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Chamba Leko

Chamba
Samba Leekɔ
Regionnorthern Nigeria and Cameroon
EthnicityChamba people
Native speakers
62,000 in Nigeria (2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ndi
Glottologsamb1305

Chamba Leko is one of two languages spoken by the Chamba people, the other being Chamba Daka. It is a member of the Leko branch of Savanna languages, and is spoken across the northern Nigerian–Cameroonian border.

Chamba is also spelled 'Samba', Leko also 'Leeko', 'Lego' or 'Lekon'. The language is also known as Suntai.

Dialects

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Samba, also called Samba Leeko, is highly distinct from Chamba Daka, also called Daga Mumi ('language of the Daka'), spoken in Nigeria by another subgroup of the Chamba people. These two languages are respectively classified in groups 2 and 3 of the Adamawa branch by Joseph Greenberg (see Adamawa languages).[2]

In Cameroon, the two main groups of dialects are:[2]

Phonology

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Consonants

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[3]: 21 
Labial Labiodental Apical Palatal Velar Labial–velar Glottal
Fricative Voiceless p f t s k kp ʔ
Voiced b v d z g gb
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ  ̰w
Oral l y w (h)
Flap (ⱱ) (r)

Vowels

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[3]: 47 
Front Central Back
Close i ə u
Mid e o
Open ɛ a ɔ

References

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  1. ^ Chamba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069.
  3. ^ a b Fabre, Anne Gwenaëlle (2003). "Étude du samba leko, parler d'Allani (Cameroun du Nord, famille Adamawa)" (in French). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)


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