| Akum | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Cameroon, Nigeria |
| Region | Taraba State |
| Ethnicity | Anyar |
Native speakers | 1,400 in Cameroon (2002)1 few in Nigeria (no date), three villages1 |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aku |
| Glottolog | akum1238 |
| ELP | Akum |
Akum is a Plateau language of Cameroon and across the border in Nigeria, where it is known as Shibong.
Phonology
Consonants
| Labial | Coronal | Palatal | Velar | Labio-velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ŋm |
| Plosive | b | t d | c ɟ | k g | kp gb |
| Prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | |
| Affricate | ts dz | ||||
| Fricative | f | s ʃ | |||
| Trill | r | ||||
| Approximant | l | j | w |
Many consonants also have palatalized and labialized variants, but due to a lack of documentation it is unknown whether or not these are phonemic. Only /r/, /b/, /g/, /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/ occur at the end of a syllable, and /ŋ/ only occurs in this position.
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-mid | ɪ | ʊ | |
| Mid | ɛ | ə | ɔ |
| Low | a |
/ə/ and /ɛ/ may be allophones.
Tone
Akum has three tones: high, mid, and low.
References
References
- Akum at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- Kempf, Viktoria; Prischnegg, Tamara (2020). "A sketch of Akum (Southern Jukunoid)". Afrika und Übersee. 93: 299–326. doi:10.15460/auue.2020.93.1.215. S2CID 239965594.