Kpwe (Mokpwe) is a Bantu language of Cameroon. It is mutually intelligible with Kole, and probably with Mboko (Wumboko) as well.
There are multiple variants of the name: based on 'Kpwe' (Bakpwe, Mokpwe), on 'Kpe' (Mokpe), on 'Kweɾi' (Kwedi, Kweli, Kwili, Kwiri, Bakwedi, Bakwele, Bakweri, Vakweli, Bekwiri), as well as Ujuwa and Vambeng.
Phonology The Kpwe phonological inventory is as follows,Atindogbé (2013) A grammatical sketch of Mòkpè (Bakweri), African Study Monographs, Suppl. 45: 5–163
Vowels Front Back Close Close-mid Open-mid Open
Consonants Bilabial Coronal Palatal Velar LabiovelarNasal · Plosive prenasal voiced () () voiceless () Fricative voiceless voiced Rhotic §Lateral Approximant
§, the 'liquidized alveolar fricative', may be realized as , , or . This sound is rendered in some sources, and is cognate to in Bubia.
and in parentheses are only found in loans, while is very uncommon and in many inflections freely alternates as .
Tone Kpwe contrasts five tones on short syllables: high, downstepped high, low, rising and falling.
Literature The first portions of the Bible were made available in Mokpwe in 2009. This was followed by the New Testament, translated with help from the Bakweri Language and Literacy Association, (BALALIA) on 29 March 2025. The New Testament is available online, in places such as YouVersion.
References
sw:Kiwumboko (lugha)