Publication in linguistics: labial-velars in three East-Bantu languages

David Kopa wa Kopa & Birgit Ricquier. 2023. « Les labiales-vélaires et l’histoire linguistique de trois langues bantu orientales : ɛnyá, mokpá et metóko ». Linguistique et langues africaines 9(2). https://doi.org/10.4000/lla.13070 .

Ɛnyá (ISO: gey, Guthrie: D14), Mokpá (no ISO, Guthrie: D142) and Metóko (ISO: zmq, Guthrie: D13) are rare examples of East-Bantu languages containing labial-velars. The three languages form a branch of the Lega subgroup. They are spoken south of Kisangani (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and southeast of a convergence zone called the “Macro-Sudan belt”. The analysis of a comparative lexical database and the phonological inventory indicate that the occurrence of labial-velars in Ɛnyá, Mokpá and Metóko could be explained as a phonological innovation. However, the proximity of the three Lega languages to other languages containing labial-velars suggests that the innovation did not take place independently but should be linked to language contact. The analysis of the phonological inventory of other languages spoken near Kisangani allows us to identify Mbole (ISO: mdq, Guthrie: D11) as a Bantu language that may have influenced the Lega languages. Mbole belongs to the Upper-Congo subgroup. The case study presented here contributes to our knowledge of historical contact between Bantu languages and indicates the significant role that Bantu languages played in the diffusion of labial-velars, phonemes that were not part of the original Bantu inventory.

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