Kota language (Gabon)
| Kota | |
|---|---|
| iKota | |
| Native to | Gabon, Republic of the Congo |
Native speakers | (34,000 cited 2000–2007)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | koq |
| Glottolog | kota1274 |
B.25[2] | |
| ELP | Kota (Gabon) |
Kota, or iKota, is a Bantu language spoken by the Bakota people. It is spoken in northeastern Gabon, Ogooué-Ivindo Province and in some areas of Republic of Congo. According to Ethnologue there are 34,442 Kota speakers in Gabon and 9,055 in the Republic of Congo.[3]
Kota includes several dialects, which include: Ndambomo, Mahongwe, Ikota-la-hua, Sake, Menzambi, Bougom.
Phonology
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t d | tʃ dʒ | k | |
| Prenasalized | ᵐp ᵐb | ⁿd | ᵑg | ||
| Fricative | f | s z | h | ||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ||
| Approximant | w | l | j |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid-high | e eː | o oː | |
| Mid-low | ɛ ɛː | ɔ ɔ̃ ɔː | |
| Low | a ã aː |
Kota also has two tones;[4] high and low.
References
- ^ Kota at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Ethnologue report
- ^ a b c Magnana Ekoukou, Brunelle (2015). Description de l’Ikota (B25), langue bantu du Gabon. Implémentation de la morphosyntaxe et de la syntaxe (Thesis) (in French). Université d’Orléans.