West Teke language explained

West Teke
States:	Republic of Congo, Gabon
Ethnicity:	Teke, Bongo Pygmies
Dateprefix:	ca.
Date:	2000
Ref:	e18
Speakers2:	(some figures undated)
Familycolor:	Niger-Congo
Fam2:	Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:	Benue–Congo
Fam4:	Bantoid
Fam5:	Bantu (Zone B)
Fam6:	Nzebi (B.50) (traditionally Teke, B.70)
Lc1:	tyi
Ld1:	Tsaayi
Lc2:	lli
Ld2:	Laali
Lc3:	iyx
Ld3:	Yaa
Lc4:	tyx
Ld4:	Tyee (Kwe)
Guthrie:	B.73
Glotto:	west2969
Glottoname:	West Kasai-Ngounie

West Teke is a Bantu language spoken in the Republic of Congo and Gabon.

West Teke is a dialect continuum. The varieties are Tsaayi (Ge-Tsaya, Tyaye, Tsayi), Laali, Yaa (Yaka), and Tyee (Tee, Kwe). The dominant variety by far is Tsaayi.

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labio- velar	Glottal
Nasal		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Plosive	voiceless	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	voiced	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
	prenasal vl.	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	prenasal vd.	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Affricate	voiceless	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	voiced	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	prenasal vl.	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
	prenasal vd.	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Fricative		pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Rhotic			pronounced as /link/
Approximant		(pronounced as /link/)	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/

Sounds /k͡p, ᵑk͡p, ᵑɡ͡b/ are sometimes pronounced as labialized sounds [kʷ, ᵑkʷ, ᵑɡʷ].
/ɡ/ when preceding /w/ or /j/, may labialize or palatalize as [ɡʷ, ɡʲ].
/s/ may often be pronounced as [ʃ] when before /u/ or /w/.
/j/ when preceding a /w/ or /u/, is pronounced as a labial-palatal [ɥ].
/t͡s, ⁿt͡s, d͡z, ⁿd͡z/ may also be pronounced as [t͡ʃ, ⁿt͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, ⁿd͡ʒ] when before /u/, /w/ or /j/.^[1]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Close-mid	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Open-mid	pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/
Open		pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/

Sounds /ɛ, ɔ/ may also be heard as more closed [e, o] in different positions.
Vowel length is also distinctive.

External links

Dictionnaire Teke-Tyee

Notes and References

Book: Ntsiba Ngolo, Edouard . Petit guide d’orthographique et de grammaire du Téké du sud-ouest . Raharimanantsoa . Ruth . Brazzaville: SIL Congo . 2015.