Aja
Adja, Hwè
Native toBenin, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Gabon
EthnicityAja people
Native speakers
1.28 million (2012–2021)[1]
Dialects
  • Dogbo
  • Hwe
  • Tado
  • Sikpi
  • Tala
Latin
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3ajg
Glottologajab1235
The distribution of the major Gbe dialect areas (after Capo 1988, 1991)

The Aja language is a Gbe language spoken by the Aja people of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Nigeria and Gabon. In Gabon, they are mostly migrants.

it is closely related to other Gbe languages such as Ewe, Mina, Fon, and Phla Phera.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Retroflex Post-alv./
Palatal		 Velar Labial-
velar		 Uvular
Nasal [m] [n] [ɲ] ŋ
Plosive/
Affricate		 voiceless p t t͡ʃ k k͡p
voiced b d ɖ d͡ʒ ɡ ɡ͡b
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ χ
voiced v z ɣ ʁ
Approximant l ~ [r] j w
  • Voiced consonants /b, ɖ, j/ are heard as nasal sonorant sounds [m, n, ɲ] when followed by a nasal vowel.
  • /l/ is heard as a rhotic trill [r] when after alveolar, retroflex or post-alveolar consonants.
  • Sounds /s/ and /z/ are heard as post-alveolar [ʃ], [ʒ] when preceding /i/.
  • Approximant sounds /l, w/ may also be nasalized as [l̃, w̃] when preceding or following nasal vowels.
  • Some linguists have also attested the nasal sound [ɲ], and labialized uvular sounds, [χʷ] and [ʁʷ], as separate phonemes.[2]

Vowels

Oral vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Close-mid e o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a
  • /u/ when before /i/ is heard as a labio-palatal [ɥ]. It is then nasalized as [ɥ̃] when in nasal position.[2]
Nasal vowels
Front Central Back
Close ĩ ũ
Open-mid ɛ̃ ɔ̃
Open ã

Comparison

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Aja

Agbetɔwo pleŋu vanɔ gbɛmɛ ko vovoɖeka gbeswɛgbeswɛ, sɔto amɛnyinyi ko acɛwo gomɛ; wo xɔnɔ susunywin ko jimɛnywi so esexwe. Wo ɖo a wa nɔvi ɖaɖa wowo nɔnɔwo gbɔ.

Ewe

Wodzi amegbetɔwo katã ablɔɖeviwoe eye wodzena bubu kple gomekpɔkpɔ sɔsɔe. Susu kple dzitsinya le wo dometɔ ɖesiaɖe si eyata wodze be woanɔ anyi le ɖekawɔwɔ blibo me.

English

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

References

  1. ↑ Aja at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed access icon
  2. 1 2 Morley, Eric A. (2011). A Grammar of Ajagbe.
Adja language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator


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