Mantsi (also known as Ma’as or Mangas) is an endangered Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Mangas town in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Blench (2020) reports that it is also called Mantsi. According to Blench, the structure of Mantsi differs significantly from the other South Bauchi languages.Blench, Roger. 2020. An introduction to Mantsi, a South Bauchi language of Central Nigeria.
Word lists of Mantsi had previously been published in Kiyoshi Shimizu's (1978) South Bauchi survey, which first mentioned the existence of the language.Shimizu, Kiyoshi 1978. The Southern Bauchi Group of Chadic Languages: A survey report. Coll. Africana Marburgensia, n° 2 (Special Issue). An unpublished word list was also recorded by Ronald Cosper (n.d.).Cosper, Ronald n.d. Wordlist of South Bauchi (West Chadic) languages; Boghom, Mangas, Buli, Dott, Geji, Jimi, Polci, Sayanci, Zul. ms.
Names Mantsi speakers refer to their language as Pyik Mantsi [pʲìk mántsì], and to themselves as the Mantsi [mántsì] people. Although there are fewer than 1,000 speakers, the language is still being spoken by children.
Demographics Mantsi is spoken in the single village of Mantsi (locally known as Maɗana [mánànā] or Ma’as [màʔās]) in the southern part of Bauchi LGA, Bauchi State. The Kir [Kyiir] and Laar peoples, who speak closely related but distinct languages, live just to the northeast of Mantsi village in the nearby villages of Kir and Laar, respectively.
Classification Mantsi belongs to the Kir branch of the South Bauchi languages. It is most closely related to Kir and Laar, as shown by the lexical comparisons below.
Gloss Mantsi Kir Laar ash múrə̀m ŋúreŋ ŋŋoro bird ɗōōr dot ɗwoot blood púrùm pirə̀ŋ firàŋ bone gùl gwàŋàl gwaŋal fat gìndɨ́r yində̀r yində̀r leg wāsɨ̄m wasəm wasəm moon pʲāŋ pyaŋ pyaŋ mountain lamba lamba lamba stone pʲār pyat pyat kill túk tuk tuk
Mantsi also has some lexical innovations, which are:
Gloss Mantsi fish kʲáálòŋ night dāːhùr path da᷄n nine krōmsā
Phonology Mantsi has 3 level tones, as well as rising and falling contour tones.
Grammar Number is not marked morphologically.
Lexicon Plants and animals Some Mantsi names of plants and animals:
Mantsi name Mantsi name in IPA English name Scientific name alade nawe àládè náwè bush pig anggulu àŋgùlú vulture Necrosyrtes monachus asha áʃà acha; fonio Digitaria exilis baanpɨri bàːnpɨŕ ì patas monkey Erythrocebus patas bagərəm bàgə̀rə̀m spitting cobra Naja nigricollis banggira bàŋgìrà monitor lizard banyangwe bàɲāŋwé jackal Canis adustus bapakɨr bàpākɨŕ leopard Panthera pardus barasa bàràsā risga Plectranthus esculentus busha búʃá hedgehog Atelerix albiventris bəbaamkam bə̀bàːmkām agama lizard ɓal ɓāl bean; cowpea Vigna unguiculata ɓalyagho ɓàljáɣò chameleon ɓar ɓār pumpkin Cucurbita pepo ɓarwak ɓàrʷāk rock python Python sebae ɓauna ɓáwná buffalo Syncerus caffer ɓiikhi ɓíːxì silk-cotton tree sp. ɓindɨr ɓīndɨr̄ scorpion ɓoko ɓókò baobab Adansonia digitata ɓonggutər ɓòŋgútə̄r grasscutter; cane rat Thryonomys swinderianus dabra dàbrà shea tree Vitellaria paradoxa ɗeesi ɗéːsì tamarind Tamarindus indica gar gàr black monkey Cercopithecus tantalus giginya gígíɲà fan palm Borassus aethiopum giler gílēr weaver bird Ploceus cucullatus goprang gòpràŋ okra Abelmoschus esculentus gwomli gʷòmlì pouched rat, giant rat Cricetomys gambianus gyerwul gʲérwúl spiral cowpea Vigna unguiculata hangkaka hànkákà pied crow Corvus albus hom ho᷄m baboon Papio anubis hur hùr porcupine Hystrix cristata iski wandɨr ískì wàndɨr̀ Angolan green snake Philothamnus angolensis kambong kāmbôŋ cocoyam Colocasia esculenta koon kōːn bush fowl; francolin Francolinus kursi kūrsī sorrel; roselle Hibiscus esculentus kwongsi kʷóŋsì garden egg Solanum incanum kyap kʲâp beniseed; sesame Sesamum indicum kyoor kʲóːr crocodile Crocodylus suchus lalo lálò Jews' mallow Corchorus olitorius lɨng lɨŋ̂ elephant Elephas maximus maiwa màjwā millet sp. mam bakin mám bàkìn aerial yam Dioscorea bulbifera mam nawe mám nàwè bush yam Dioscorea sp. min mīn locust bean Parkia biglobosa ndyaar ndʲáār house bat Scotophilus sp. nnyan ɲɲân black plum Vitex doniana rama rámà kenaf Hibiscus cannabinus rimi rímí silk-cotton tree Ceiba pentandra rwaknisisan barina rʷàknísīsān bàrīnā royal python Python regius sham ʃàm guinea fowl Numida meleagris shin ʃìn dassie, rock rabbit, rock hyrax Procavia capensis shuwaka ʃùwākā bitterleaf Vernonia amygdalina tlari ɬàrì ground squirrel Xerus erythropus tlari kɨɓaryam ɬàrì kɨɓ́ àrja᷄m Senegal galago Galago senegalensis twang tʷáŋ tigernut Cyperus esculentus wang wāŋ Bambara nut Vigna subterranea
Numerals Mantsi numerals:
Gloss Mantsi one nə̄m two ɗīːn three wéːn four úpsí five tūːn six màɣà seven ɲíngí eight gàːmfí nine krōmsā ten zúp eleven sūlūŋ nə᷄m
Notes