Kanembu
Kanembou
Native toChad
RegionBahr el Gazel, Hadjer-Lamis
EthnicityKanembu
Native speakers
880,000 (2019)[1]
Early form
Dialects
  • Karkawu
  • Mando
  • Nguri
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-2kbl
ISO 639-3Either:
kbl  Kanembu
txj  Old Kanembu
Glottologkane1243
Linguasphere02-AAA-b

Kanembu is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in Chad by the Kanembu people. It is also spoken by a smaller number of people in Niger. It is closely related to Kanuri.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t c k ʔ
voiced b d ɟ ɡ
prenasal ᵐb ⁿd ᶮɟ ᵑɡ
Fricative f s ʃ h
Trill r
Approximant w l j
  • /f, b/ can also have allophones of [ɸ, β].[2]

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Close-mid e ə o
Open-mid ɛ ɜ ɔ
Open a
  • Vowel length is also distributed.

Writing system

Kanembu is written with the Latin script alphabet.

Kanembu Latin alphabet [3][4]
abcde əfghi jklmn oprst uwy

The letters â, ê, î, ô, û are also used. The orthography also uses the digraphs mb, nd, ng, nj.

The Ajami script was used for Kanembu, since the time of Dunama Dabbalemi, and still today in the Tarjumo language or in religious works.

1. A ( ٱ ) – Aliou
2. B (پ) – Bah
3. T (ت)- tah
4. Ŝ ( ث ) – Thouma-tholodou
5. G ( ج ) – Djoum
6. H ( ح ) Hah ngandou
7. Ĥ ( (خ ) Ha Intchia
8. D ( د ) – daal
9. Ď ( ذ ) – Zal
10. R ( ر ) – Rah
11. Z (ز ) – Zay
12. S ( س ) – Souni Ngandou
13. Ĉ (ش ) – Souni Intchia
14. Ŝ (ص ) – Saddou
15. Ś (ض ) – Daddou
16. Ť ( ط ) – tamouska
17. Ž (ظ ) – Zadoumouska
18. Ā ( ع ) – Aayne
19. Ġ ( غ ) – Ga-guine
20. F ( ف )- Fah
21. Q ( ق ) – Kowmi
22. K ( ك ) – Kolossour
23. L ( ل ) – Langatou
24. M ( م ) – Mougouri
25. N ( ڽ ) – Nonowdou
26. Ħ (ه ) – Hadjara
27. W ( و ) – Wow
28. Y ( ي )– Yakissou

Notes

References

  • Jouannet, Francis (1977). "Essai d'inventaire phonétique du parler kanembou des Ngaldoukou du Sud-Kanem". In Caprile, Jean-Pierre (ed.). Études phonologiques tchadiennes. Paris: SELAF. pp. 129–143. ISBN 2-85297-019-8.
  • Jouannet, Francis (1982). Le kanembou des Ngaldoukou : langue saharienne parlée sur les rives septentrionales du lac Tchad : phonématique et prosodie. Paris: SELAF. ISBN 2-85297-129-1.
  • Lukas, Johannes (1931). Die Sprache der Káidi-Kanembú in Kanem. Hamburg: C. Boysen.
  • SIL Chad (2017a). Kakadu Kanembu Kərânei, Kakadu 1 [Nous lisons le kanembou, livre 2] (PDF) (in French). N’Djamena, Tchad: SIL Tchad.
  • SIL Chad (2017b). Kakadu Kanembu Kərânei, Kakadu 2 [Nous lisons le kanembou, livre 2] (PDF) (in French). N’Djamena, Tchad: SIL Tchad.
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