Ghɔmáláʼ or Ghomala is a major Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon, originally in the following departments of the West region:
- Mifi, Koung-Khi and Hauts-Plateaux: most of the three departments (except extreme south and except pockets in the north and west)
- Menoua: east of the department
- Bamboutos: a corner in the south
It is spoken by an estimated 2 million people in two main population groups.
Phonology
Consonants
- The glottal stop /ʔ/ only occurs as word-final.
- Sounds [v l ʃ ʒ ɣ] are alternative consonant sounds of /b͡v d t͡ʃ d͡ʒ ɡ/.
- /t d/, when occurring before close front-central vowel sounds /i ʉ/, can sound palatalized as [tʲ dʲ].
- Sounds /p b t d k/, when preceding a /h/ sound, are realized as affricated [p͡ɸ b͡β t͡θ d͡ð k͡x].
- /ɡ/, when occurring before central vowel sounds /ə ɐ/, may sound affricated as [ɡ͡ɣ].
- A word-final /k/ sound, may be realized as uvular sounds [q χ].
Vowels
- Sounds /ɐ u ɔ/ when occurring with a velar nasal /ŋ/, can be realized as nasalized vowel sounds [ɐ̃ ũ ɔ̃].
Tone
Tones are marked as high [á], low [à], mid (unmarked) [a], rising [ǎ], or falling [â].
References
