Margi language

Margi, also known as Marghi and Marghi Central, is a Chadic language (a branch of Afroasiatic) spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad. It is perhaps the best described of the Biu–Mandara branch of that family. Marghi South language and Putai are closely related and sometimes considered dialects of Margi.

Margi
Native toNigeria
RegionAdamawa, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe State
EthnicityMargi people
Native speakers
240,000 (2020)[1]
Latin, Arabic (Ajami)
Language codes
ISO 639-3mrt
Glottologmarg1265
Ethnic territories of the Marghi-speaking people in Nigeria (pinkish red)

There are several kinds of Marghi language, including Madube, Izge, Lassa, Gulak, Damboa, Mulgwai, Uba and Sukur.

Every kind of these languages were spoken different type of the language and were from different places.

Phonology

Vowels
Front Central Back
High (i) ɨ (u)
Mid (ɛ) (ɔ)
Low a

According to Maddieson (1987), Margi is noted for having a vertical vowel system, with only two phonemic vowels, /ɨ/ and /a/, in native vocabulary. Loan words also distinguish /ɛ/ and /o/.

Consonants

Margi has a large consonant inventory, with a number of labialised consonants and typologically infrequent speech sounds such as a labiodental flap. Hoffmann (1963) describes 84 consonantal phonemes, a very large number compared to that of most languages. This system, with a great number of non-click consonants, compares to that of the Caucasian language Ubykh, having the largest inventory of any language without clicks. However, Hoffmann's list of consonants includes all sequences of consonant clusters occurring in onsets in the language. Many of these clusters have since been analysed as sequences, such as /pt/ and /bz/.[2] If labialized consonants are counted separately, there are 66 consonants that remain in the analysis, and 54 if it is interpreted as a /Cw/ sequence.

Consonants
LabialDentalAlveolarPost-
alveolar		PalatalVelarLabio-
velar		Glottal
sibilant lateral
plain lab. plain lab. plain lab. plain lab.
Nasal m mʷn ɲŋŋʷ
Plosive voiceless p pʷt tʷts tʃckkʷʔ
voiced b bʷd dz dʒɟɡɡʷ
glot. implosive ɓ̰ ɓ̰ʷ ɗ̰
prenasal vl. ᵐp ⁿt ⁿtʷ ⁿts ⁿtsʷ ⁿtʃ ᶮc ᵑk ᵑkʷ
prenasal vd. ᵐb ᵐbʷ ⁿd ⁿdz ⁿdʒ ᶮɟ ᵑɡ ᵑɡʷ
Fricative voiceless f fʷ s sʷɬ ɬʷʃçxʍ
voiced v vʷ z ɮ ʒʝɣ
Approximant central l jw
glottalized j̰ w̰
Vibrant ⱱ r

The velar /ɣ/ may be closer to an approximant [ɰ].[3] The closely related language Bura is similar but has a palatalised lateral series as well. /ⱱ/ is used in mimesis rather than in lexical vocabulary. The glottalised consonants /ɓ̰ ɓ̰ʷ ɗ̰/ have been described as either creaky voiced or implosive; according to Maddieson, they are evidently both, as in Hausa.[4]

The sequences that Hoffmann included in his consonant inventory are all labial–coronal:

ps [fs], pɬ, pç [fç], pt, pts, ptʃ, mpt, mpts, mptʃ, bz [vz], bɮ, (bʝ [vʝ]), bd, bdz, bdʒ, mbd, mbdz, mbdʒ, ɓ̰ɗ̰, mn[5]

See also

References
  1. Margi at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) closed access
  2. Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-631-19815-4. Labial coronal consonants are excedingly rare in the languages the world.
  3. Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-631-19815-4.
  4. Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-631-19815-4.
  5. There may be a few others, such as pɬ~mɬ, mʃ~mtʃ.

Further reading
  • Hoffmann, C. 1963. A Grammar of the Margi Language. Oxford University Press for International African Institute, London.
  • Maddieson, I. 1987. "The Margi vowel system and labiocoronals." Studies in African Linguistics, vol. 18, No. 3, Dec. 1987.
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