Biyanda (Ɓìyàndà) and Buli (Ɓùlì) constitute a Gbaya language of the Central African Republic. Ethnologue groups them as Southwest Gbaya, but it is not clear how many of the Southwest varieties are part of the same language; Toongo and Mbodomo, for example, are not closely related, though Toongo speakers identify ethnically as Buli, and Ethnologue also lists Mbodomo as a separate language.
| Biyanda-Buli | |
|---|---|
| Southwest Gbaya | |
| Native to | Central African Republic |
Native speakers | 200,000 (2007)[1] Includes Toongo |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | gso (partial) |
| Glottolog | sout2785 |
Phonology
edit| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | k g | kp gb | ʔ | |
| Implosive | ɓ | ɗ | ||||
| Prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd, ⁿz | ᵑg | ᵑgb | ||
| Fricative | f v | s z | h | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
| Approximant | w | l | j |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid-high | e | o | |
| Mid-low | ɛ | ɔ | |
| Low | a |
There are also four tones;[2] high, low, falling, and rising.
References
edit- ^ Biyanda-Buli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b c Moñino, Yves (1995). "Le proto-Gbaya: Essai de linguistique comparative historique sur vingt-et-une langues d'Afrique centrale". SELAF. 357. Paris: Peeters.
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