Ngo-Sonkhai languages

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Ngo-Sonkhai
Nko-Sonkhai
Geographic
distribution:
Sonka and possibly others
Linguistic classification:Trans-Ebo-Puzimm
Proto-language:Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai
Subdivisions:
CWS code

The Ngo-Sonkhai languages are a language family comprising numerous languages in northern Puzimm, ranging from central Ebo Nganagam to Sonka. The most-spoken Ngo-Sonkhai languages are Sonkhai and Nyimemogo, which are official languages in Sonka and the region of Kahamogo in Ebo Nganagam respectively. The family is named for the branches spoken at the family's geographical extremities.

Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai, the reconstructed ancestor of the Ngo-Sonkhai languages, is theorised to have been spoken at around 2000 BCE.

Languages

Language Classification Number of native speakers Location
Sonkhai Sonkic ~30,000,000? Sonka
Nyimemogo Ngo 25,000,000 Ebo Nganagam (Kahamogo)

Branches

Ngo-Sonkhai is typically divided into the following subbranches:

  • Ngo
    • Nyimemogo
  • ???
  • Sonkic
    • Sonkhai

Features

Consonants

The following is the most widely accepted reconstruction of Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai's consonant inventory:

Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai consonants
  Labial Coronal Palatal Velar
Nasal m n
Stop p b ᵐb t d ⁿd k g ᵑg
Implosive ɓ ᵐɓ ɗ ⁿɗ ɠ ᵑɠ
Fricative s
Approximant w l j

While the specifics may vary between branches and languages, several common features can be observed across the family. Prenasalised stops in particular are a common occurrence in the family, typically as reflexes of the original Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai prenasalised consonants. Even in members of the family which lack phonemic prenasalised stops - such as Nyimemogo - they are at least present on the phonetic level. Another throughline, albeit a less consistent one, is the presence of a series of non-pulmonic consonants. In Sonkic, these are typically implosives, while in Ngo the reconstructed implosives are thought to have been inherited as ejectives. Sonkhai is notable for featuring both ejectives and implosives.

Vowels

The following is the most widely accepted reconstruction of Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai's vowel inventory:

Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai vowels
  Front Back
High i y u
Mid-high ɪ ʊ
Mid e ø o
Mid-low ɛ ɔ
Low a ɑ
Diphthongs iɑ̯ ɛɑ̯ uɑ̯ ɔɑ̯

Such an expansive vowel system is rare in modern Ngo-Sonkhai languages, which exhibit a tendency towards smaller vowel inventories (typically 3 or 4 quality distinctions). Large vowel inventories are nonetheless attested in older languages, such as Old Sonkhai, which have served as a key basis for reconstructions of Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai.

Comparison

Proto-Ngo-Sonkhai