Vute language


Vute is a Mambiloid language of Cameroon and Gabon, with a thousand speakers in Nigeria. The orthography was standardized on March 9, 1979. Noted dialect clusters are eastern, central, and Doume.

Phonology

Consonants

s in Vute are numerous and include pulmonic and implosive airstreams. Labialization is phonemic in many consonants, some of which is dialectal.
*becomes a fricative intervocalically. "they" -> "their"
**initially: "wall ; intervocalically: "papaya' ; finally: "oil palm tree"
†Doume dialect only.
††Doume and eastern dialects only.
‡Central dialects only'
‡‡Only vowels /i/ /e/ /a/ may follow a labialized consonant.
§ Low frequency

Tones

There are more phonemic tones than are marked in orthography, such as mid-high rising tone and mid tone being both unmarked for example. Phonologically-conditioned downstep is unmarked.
Tone CategoryIPAOrthographyExampleGloss
high tone˦á, áátímblood
mid tone˧a, aaməblouse
low tone˨à, ààtɨ̀mnɨto drown
mid-high˧˥a, aátɨmantelope
low-high*˩˥àɓùngrass
high-low˥˩â, áàbɨ̂ŋround, complete
high-mid˥˧â, áamîngood
high-low-high˥˩˦âásîímrainy season

*Only in eastern dialects, on short vowels. All other dialects merge this class with low tone.

Vowels

* /ɔ/ only contrasts from /o/ in open syllables and before velar final consonants: /k/ and /ŋ/. When preceding bilabial and alveolar final consonants, is understood to be an allophone of /o/.
† Low frequency