Kanembu is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in Chad by the Kanembu people. It is also spoken by a smaller number of people in Niger. It is closely related to Kanuri.
Phonology
Consonants LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalNasalPlosivevoicelessvoicedprenasalFricativeTrillApproximant
can also have allophones of .
Vowels FrontCentralBackCloseNear-closeClose-midOpen-midOpen
Vowel length is also distributed.
Writing system Kanembu is written with the Latin script and Ajami alphabets.
In 2009, the Chadian government standardized both Latin and Ajami scripts for all indigenous languages of the country, including Kanembu, in what is known as Chadian National Alphabet.Warren-Rothlin, Andy. (2014). West African Scripts and Arabic-Script Orthographies in Socio-Political Context. DOI: 10.1163/9789004256804_013. (Archive)
+ Kanembu Latin alphabet A a B b C c D d E e Ə ə F f G g H h I i J j K k L l M m N n O o Pp R r S s T t U u W w Y y The letters are also used. The orthography also uses the digraphs .
The Ajami script has been used for Kanembu, since the time of Dunama Dabbalemi, and still today in the Tarjumo language or in religious works.
+ Kanembu Arabic alphabet Arabic(Latin)[IPA] ( - )/ (B b) (T t) (S s) (J j) (Nj nj) Arabic(Latin)[IPA] (C c) (H h) (Kh kh) (D d) (Nd nd) (S s) Arabic(Latin)[IPA] (R r) (S s) (S s) (Ch ch) (S s) (D d) Arabic(Latin)[IPA] (T t) (Z z) ( - ) (Kh kh) (Ng ng) (F f) Arabic(Latin)[IPA] (G g) (K k) (L l) (M m) (Mb mb) (N n) Arabic(Latin)[IPA] (H h) (W w) ( - ) (Y y) ( - )
+Vowel at beginning of word A E Ə I O U Aa Ee Əə Ii Oo Uu -
+Vowel at middle and end of word a e ə i o u aa ee əə ii oo uu
Notes
References
External links PanAfriL10n page on Kanuri (includes Kanembu) "http://kanembou.net – photos and language recordings" Old Kanembu Islamic Manuscripts