Oluʼbo language

From The Right Wiki
(Redirected from Olu'bo language)
Jump to navigationJump to search

Oluʼbo
Lolubo
Native toSouth Sudan
EthnicityOluʼbo
Native speakers
33,000 (2017)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3lul
Glottologolub1238

Oluʼbo or Lolubo is a Central Sudanic language spoken by 33,000 Oluʼbo people in Southern Sudan.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants[2]
Labial Dental Alveolar Post-
alveolar
Retroflex Palatal Velar Labial-
velar
Glottal
Implosive ɓ ɗ ʄ
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless p ʈ k kp ʔ
voiced b ɖ g gb
prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd̪ ⁿdʒ ᶯɖ ᵑg ᵑᵐgb
Fricative voiceless f s
voiced v z
Approximant l j w

Vowels

Front Back
Vowels[3]
Close i u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Close-mid e o
Open-mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Vowels form two vowel harmony sets, based on advanced and retracted tongue root. The [-ATR] group is /ɪ, ɛ, ɔ, ʊ/, and the [+ATR] group is /i, e, o, u/.[3] /a/ is phonetically [-ATR] but is found in roots of both sets.[4] There is a tenth vowel quality [ɤ], which only occurs after /u/. When /u/ and [ɤ] are in separate morphemes, [ɤ] is in free variation with [o].[5]

Tones

Oluʼbo has high /˦/, mid /˧/, and low /˨/ tones.There are also six compound tones, low-mid /˨˧/, low-high /˨˦/, mid-low /˧˨/, mid-high /˧˦/, high-low /˦˨/, and high-mid /˦˧/.[6]

Notes

  1. Oluʼbo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. Andersen 1987, p. 45.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Andersen 1987, p. 40.
  4. Andersen 1987, p. 41.
  5. Andersen 1987, p. 44.
  6. Andersen 1987, p. 48.

References

  • Andersen, Torben (1987). "An outline of Lulubo phonology". Studies in African Linguistics. 18: 39–65. doi:10.32473/sal.v18i1.107478.