Abé language
| Abé | |
|---|---|
| Region | Ivory Coast |
| Ethnicity | Abbé |
Native speakers | 300,000 (2017)[1] |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aba |
| Glottolog | abee1242 |
Abé (also spelled Abbé, Abbey, Abi) is a language of uncertain classification within the Kwa branch of the Niger–Congo family. It is spoken in Ivory Coast.
The dialects of Abé are Tioffo, Morie, Abbey-Ve, and Kos.
In 1995 there were estimated to be 170,000 speakers, primarily in the Department of Agboville.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voiceless stops | p | t | c | k | kp |
| Voiced stops | b | d | ɟ | gb | |
| Voiceless fricatives | f | s | j | h | w |
| Voiced fricatives | v | ɣ | |||
| Nasals | m | n | ɲ | ||
| Laterals | l | ||||
| Trill | r |
Vowels
| Front ATR | Front RTR | Central | Back ATR | Back ATR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | ɪ | u | ʊ | |
| Mid | e | ɛ | o | ɔ | |
| Low | a |
Abé demonstrates a tendency towards vowel harmony, with regards to both placement (front vs. back) and +/-ATR. /a/ does not participate in this system.[2]
References
External links
- Abé basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database
- Listen to a sample of Abé from Global Recordings Network
