Yiwom (Ywom), also known as Gerka or Gerkawa by the Hausa, is a Chadic (Afro-Asiatic) language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria.
Sociolinguistic background Ywom was formerly much more widespread, with Ywom toponyms found in southern Tarok-speaking areas.Blench, Roger. 2017. Current research on the A3 West Chadic languages. Roger Blench (2013) reports that Ywom is spoken in Hyel Ywom town and nearby hamlets. Many Ywom speak Jukun and Tarok as additional languages. Due to influence from Plateau languages, Ywom has various phonological features that are considered unusual for a West Chadic language, such as labiovelar consonants.
Phonology
Tones According to , high and low tones are phonemic, while mid tones are likely only phonetic, and rising and falling tones appear as a consequence of sequences.
Vowels + Vowels Front Central Back Close Close-mid Open
According to , appears in a few example words but is likely not phonemic.
Consonants + ConsonantsLabialAlveolarPalatalVelarLabial–velarUvularGlottal Implosive Plosive () Fricative () Nasal Approximant Rhotic
According to : There is likely no phonemic contrast between the voiced uvular plosive and voiced velar fricative . The uvular is the orthographic choice. The voiced labial–velar plosive is not clearly articulated and appears to be in free variation with the bilabial implosive . A voiceless dental fricative appears in a single Jukunoid loan to bathe.
Also according to , initial consonants may be appear with the following secondary articulation or clusters: may be labialized . may be palatalized . Blench groups these with and calls them palatal consonants; it is not clear from this description if they therefore are realized as palatal released or are true palatal allophones . A single case of a labiopalatalized consonant exists in the word chin. If analyzed instead as an allophonic palatal , this would be . may appear in rhotic clusters . may appear in lateral clusters .
notes an example of a "problematic sound" from a single word black, which has been reported to have the lower lip vibrating during the fricative. Blench suggests this is likely related to the labiodental flap found elsewhere in the region, but notes that more examples are required to determine its status.
References
External links Blench, Roger. 2013. However did Ywom become so strange?. Paradisec has an open access collection of Roger Blench’s materials that includes Yiwom language materials