Cangin languages

The Cangin languages [ˈtʃaŋin] are spoken by 200,000 people (as of 2007) in a small area east of Dakar, Senegal. They are the languages spoken by the Serer people who do not speak the Serer language (Serer-Sine). Because the people are ethnically Serer, the Cangin languages are commonly thought to be dialects of the Serer language. However, they are not closely related; Serer is closer to Fulani than it is to Cangin.

Cangin
EthnicitySerer
Geographic
distribution		Senegal, the Gambia
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo?
Subdivisions
  • Saafi-Saafi
  • Lehar–Noon
  • Palor–Ndut
Glottologcang1245

Languages

The Cangin languages are:

Safen, or Saafi-Saafi, the language of the Saafi people. Spoken inland from the Petite Côte, an area southeast of Dakar. The largest Cangin language, with over 100,000 speakers and growing (2007).

Lehar (Laalaa), the language of the Serer-Laalaa (or Serer-Lehar), spoken in a small area north of Thiès.

Noon, the language of the Serer-Noon, spoken around Thiès.

Palor, the language of the Palor people, spoken in a small area between Rufisque and Thies.

Ndut, the language of the Serer-Ndut people, spoken in the Mont-Roland, an area northwest of Thies and in the Kingdom of Biffeche on the Senegal River.

Lehar and Noon are particularly close, as are Ndut and Palor, though not quite to the point of easy intelligibility. Safen is transparently closer to Lehar–Noon than to Palor–Ndut.

Reconstruction

Merrill (2018: 451) reconstructs Proto-Cangin as follows.[1]

glossProto-CanginNoonLeharSafenNdutPalor
eye*ɣi̟d/ɣadhaskuu-koashasi̟l’i̟l
tongue*pe-ɗempeɗim p-pi̟ri̟mpeɗempereempereem
eat*ñamñamñamñaamñamñam
breast*ɓi̟iɓɓi̟iɓɓi̟iɓ(w)ɓipɓi̟iɓɓi̟iɓ
four*nixiidnikiisnikisiniiliniil
dog*ɓuhɓu̟uɓuh f-ɓuh f-ɓux f-
intestine*looxlooklookrooklooloo
wing*paɓpaɓpaɓ(d)pabpap
cow*-noɣenoh f-enoh’inohfana f-fana’ f-
blow = nose*ñii̟ndñii̟d-ukñii̟d-ukñii̟d~ñii̟n
pound*hoɗoɗoɗ’oɗxoɗ
jaw*kaɓaɓ ?kaaɓ ‘cheek’kaɓaɓ k-kabaap
new*hasasas’ashasxas
see*ɣothothothotot~ol-od~ol-
swallow*hononon’on(d)honxon
bury*hacacac’achacxac
bear child*li̟mli̟mli̟m(w)rimli̟m
dance*ɣamhamham
hold in teeth*ŋaɓŋaaɓŋaɓŋaɓŋaɓ
year*kV-(h)id̟kii̟s k-kii̟skiis k-kii̟lkii̟l
tree*ki-rikkedik k-kedekkiɗig k-kilikkilik k-
bird*selselselsel
bury*hu̟umbu̟ub~u̟umuumb
be able*mi̟nmi̟nminmi̟nmin
resemble*mandmad~manmanmad~manmad~man
be short*luH-looƴ (lohoƴ)looƴ(s)rohoƴ(d)luhlux
leaf/bark*huɓto̟oɓ t-, oɓpo̟o(w)’ophuɓ
sun*noɣnohnohnoh(d)na’na’
ear*nufnofnof(w)noefnufnuf
head*ɣafhafhafhaf’af’af
liver*keeñkeeñkeeñkeeñ k-(d)keeñ
star*Hulhololhorhulxul
rain*toɓtoɓtoɓtoɓtooɓ
pestle*kuɗkoɗ k-koɗkuɗ k-kuɗ k-
goat*pepe’ f-peɗpeh f-pe f-pe f-
cloth/rag*lii̟llii̟llii̟llii̟llii̟l
baobab*ɓoɣɓohɓohɓohɓaɓa’
finger*kunjokun j-jokonndukunkunkun
sneeze*ti̟stesti̟s(s)tisoh(d)ti̟sti̟s
ant*ñii̟ññii̟ññii̟ññiñoh f-(d)ñii̟ñ f-ñii̟n f-
rear/raise*koɗkoɗkoɗkoɗkod
honey*kV-(C)u̟mku̟um k-ku̟um(d)ku̟um k-ku̟um k-
horse*panis̟pen̟is̟ f-pan̟is̟panispan̟is̟ f-
causative*-iɗ̟-iɗ̟-iɗ̟-iɗ-iɗ̟-iɗ̟
anticausative*-ox-uk-ok-uk-oh-ox
reversive*-i̟s-i̟s-i̟s-is-i̟s-i̟s
negative*-ɗii-ɗii-ɗi

See also

Footnotes
  1. Merrill, John Thomas Mayfield. 2018. The Historical Origin of Consonant Mutation in the Atlantic Languages. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.

References
  • Walter Pichl, The Cangin Group: A Language Group in Northern Senegal, Pittsburgh, PA : Institute of African Affairs, Duquesne University, Coll. African Reprint Series, 1966, vol. 20
  • Guillaume Segerer & Florian Lionnet 2010. "'Isolates' in 'Atlantic'". Language Isolates in Africa workshop, Lyon, Dec. 4
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