Английская Википедия:Edo language
Шаблон:Distinguish Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox language Edo Шаблон:IPAc-en[1] (with diacritics, Шаблон:Lang), colloquially and often incorrectly referred to as Bini (Benin), is the language spoken by the Edo ethnic group in Edo State, Nigeria. Benin or Bini is not a language but, rather, the name of the capital city, and the name of the Kingdom. Edo language is the native tongue of the Edo people and was the primary language of the Benin Empire and its predecessor, Igodomigodo for thousands of years. Edo language is the majority language spoken in Edo State, particularly in Benin City, and the surrounding local governments and senatorial districts in the Southern parts of the State. While everyone from the state are referred to as Edolites, but the Edo speaking people are known as the Edos.
Distribution
Most of the Edo language-speakers live in the Southern parts of Edo State, Nigeria.The current state: Edo State derives its name from the Edo speaking people of the state. A smaller number of Edo speakers are also found in Delta State and Ondo State and in other parts of Nigeria.
Edo is an Edoid language. This languages are also spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria.
Phonology
Vowels
There are seven vowels, Шаблон:IPA, all of which may be long or nasal, and three tones.
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Close-mid | e | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ |
| Open | a | |
Consonants
Edo has a rather average consonant inventory for an Edoid language. It maintains only a single phonemic nasal, Шаблон:IPA, but has 13 oral consonants, Шаблон:IPA and the 8 stops, which have nasal allophones such as Шаблон:IPA, and nasalized allophones Шаблон:IPA before nasal vowels.
The three rhotics have been described as voiced and voiceless trills as well as a lax English-type approximant. However, Ladefoged[2]Шаблон:Rp found all three to be approximants, with the voiced–voiceless pair being raised (without being fricatives) and perhaps at a slightly different place of articulation compared to the third but not trills.
Phonotactics
Syllable structure is simple, being maximally CVV, where VV is either a long vowel or Шаблон:IPA plus a different oral or nasal vowel.
Orthography
The Edo alphabet has separate letters for the nasalised allophones of Шаблон:IPA and Шаблон:IPA, mw and n:
| A | B | D | E | Ẹ | F | G | Gb | Gh | H | I | K | Kh | Kp | L | M | Mw | N | O | Ọ | P | R | Rh | Rr | S | T | U | V | Vb | W | Y | Z |
| Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA | Шаблон:IPA |
Long vowels are written by doubling the letter. Nasal vowels may be written with a final -n or with an initial nasal consonant. Tone may be written with acute accent, grave accent, and unmarked, or with a final -h (-nh with a nasal vowel).
See also
References
- Emovon, Joshua A. (1979). A phonological study of Edo (Bini), with special reference to the verbal phrase. University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies (United Kingdom)
External links
- Edo Language Dictionary Online Шаблон:Webarchive
- Hans Melzian's Edo-English Dictionary
- Rebecca Agheyisi's Edo-English Dictionary
- Centre for Edo Studies
- PanAfrican L10n page on Edo (Bini)
- Edo/Africa names dictionary{source Edoworld}
- Bini (Edo) wordlists and recordings at the UCLA Phonetics Archive
- Bini (Edo) Market Days Шаблон:Sic on Naija local
Шаблон:Languages of Nigeria Шаблон:Volta-Niger languages Шаблон:Authority control
- ↑ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
- ↑ Шаблон:SOWL
