Dan language

Dan Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student’s Handbook, Edinburgh is a Southern Mande language spoken primarily in Ivory Coast (~800,000 speakers) and Liberia (150,000–200,000 speakers). There is also a population of about 800 speakers in Guinea. Dan is a tonal language, with 9 to 11 contour and register tones, depending on the dialect.

Alternative names for the language include Yacouba or Yakubasa, Gio, Gyo, Gio-Dan, and Da. Dialects are Gio (Liberian Dan), Gweetaawu (Eastern Dan), Blowo (Western Dan), and Kla. Kla is evidently a distinct language.

Phonology

A syllable is minimally /V/ or /ŋ/, and maximally /ClVV/ or /ClVŋ/.

Vowels +Vowels FrontCentral BackUnrd.Rnd.Unrd.Rnd. Close Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Open Syllabic

Color coding:

Only in Eastern Dan when in the position of extra-high tone

Only in Liberian Dan

+Nasal sounds in Eastern DanFrontBackUnrd.Rnd.CloseOpen-midOpen

Consonants +ConsonantsLabialAlveolarPalatalVelarLabial-velarGlottalplainlab.NasalPlosivevoicelessvoiced ImplosiveFricativevoiceless voicedApproximantLateralTrill()

Only in Liberian Dan

Not in Western Dan

Not in Liberian Dan

all consonants are nasalized in nasal feet occurs only as a syllable or a syllable coda and has been treated as a vowel. it carries tone. is heard as when preceded by alveolar or palatal consonants. Consonant combinations are heard as lateral fricative sounds .

Tones Dan has four to five level tones, depending on the variety, with level and contour tones.

Writing system The orthography of Liberia includes this alphabet: Dan alphabet (Liberia) A B Ɓ D Ɗ E Ɛ F G GB H I K KP KW L M N NW NY Ŋ O Ɔ Ə Ɵ P R S T U Ɥ V W X Y Z a b ɓ d ɗ e ɛ f g gb h i k kp kw l m n nw ny ŋ o ɔ ə ɵ p r s t u ɥ v w x y z IPA value

Dan West alphabet (Côte d'Ivoire) A AƆ B BH D DH E Ɛ Ë ƐA F G GB GW I K KP KW L M N NG O Ɔ Ö P R S T U Ü V W Y Z a aɔ b bh d dh e ɛ ë ɛa f g gb gw i k kp kw l m n ng o ɔ ö p r s t u ü v w y z IPA values

Dan East alphabet (Côte d'Ivoire), 1982 A AƆ B BH D DH E Ë Ɛ ƐA F G GB GW H I Ɩ K KP KW L M N O Ö Ɔ P R S T U Ü Ʋ Ʋ̈ V W Y Z a aɔ b bh d dh e ë ɛ ɛa f g gb gw h i ɩ k kp kw l m n o ö ɔ p r s t u ü ʋ ʋ̈ v w y z IPA value

Dan East alphabet (Côte d'Ivoire), 2014 A Œ B BH D DH E Ʌ Ɛ Æ F G GB GW H I Ɩ K KP KW L M N O Ɤ Ɔ P R S T U Ɯ Ʋ V W Y Z a œ b bh d dh e ʌ ɛ æ f g gb gw h i ɩ k kp kw l m n o ɤ ɔ p r s t u ɯ ʋ v w y z IPA value

Tones are marked as follows: extra high tone: a̋; high tone: á; medium tone: ā; low tone: à; extra low tone: ȁ; high drop tone: â; extra low hanging tone: aʼ.

The digraphs keep the same values as in the spelling of 1982, and the nasal vowels are also indicated by appending the letter n after the letter of the vowel .

References

Dan language

Bron en licentie