Ngambay language

Ngambay
Ngambay
Native to	Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria
Ethnicity	Sara
Native speakers	950,000 (2005–2006)
Language family	Nilo-Saharan? Central Sudanic Bongo–Bagirmi Sara languages West Ngambay; ; ; ; ;
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	sba
Glottolog	ngam1268

Ngambay (also known as Sara, Sara Ngambai, Gamba, Gambaye, Gamblai and Ngambai) is one of the major languages spoken by Sara people in southwestern Chad, northeastern Cameroon and eastern Nigeria, with about a million native speakers. Ngambay is the most widely spoken of the Sara languages, and is used as a trade language between speakers of other dialects.

Ngambay has SVO word order.^[2] Suffixes indicate case.^[2] There is no tense; aspect is indicated by a perfective–imperfective distinction.^[2] Modifiers follow nouns.^[2] The numeral system is decimal, but eight and nine are expressed as 10-minus-two and 10-minus-one.^[3] It is a tone language with three tones: high, mid, and low.^[4] There are loan words from both Arabic and French.^[4]

Phonology[]

Consonants[]

		Labial	Dental	Alveolar	Palatal	Labial- velar	Velar
Plosive	voiceless	p		t			k
	voiced	b		d	dʒ		ɡ
	implosive	ɓ		ɗ
	prenasalized	mb		nd	nd͡ʒ		ŋɡ
Fricative				s
Nasal		m	n		ɲ
Trill/Flap		ⱱ		r
Lateral				l
Approximant					j	w

Vowels/Nasals[]

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i ĩ		u ũ
Close-mid	ɛ ɛ̃	ə	o õ
Open-mid	ɛ ɛ̃	ə	ɔ ɔ̃
Open		a ã

Vowels can be accented or nasalised. Diacritics and accents include high /á/, mid /ā/, low /à/, and nasalised /ã/.^[5]

References[]

^ Ngambay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d The World Atlas of Language Structures Online: Ngambay. Accessed November, 2008.
^ Numeral Systems of the World's Languages: Ngambay. Department of Linguistics, Max Planck Institute, Leipzig. Accessed November, 2008.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b 50 Lessons in Sara-Ngambay, Volume 1., by Linda J. Thayer, James E. Thayer, Noé Kyambé and Adoum Eloi Gondjé. Indiana University, 1971. Accessed November 2008.
^ Sarah Moeller, Mekoulnodji Ndjerareou, Christy Melick (2010). A Brief Grammatical Sketch of Ngambay (PDF).

External links[]

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[e18-1] Ngambay at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)

[atlas-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d The World Atlas of Language Structures Online: Ngambay. Accessed November, 2008.

[3] Numeral Systems of the World's Languages: Ngambay. Department of Linguistics, Max Planck Institute, Leipzig. Accessed November, 2008.

[lessons-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b 50 Lessons in Sara-Ngambay, Volume 1., by Linda J. Thayer, James E. Thayer, Noé Kyambé and Adoum Eloi Gondjé. Indiana University, 1971. Accessed November 2008.

[5] Sarah Moeller, Mekoulnodji Ndjerareou, Christy Melick (2010). A Brief Grammatical Sketch of Ngambay (PDF).

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show v t Languages of Cameroon
Official languages	French English Arabic
Major languages	Bamum Bulu Duala Ewondo Fulfulde Kom Lamnso Medumba
Pidgins	Cameroonian Pidgin English Camfranglais Ewondo Populaire Arabic
Indigenous languages	Arabic Abon Afade Aghem Ambo Bafaw-Balong Bafia Baka Baldemu Bamali Bambalang Bana Bangolan Bankon Basaa Bata Bati Batu Bebele Bebil Beti Bikya Bishuo Bitare Bomwali Bonkeng Bube Bung Buwal Byep Caka Ceve Chamba Leko Cuvok Daba Dek Dowayo Ɗugwor Duli Eman Esimbi Eton Evant Fa’ Fang Fanji Fe'fe' Fut Gawar Gbanu Gbanzili Ghomala' Gidar Glavda Gude Gunu Gvoko Hausa Hdi Hijuk Hina Hya Ipulo Iyive Jimi Jina Kaalong Kabba Kako Kali Kanuri Kare Kasabe Kera Ki Kogo Kol Koma Kpwe Kuo Kutin Kwa’ Kwakum Kwasio La'bi Lagwan Limba Limbum Luo Maɗa Mafa Majera Makaa Malgbe Manenguba Mangbai Manza Maslam Massa Matal Mazagway Mbə’ Mboa Mbudum Mbuko Mbule Mbum Mefele Məgaka Mengisa Menyam Merey Mesaka Mfumte Mofu-Gudur Moloko Mono Mpade Mpumpong Mser Mundang Mungaka Musgu Muyang Nagumi Nda’nda’ Ndai Nen Nga'ka Ngambay Ngiemboon Ngomba Ngombale Ngwe Nimbari Njem Njerep Nkongho Noho Noni North Giziga North Mofu Northwest Gbaya Nyokon Nyong Nzakambay Nzanyi Nzime Oblo Oroko Otank language Pam Papia Parkwa Pinyin Pol Pongo Psikyɛ Rombi Sharwa South Giziga Suwu Swo Tibea Tikar To Tsuvan Tupuri Vame Vemgo-Mabas Vengo Vere Voko Wom Wuzlam Yamba Yambe Yasa Yedina Yemba Yeni Zizilivakan Zulgo-Gemzek Zumaya
Sign languages	Francophone African Sign Language Maroua Sign Language
Immigrant languages	English French Punjabi Spanish German Italian Hindi Hebrew Arabic Chinese Portuguese Japanese Russian Danish Dutch
See also: General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages

show v t Languages of Chad
Official languages	French Arabic
Indigenous languages	Bagirmi Chadian Arabic Daza(ga) Hausa Kanembu Maba Ngambay Sara Teda
Immigrant languages	English French Arabic Chinese Portuguese Japanese Russian Danish Dutch