Chopi (also spelled Copi, Tschopi, and Txopi), is a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of Mozambique.
Maho (2009) lists the possibly extinct Lenge dialect as a distinct language.
Phonology Consonants LabialAlveolarPost-alveolarPalatalVelarGlottalplainwhstld.lateralClickvoicelessaspiratedvoicedprenasal vl.prenasal vd.NasalplainmurmuredPlosivevoicelessaspiratedvoicedimplosive()prenasalmurmured/pren.Affricatevoicelessaspiratedvoiced()prenasalmurmured/pren.FricativevoicelessvoicedRhoticApproximantlateralcentral
Sounds , are typically heard as labial-alveolar affricates , however in recent years there has been a shift in pronunciation having them pronounced purely as alveolar. Consonants when preceding are always either palatalized or labialized . /ɟ/ may also be heard as an implosive in free variation. /v/ may also be heard as an affricate in free variation.
Vowels FrontCentralBackCloseMidOpen
Nasalized vowel sounds [Ṽ] may be heard when preceding nasal consonants.
References