Ekpeye language
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Ekpeye | |
---|---|
ẹkpeye | |
Native to | Nigeria |
Region | Rivers State |
Ethnicity | Ekpeye people |
Native speakers | 226,000 |
Niger–Congo?
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | ekp |
Glottolog | ekpe1253 |
Ekpeye language is one of many Igbo dialects spoken in Rivers State, Nigeria. According to Roger Blench, Ekpeye is classified as an Igboid language. The Ogba and Ikwerre dialects are closely related to Ekpeye.
Writing system
[edit]a | b | bh | ch | d | dh | e | ẹ | g | gb | gw | h | i | ị | j | k | kp | kw |
l | m | n | nw | ny | o | ọ | p | s | sh | t | u | ụ | w | wh | y | z | zh |
Phonology
[edit]Vowels
[edit]Ekpeye has nine vowel phonemes:
Front | Back | |
---|---|---|
Close | i | u |
Near-close | ɪ | ʊ |
Close-mid | e | o |
Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ |
Open | a |
The language has no long nasal vowels, no contrast between oral and nasal vowels, and no allophonic variants. The vowels carry tones, as Ekpeye is a tonal language. Ekpeye exhibits active synchronic vowel harmony.
Distribution
[edit]- Rivers State: Ahoada East, Ahoada West, and Ogba–Egbema–Ndoni LGAs.
- Imo State: Ohaji/Egbema LGA
References
[edit]- ^ Ngulube, Isaac (2011). "Ekpeye Orthography". Orthographies of Nigerian Languages. IX. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
- ^ Ekpeye at Ethnologue (21st ed., 2018)
- ^ Blench, R. (2013). "A dictionary of Ekpeye : an Igboid language of Southern Nigeria" (PDF). Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.