Dendi language
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Dendi is a Songhay language used as a trade language across northern Benin (along the Niger River). It forms a dialect cluster with Zarma and Koyraboro Senni but it is heavily influenced by Bariba.
Dendi has been described as a four-tone language.[2]
Distribution
Dendi is mainly spoken in Northern Benin, but also in other parts of Benin, and neighbouring countries. The Dendi people are the main group in the Departments of Alibori, Borgou, Donga, and Atakora.
In Nigeria, the Dendi people are found in Bordering States (Kebbi, Kwara, Niger, and Sokoto), and in other parts of Nigeria. They are usually referred by the Hausa name Dendawa (which is also used for the Songhai people).
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labial- velar |
Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | |||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | (ŋ) | ŋʷ | (ŋ͡m) | ||
| Plosive | voiceless | (p) | t | c | k | k͡p | ||
| voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | ɡ͡b | |||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | h | ||||
| voiced | z | |||||||
| Rhotic | r | |||||||
| Lateral | l | |||||||
| Approximant | j | w | ||||||
- /r/ may also be heard as a tap [ɾ].
- /p/ is only a marginal phoneme.
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- /m/ may also be heard with [ŋ͡m] in complementary distribution.[3]
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i iː | u uː | |
| Close-mid | e eː | o oː | |
| Open-mid | ɛ ɛː | ɔ ɔː | |
| Open | a aː |
Writing system
| Uppercase | A | B | C | D | E | Ɛ | F | G | Gb | H | I | J | K | Kp | L | M | N | NY | Ŋ | Ŋw/Ŋm | O | Ɔ | P | R | S | T | U | W | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minuscules | a | b | c | d | e | ɛ | f | g | gb | h | i | j | k | kp | l | m | n | ny | ŋ | ŋw/ŋm | o | ɔ | p | r | s | t | u | w | y | z |
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References
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- ^ This map is based on classification from Glottolog and data from Ethnologue.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Salmons, Joe. "Comparative Data on Accentual Change and Language Contact". Accentual change and language contact: Comparative survey and a case study of early Northern Europe. London: Routledge. p. 34. doi:10.4324/9780203168134-5. ISBN 0-203-16813-5.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Zima, Petr (1994). Lexique Dendi (Songhay) (Djougou, Bénin) avec un index Français-Dendi. WeStu Westafrikanische Studien (in français). Vol. 4. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. ISBN 978-3-927620-45-2.
Bibliography
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Centre national de linguistique appliquée (CENALA) (1990), Alphabet des langues nationales (2 ed.), Cotonou: CENALA
- Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Centre national de linguistique appliquée (CENALA) (2008), Alphabet des langues nationales béninoises (in français) (6 ed.), Cotonou: CENALA avec le concours de l’Initiative francophone pour la formation à distance des maîtres (IFADEM)
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