Day language

Day
Native tosouthern Chad
Native speakers
(50,000 cited 1993 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3dai
Glottologdayy1236

Day (also spelled Daye) is an Adamawa language of southern Chad, spoken by 50,000 or so people southeast of Sarh. Ethnologue reports that its dialects are mutually intelligible, but Blench (2004) lists Ndanga, Njira, Yani, Takawa as apparently separate languages.

Pierre Nougayrol's publications and field notes of Day from the 1970s constitute almost all of the available materials on the Day language.[2][3][4]

Güldemann (2018) notes that Day has few morphological and lexical features that are typical of Niger-Congo, and hence cannot be classified with certainty.[5]

Phonology

[edit]
Consonants[2]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p b t d ɟ k g ʔ
Implosive ɓ ɗ
Prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd ᶮɟ ᵑg
Fricative v s h
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Approximant w r l j
Vowels[2]
Front Central Back
High i u
Mid-high e ẽː ə̃ ə̃ː o õ õː
Mid-low ɔ ɔː
Low a

There are three tones: high, low, and mid.[2]

Lexicon

[edit]

Some fish names in Day:[3]

Day (Bouna) Scientific name
gàgà Chrysichthys auratus
jí yēē Hepsetus odoe
gūrú Heterobranchus bidorsalis
bɔ́gɔ̀ Heterotis niloticus
sɔ̄rɔ̄ŋ Ophiocephalus obscurus
jīɲ Protopterus annectens
kɔ̀tɔ̀kúnɔ̀ Tetraodon fahaka

Other animal names:


Plant names in Day:[3]

Day (Bouna) Scientific name Family
njīlī Carissa edulis Apocynaceae
vɔ̄r gɔ̀jɔ̀ Amaranthus viridis Amaranthaceae
ndūgū re vōō Ampelocissus africana / Ampelocissus multistriata Ampelidaceae
rív Annona senegalensis Annonaceae
ndáávò Hexalobus monopetalus Annonaceae
hádìsó Leptadenia hastata Asclepiadaceae
mbɔ̄lɔ̄ Stereospermum kunthianum Bignoniaceae
mbéèr Burkea africana Caesalpiniaceae
mōkílàŋ Cassia sieberiana Caesalpiniaceae
kèŋgèlibā Cassia tora Caesalpiniaceae
gív Daniellia oliveri Caesalpiniaceae
pōgō Detarium microcarpum Caesalpiniaceae
jōŋ, njílà Piliostigma reticulatum / Bauhinia reticulata Caesalpiniaceae
sùù Tamarindus indica Caesalpiniaceae
kʷéygírá Gynandropsis gynandra Capparidaceae
ɲíí dāŋ Vernonia sp. Asteraceae
gɔ̀ɔ̄ɲɔ̀ Cochlospermum tinctorium Cochlospermaceae
ŋīmí yēē Merremia sp. Convolvulaceae
bón Combretum glutinosum Combretaceae
kíbāná, kɔ̄r dàr Combretum sp. Combretaceae
rɔ̀gɔ̀ Terminalia sp. Combretaceae
pálpùū (ré) vōō Commelina benghalensis Commelinaceae
pálpùū (ré) táná Commelina forskailii Commelinaceae
ɗàlá Citrullus vulgaris Cucurbitaceae
jɔ̀gɔ́ Citrullus vulgaris / Colocynthis vulgaris Cucurbitaceae
kùsú ŋín yēē Cucumis melo var. agrestis Cucurbitaceae
kùsú Cucumis sativus Cucurbitaceae
rùúŋ Cucurbita pepo Cucurbitaceae
ŋúù Lagenaria siceraria / Lagenaria vulgaris Cucurbitaceae
njòrò/gìndɔ́gɔ̀ (ɲíí ndògō) Momordica charantia Cucurbitaceae
bēɲ mbɔ̀rɔ́ŋ Bulbostylis sp. Cyperaceae
gāgrā Hymenocardia acida Euphorbiaceae
kùmɔ̄ Jatropha curcas Euphorbiaceae
báná mbéèr Burkea africana / Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthii Euphorbiaceae
ŋòórkúmɔ̀ Combretum glutinosum Euphorbiaceae
mbɔ̀r Vitellaria paradoxa tree
kɔ̀ndì Hymenocardia acida tree
sàkàrāàn Cenchrus biflorus Poaceae
gàlā táná Cymbopogon giganteus Poaceae
bànjá Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum Poaceae
mbáà Eleusine coracana var. striata Poaceae
tērīm/tērēm Eragrostis cylindrica Poaceae
kítíkáŋlá Eragrostis tremula Poaceae
tór Imperata cylindrica Poaceae
dōr Pennisetum gibbosum Poaceae
kàmsà, gɔ̀jɔ̀ Sorghum caudatum var. colorans Poaceae
kōró mīɲ Sorghum caudatum var. feterita Poaceae
kōró dúŋ-nú Sorghum elegans var. elegans Poaceae
mbùl Sorghum guineense var. involutum Poaceae
ʔɔ́r (tōō-rɔ̄) Sorghum guineense var. scintillons Poaceae
sīɲ bìì Sorghum mellitum var. mellitum Poaceae
tíɲā Sorghum membranaceum var. firmius Poaceae
mbàtì kóò (var. indurata), mbàtì kóò mānjā Zea mays Poaceae
gēr tōō-rɔ̄ Andropogon sp. Poaceae
ndàgə̰̀mɔ̀ tèmbè Brachiaria sp. Poaceae
bɔ̀gɔ́ gàà Microprotus sp. Poaceae
dàlà, sīɲ ndìlà Sorghum sp. Poaceae
kīnāvò, vòò Ceiba pentandra tree
sōn Vitellaria paradoxa tree
kò̰ kūū Asparagus africanus Liliaceae
hə̰̄ Dipcadi longifolium Liliaceae
ŋìrà bò̰ dàná Gloriosa simplex Liliaceae
dúú Hibiscus asper Malvaceae
dúú dí njàgá Urena lobata Malvaceae
ɗènjī, ŋùúrkútū Strychnos spinosa Loganiaceae
kítíjàlà Cissampelos mucronata Menispermaceae
kò̰ tōō-rɔ̄ Acacia sieberiana Mimosaceae
mbéèr Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthii Mimosaceae
lēl Parkia biglobosa Mimosaceae
sáàm Prosopis africana Mimosaceae
lòò kéré Gisekia pharnaceoides Molluginaceae
yāá yēē Boerhavia repens Nyctaginaceae
sìɲá Ficus sp. Moraceae
tírāáɲ Afrormosia laxiflora Papilionaceae
sōō dìm Arachis hypogaea Papilionaceae
mbámbàāl Erythrina sigmoidea Papilionaceae
gìndī gē Rhynchosia minima Papilionaceae
rēɲ ré táná Tephrosia bracteolata Papilionaceae
nɔ́n dɔ́gɔ̀ Tephrosia lupinifolia Papilionaceae
sàà bíí, sàà bāná, sàà tōō-rɔ̄ Vigna catjang var. sinensis Papilionaceae
sōō Voandzeia subterranea Papilionaceae
hòg mbúŋ Ceratotheca sesamoides Pedaliaceae
sɔ̀n tōō-rɔ̄ Sesamum indicum Pedaliaceae
sɔ̀n pùū Sesamum radiatum Pedaliaceae
tàv Securidaca longipedunculata Polygalaceae
bònò Polypterus bichir Polygalaceae
kírùgjú Portulaca oleracea Portulacaceae
ŋūtā Sarcocephalus esculentus Rubiaceae
hòg nām vàrā Solanum sp. Solanaceae
gìmī ré táná Melochia corchorifolia Sterculiaceae
sōn Vitellaria paradoxa / Butyrospermum parkii Sapotaceae
hòg gìtì kàrā Corchorus tridens Tiliaceae
bɔ̄r Grewia mollis Tiliaceae
gìmī ré vōō Triumfetta pentandra Tiliaceae
kóg/kóò kɔ̀ɔ̄l Triumfetta sp. Tiliaceae
laɲ yāā bārá Tribulus terrestris Zygophyllaceae

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Day at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c d Nougayrol, Pierre. 1979. Le day de Bouna (Tchad), I: phonologie, syntagmatique nominale, synthématique. (Bibl. de la SELAF (Société des Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France), 71-72.) Paris: Paris. 174pp.
  3. ^ a b c Nougayrol, Pierre. 1980. Le Day de Bouna (Tchad), II: Lexique Day-Français, Index Français-Day. (Société d'Études Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France, 77-78.) Paris: Centre National de la Récherche Sciéntifique. 176pp.
  4. ^ Nougayrol, P. 1977. Éléments de phonologie du day de Bouna. In Caprile, J.-P. (ed.), Études phonologiques tchadiennes, 213-231. Paris: SELAF.
  5. ^ Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 58–444. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9.