Baka (Tara Baka) is a Central Sudanic language of South Sudan, with the majority living in an area centered on Maridi, South Sudan, but also a couple thousand speakers in the DRC. It has consonants with trilled release such as /dr/ and /ɡ͡bʙ/.
| Baka | |
|---|---|
| Native to | South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Native speakers | 60,000 (2017)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bdh |
| Glottolog | baka1274 |
A 2013 survey reported that the Baka were the largest ethnic group in Maridi County, South Sudan. They also live in Baka Boma, Tore Payam, Yei County, South Sudan.[2]
Phonology
editConsonants
edit| Labial | Alveolar | Alveopalatal | Velar | Labiovelar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop: | |||||
| Voiceless | p | t | c | k | kp |
| Voiced | b | d | g | gb | |
| Prenasalized | mb | nd | ŋg | ŋmgb | |
| Implosive | ɓ | ɗ | 'y | ||
| Nasal: | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Trill: | |||||
| Voiceless | tr | kʙ̥ | |||
| Voiced | ʙ | dr | gʙ | ||
| Prenasalized | ndr | ŋmgʙ | |||
| Fricative: | |||||
| Voiceless | f | s | |||
| Voiced | v | z | |||
| Prenasalized | nv | nz | |||
| Flap: | ⱱ̟ | r | ř | ||
| Lateral: | l | ||||
| Semivowel: | w | y |
Vowels
edit| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | ʟ | ʊ | |
| Low | ɞ | a | ɔ |
Neutral vowel: ɨ
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Low | e | ə | o |
References
edit- ^ Baka at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ "Village Assessment Survey". International Organization for Migration South Sudan. 2013.
- ^ Parker, Kirk H. (1985). Occasional Papers in the Study of Sudanese Languages 4. Juba, Sudan: Summer Institute of Linguistics and Institute of Regional Languages and College of Education U. of Juba. pp. 63–85.
