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Makaa language
open-in-new
<h2 id="varieties">Varieties</h2> <p>The central part of the Meka area consists of the three central dialects Bésáp, Bébánde and Mbwas. Byáp in the north and Békol in the south are more geographically peripheral dialects. Byáp and Asón should not be confused with Northern Maka.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> </p><p>Meka covers essentially the entire northern part of <a href="/facts/Haut-Nyong/vHcVbw3p">Haut-Nyong</a> department (Eastern Region). Bébánde covers the entire northern part of <a href="/facts/Abong-Mbang/MeKfbk3z">Abong-Mbang</a> commune and also Bebeng commune. Mbwas covers most of the <a href="/facts/Doum%25C3%25A9/1vXLfkHm">Doumé</a> area (Mbouang and Doumatang communes), and Bésáp covers the north of Nguélémendouka.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p><p>Byap occupies the eastern part of Diang commune and <a href="/facts/B%25C3%25A9labo/dHrb3RCe">Bélabo</a> commune (<a href="/facts/Lom-et-Djerem/qvGW4BqV">Lom-et-Djerem</a> department, Eastern Region), west of <a href="/facts/Bertoua/YSGnjVbe">Bertoua</a>. It extends into the Central and Southern Regions in <a href="/facts/Nyong-et-Mfoumou/BPumTyx8">Nyong-et-Mfoumou</a> (in <a href="/facts/Akonolinga/Wsa9m3fj">Akonolinga</a> and <a href="/facts/Endom/RaAebGc7">Endom</a> communes) and <a href="/facts/Dja-et-Lobo/lvj5Cd9D">Dja-et-Lobo</a> (in <a href="/facts/Bengbis/LRIjUPbc">Bengbis</a> and <a href="/facts/Zo%25C3%25A9t%25C3%25A9l%25C3%25A9/xMF4N7cy">Zoétélé</a> communes) departments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>There are 89,500 speakers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="phonology">Phonology</h2> <h3>Consonants</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th colspan="2"></th><th><a href="/facts/Labial_consonant/bv4MqTMf">Labial</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Alveolar_consonant/B6VkW2EX">Alveolar</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Palatal_consonant/KLcKyXE8">Palatal</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Velar_consonant/blWClp79">Velar</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Labialized_velar_consonant/VVUIqtF0">Labial-velar</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Glottal_consonant/rMdEdLxH">Glottal</a></th></tr><tr><th rowspan="4"><a href="/facts/Stop_consonant/okC9pztc">Plosive</a></th><th>voiceless</th><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_alveolar_plosive/1GaDe2Vy">t</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_palatal_plosive/nBqIqUIS">c</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_velar_plosive/dDppVb6e">k</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_labial%25E2%2580%2593velar_plosive/b3elvwfD">kp</a></td><td></td></tr><tr><th>voiced</th><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_bilabial_plosive/6ReC9arR">b</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_alveolar_plosive/A6hNvmCp">d</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_palatal_plosive/otrWQbpW">ɟ</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_velar_plosive/f6udTvfQ">ɡ</a></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th>prenasal vl.</th><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ᵐp</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ⁿt</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ᶮc</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ᵑk</a></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th>prenasal vd.</th><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ᵐb</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ⁿd</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ᶮɟ</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Prenasalized_consonant/TR6JyXvU">ᵑɡ</a></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2"><a href="/facts/Nasal_consonant/m6D3cVhe">Nasal</a></th><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_bilabial_nasal/1pd7NK2x">m</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_alveolar_nasal/0CEs8314">n</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_palatal_nasal/dLa9YG49">ɲ</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_velar_nasal/r6v5q92L">ŋ</a></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Fricative_consonant/1FQuuhfX">Fricative</a></th><th>voiceless</th><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_labiodental_fricative/dUkN8guL">f</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_alveolar_fricative/WLKtEYDe">s</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_postalveolar_fricative/enUwqS2w">ʃ</a></td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiceless_glottal_fricative/lfRB7CPW">h</a></td></tr><tr><th>voiced</th><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_labiodental_fricative/v9lESng4">v</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_alveolar_fricative/TtHwyzp6">z</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_postalveolar_fricative/Tb8XpRoS">ʒ</a></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2"><a href="/facts/Lateral_consonant/Mcyc1or8">Lateral</a></th><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_alveolar_lateral_approximant/dgbHhqeK">l</a></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2"><a href="/facts/Approximant_consonant/SXrlw7zY">Approximant</a></th><td></td><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_palatal_approximant/v0NVCbUh">j</a></td><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Voiced_labial%25E2%2580%2593velar_approximant/HLDqbrvr">w</a></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> <h3>Vowels</h3> <table><tbody><tr><th></th><th><a href="/facts/Front_vowel/htKQs3AT">Front</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Central_vowel/IFSaKUe9">Central</a></th><th><a href="/facts/Back_vowel/gyHoGCH0">Back</a></th></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Close_vowel/Ne6tHQHR">Close</a></th><td><a href="/facts/Close_front_unrounded_vowel/rSUdlCPU">i</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Close_central_unrounded_vowel/YdtMNGWw">ɨ</a></td><td><a href="/facts/Close_back_rounded_vowel/gqlQLfse">u</a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Near-close_vowel/uPhB2scU">Near-close</a></th><td><a href="/facts/Near-close_near-front_unrounded_vowel/1eQAfkDy">ɪ</a></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Close-mid_vowel/rK07wQEd">Close-mid</a></th><td><a href="/facts/Close-mid_front_unrounded_vowel/e9YNLF97">e</a></td><td rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Mid_central_vowel/CCx0wYy3">ə</a></td><td rowspan="2"><a href="/facts/Close-mid_back_rounded_vowel/VwS9cKWJ">o</a>, <a href="/facts/Nasal_vowel/E8MYuu0T">õ</a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Open-mid_vowel/qkco8QqT">Open-mid</a></th><td><a href="/facts/Open-mid_front_unrounded_vowel/aDRvwE46">ɛ</a>, <a href="/facts/Nasal_vowel/E8MYuu0T">ɛ̃</a></td></tr><tr><th><a href="/facts/Open_vowel/roS0Y7lA">Open</a></th><td></td><td><a href="/facts/Open_front_unrounded_vowel/s80pvmYh">a</a></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> <ul><li>/<a href="/facts/Close-mid_back_rounded_vowel/VwS9cKWJ">o</a>, <a href="/facts/Nasal_vowel/E8MYuu0T">õ</a>/ may have allophones [<a href="/facts/Open-mid_back_rounded_vowel/yMNUClGt">ɔ</a>, <a href="/facts/Nasal_vowel/E8MYuu0T">ɔ̃</a>] which occur in free variation in many environments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="writing-system">Writing system</h2> Maka alphabet<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><table><tbody><tr><td>a</td><td>b</td><td>c</td><td>d</td><td>e</td><td>ɛ</td><td>ə</td><td>f</td><td>g</td><td>h</td><td>i</td><td>ɨ</td><td>j</td><td>k</td><td>l</td><td>m</td></tr><tr><td>n</td><td>ny</td><td>ŋ</td><td>o</td><td>p</td><td>s</td><td>sh</td><td>t</td><td>u</td><td>ʉ</td><td>v</td><td>w</td><td>y</td><td>z</td><td>zh</td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Nasal vowels are indicated using the cedilla ‹ ɛ̧, ɔ̧ ›. Tones are indicated using diacritics: </p> <ul><li>the high tone with an acute accent;</li> <li>the descending high-low tone with a circumflex accent;</li> <li>the low-high rising tone with a caron;</li> <li>low tone without accent.</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069. <a href="9789956796069" target="_blank">9789956796069</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069. <a href="9789956796069" target="_blank">9789956796069</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069. <a href="9789956796069" target="_blank">9789956796069</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069. <a href="9789956796069" target="_blank">9789956796069</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Heath, Teresa (2003). Makaa (A83). In Nurse, Derek and Philippson, Gérard (eds.), The Bantu languages: London & New York: Routledge. pp. 335–348. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Abong, Mbang (2007). "Leçons d'apprentissage de la langue mekaa" (PDF). SIL. p. 3. <a href="https://www.makaabible.org/sites/www.makaabible.org/files/uploads/Makaa%20lang%20learn%20lessons%20consec%20A5%20pages.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.makaabible.org/sites/www.makaabible.org/files/uploads/Makaa%20lang%20learn%20lessons%20consec%20A5%20pages.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>