West Teke language

Bantu dialect continuum of Central Africa

West Teke
Native to	Republic of Congo, Gabon
Ethnicity	Teke, Bongo Pygmies
Native speakers	120,000 (ca.2000)^[1] (some figures undated)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu (Zone B) Nzebi (B.50) (traditionally Teke, B.70) West Teke
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: `tyi` – Tsaayi `lli` – Laali `iyx` – Yaa `tyx` – Tyee (Kwe)
Glottolog	`west2969` West Kasai-Ngounie
Guthrie code	`B.73`^[2]

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		m	n	ɲ	ŋ	ŋ͡m
Plosive	voiceless	p	t		k	k͡p
	voiced	b	d		ɡ
	prenasal vl.	ᵐp	ⁿt		ᵑk	ᵑk͡p
	prenasal vd.	ᵐb	ⁿd		ᵑɡ	ᵑɡ͡b
Affricate	voiceless	p͡f	t͡s
	voiced	b͡v	d͡z
	prenasal vl.	ᵐp͡f	ⁿt͡s
	prenasal vd.	ᵐb͡v	ⁿd͡z
Fricative		f	s		ɣ		h
Rhotic			ɾ
Approximant		(ɥ)	l	j		w

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/.^[3]

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i ĩ		u ũ
Close-mid	e		o
Open-mid	ɛ ɛ̃		ɔ ɔ̃
Open		a ã

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

References

^ Tsaayi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Laali at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Yaa at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Tyee (Kwe) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
^ Ntsiba Ngolo, Edouard; Raharimanantsoa, Ruth (2015). Petit guide d’orthographique et de grammaire du Téké du sud-ouest. Brazzaville: SIL Congo.

External links

Dictionnaire Teke-Tyee

Languages of the Pygmies

Nilo-Saharan

Central Sudanic	Lese Asoa

Niger–Congo

Ubangian

Gbaya

Bofi

Bantoid

Tikar

Bantu

Zone A	Mvumbo

Zone B	Ngom Tsogo Njebi West Teke Punu Lumbu Myene Kaning'i Rimba?

Zone C	Aka Mongo Lia-Ntomba Bushong

Zone D	Bila

Zone J	Kirundi Kiga

Zone L	Luba-Katanga Hemba Songe

Zone M	Taabwa Bemba Lenje Tonga

Unclassified

Rimba

v t e Languages of Gabon
Official language	French (Standard)
National languages	Fang
Immigrant languages	English French Spanish Arabic German Italian Hindi Chinese Portuguese Japanese Russian
Indigenous languages	Baka Barama Bekwel Benga Bube Bwisi Duma Kande Kaningi Kili iKota Lumbu Mahongwe Mbama Mbangwe Mbere Myene (several dialects) Ndasa Ndumu Ngom Njebi Pinji Punu Sake Sangu Seki Sighu Simba Sira Northern Teke Western Teke Tsaangi Tsogo Vili Vumbu Wandji Wumbvu Yasa

Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B) (by Guthrie classification)

Zone A

A10	A11[101] Londo A12[101] Barue A13 Balong A14 Bonkeng A15 Mbo [A141 Bafo A151 Nkongho
A20	A21 Bomboko A22 Baakpe A23 Su A24 Duala A25 Oli A26 Pongo A27 Mulimba [A221 Bubia A231 Kole
A30	A31a North Bobe A31b Southwest Bobe A31c Southeast Bobe A32a Banoo A32b Bapoko A33a Yasa A33b Kombe A34 Benga
A40	A41 Lombi A42 Bankon A43a Mbene A43b North Kogo A43c South Kogo A44 Banen A45 Nyokon A46 Mandi [A441 Aling'a A461 Bonek A462 Yambeta
A50	A51 Fa’ A52 Kaalong A53 Kpa A54 Ngayaba [A501 Hijuk
A60	A61[601] Ngoro A62 Yambasa A63 Mangisa A64[601] Bacenga A65 Bati [A621 Baca A622 Gunu A623 Mbule
A70	A71 Eton A72a Ewondo A72b Mvele A72c Bakja A72d Yangafek A73a Bëbëlë A73b Gbïgbïl A74 Bulu A75 Fang [A751 South-West Fang
A80	A81 Mvumbo A82 So A83 Makaa A84 Njem A85a Konabem A85b Bekwil A86a Medjime A86b Mpompo A86c Mpiemo A87 Bomwali [A801 Gyele A802 Ukwedjo A803 Shiwe A831 Byep A832 Bekol A841 Bajue A842 Koonzime
A90	A91 Kwakum A92a Pol A92b Pomo A93 Kako

Zone B

B10	B11a Mpongwe B11b Rongo B11c Galwa B11d Dyumba B11e Nkomi
B20	B21 Sekiyani B22a West Kele B22b Ngom B22c Bubi B23 Mbangwe B24 Wumbvu B25 Kota [B201 Ndasa B202 Sighu B203 Sama B204 Ndambomo B205 Metombola B221 Molengue B251 Shake B252 Mahongwe
B30	B31 Tsogo B32 Kande [B301 Viya B302 Himbaka B303 Bongwe B304 Pinzi B305 Vove
B40	B41 Sira B42 Sangu B43 Punu B44 Lumbu [B401 Bwisi B402 Varama B403 Vungu B404 Ngubi B411 Bwali
B50	B51 Duma B52 Nzebi B53 Tsaangi [B501 Wanzi B502 Mwele B503 Vili
B60	B61 Mbete B62 Mbaama B63 Nduumo [B602 Kaning'i B603 Yangho (spurious)
B70	B71a Tege-Kali B71b Njiningi B72a Ngungwele B72b Mpumpu B73a Tsaayi B73b Laali B73c Yaa B73d Kwe B74a Ndzindziu B74b Boma B75 Bali B76a Musieno B76b Ngee B77a Kukwa B77b Fumu B78 Wuumu [B701 Tsitsege
B80	B81 Tiene B82 Boma B83 Mfinu B84a[84] Mpuon B84b[84] Mpuun B85a Mbiem B85b East Yans B85c Yeei B85d Ntsuo B85e Mpur B86 Di B87[84] Mbuun [B821 Mpe B822 Nunu B861 Ngul (Ngwi) B862 Lwel B863 Mpiin B864 West Ngongo B865 Nzadi

Italics indicate extinct languages.
Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left.

The Guthrie classification is geographic and its groupings do not imply a relationship between the languages within them.

Narrow Bantu languages by Guthrie classification zone templates: Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones C–D); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S)