessing), is a Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon.
Phonology
Consonants
Labial | Alveolar | Post-alveolar | Velar | Glottal | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-voice | +voice | -voice | +voice | -voice | +voice | -voice | +voice | -voice | ||
Nasal | Plain | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||||
Labialized | ɲʷ | ŋʷ | ||||||||
Plosive/ Affricate |
Plain | b | t | d | t͡ʃ | d͡ʒ | k | g | ʔ | |
Pre-nasalized | ᵐb | ⁿt | ⁿd | ⁿt͡ʃ | ⁿd͡ʒ | ᵑk | ᵑg | |||
Lablalized | bʷ | tʷ | dʷ | t͡ʃʷ | d͡ʒʷ | kʷ | gʷ | |||
Pre-nasalized and labialized |
ᵐbʷ | ⁿtʷ | ⁿdʷ | ⁿt͡ʃʷ | ⁿd͡ʒʷ | ᵑkʷ | ᵑgʷ | |||
Fricative | Plain | f | v | s | z | ɣ[a] | h | |||
Pre-nasalized | ᶬf | ⁿs | ||||||||
Labialized | sʷ | zʷ | ||||||||
Pre-nasalized and labialized |
ⁿsʷ | |||||||||
Approximant | Plain | l | j[b] | w | ||||||
Labialized | lʷ | jʷ |
Vowels
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | ɨ̝[a] | u |
Close-mid | e[b] | ə[c] | o[d] |
Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ | |
Open | æ | ä[e] |
Tone
Nsei has both lexical and grammatical tone. There are at least two level tones (high, low, and possibly mid) and two contour tones (falling and rising).[3]
References
- ^ Nsei at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b DeVries 2008.
- ^ DeVries 2008, pp. 17–18.
Further reading
- Akeriweh (2000). A step towards the standardisation of Kə̀nswéynséy: (a grassfield bantu language (MA thesis). Yaoundé: Université de Yaoundé I.
- DeVries, Aaron (2008). Kenswey Nsey (Bamessing): A Phonological Sketch (PDF). Yaoundé: SIL Cameroun. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2023.
- Lonbeck, Janelle (2013). The Noun Phrase in Kenswei Nsei (Bamessing) (PDF). Yaoundé: SIL Cameroon. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2023.
- Lonfo, Bertrand (2007). Morphologie nominale du kensweynse (MA thesis). Université de Yaoundé I.
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