Cangin languages
The Cangin () languages are spoken by 200,000 people (as of 2007) in a small area east of Dakar, Senegal. They are the languages spoken by the Serer people who do not speak the Serer language (Serer-Sine). Because the people are ethnically Serer, the Cangin languages are commonly thought to be dialects of the Serer language. However, they are not closely related; Serer is closer to Fulani than it is to Cangin.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013) |
| Cangin | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Senegal, the Gambia |
| Ethnicity | Serer |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo?
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Cangin |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | cang1245 |
The Cangin (/ˈtʃæŋɪn/) languages are spoken by 200,000 people (as of 2007) in a small area east of Dakar, Senegal. They are the languages spoken by the Serer people who do not speak the Serer language (Serer-Sine). Because the people are ethnically Serer, the Cangin languages are commonly thought to be dialects of the Serer language. However, they are not closely related; Serer is closer to Fulani than it is to Cangin.
Languages
[edit]The Cangin languages are:
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Lehar and Noon are particularly close, as are Ndut and Palor, though not quite to the point of easy intelligibility. Safen is transparently closer to Lehar–Noon than to Palor–Ndut.
Reconstruction
[edit]Merrill (2018: 451) reconstructs Proto-Cangin as follows.[1]
| gloss | Proto-Cangin | Noon | Lehar | Safen | Ndut | Palor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eye | *ɣi̟d/ɣad | has | kuu-koas | has | i̟l | ’i̟l |
| tongue | *pe-ɗem | peɗim p- | pi̟ri̟m | peɗem | pereem | pereem |
| eat | *ñam | ñam | ñam | ñaam | ñam | ñam |
| breast | *ɓi̟iɓ | ɓi̟iɓ | ɓi̟iɓ | (w)ɓip | ɓi̟iɓ | ɓi̟iɓ |
| four | *nixiid | nikiis | nikis | iniil | iniil | |
| dog | *ɓuh | ɓu̟u | ɓuh f- | ɓuh f- | ɓux f- | |
| intestine | *loox | look | look | rook | loo | loo |
| wing | *paɓ | paɓ | paɓ | (d)pab | pap | |
| cow | *-noɣ | enoh f- | enoh | ’inoh | fana f- | fana’ f- |
| blow = nose | *ñii̟nd | ñii̟d-uk | ñii̟d-uk | ñii̟d~ñii̟n | ||
| pound | *hoɗ | oɗ | oɗ | ’oɗ | xoɗ | |
| jaw | *kaɓaɓ ? | kaaɓ ‘cheek’ | kaɓaɓ k- | kabaap | ||
| new | *has | as | as | ’as | has | xas |
| see | *ɣot | hot | hot | hot | ot~ol- | od~ol- |
| swallow | *hon | on | on | ’on | (d)hon | xon |
| bury | *hac | ac | ac | ’ac | hac | xac |
| bear child | *li̟m | li̟m | li̟m | (w)rim | li̟m | |
| dance | *ɣam | ham | ham | |||
| hold in teeth | *ŋaɓ | ŋaaɓ | ŋaɓ | ŋaɓ | ŋaɓ | |
| year | *kV-(h)id̟ | kii̟s k- | kii̟s | kiis k- | kii̟l | kii̟l |
| tree | *ki-rik | kedik k- | kedek | kiɗig k- | kilik | kilik k- |
| bird | *sel | sel | sel | sel | ||
| bury | *hu̟umb | u̟ub~u̟um | uumb | |||
| be able | *mi̟n | mi̟n | min | mi̟n | min | |
| resemble | *mand | mad~man | man | mad~man | mad~man | |
| be short | *luH- | looƴ (lohoƴ) | looƴ | (s)rohoƴ | (d)luh | lux |
| leaf/bark | *huɓ | to̟oɓ t-, oɓ | po̟o | (w)’op | huɓ | |
| sun | *noɣ | noh | noh | noh | (d)na’ | na’ |
| ear | *nuf | nof | nof | (w)noef | nuf | nuf |
| head | *ɣaf | haf | haf | haf | ’af | ’af |
| liver | *keeñ | keeñ | keeñ | keeñ k- | (d)keeñ | |
| star | *Hul | hol | ol | hor | hul | xul |
| rain | *toɓ | toɓ | toɓ | toɓ | tooɓ | |
| pestle | *kuɗ | koɗ k- | koɗ | kuɗ k- | kuɗ k- | |
| goat | *pe | pe’ f- | peɗ | peh f- | pe f- | pe f- |
| cloth/rag | *lii̟l | lii̟l | lii̟l | lii̟l | lii̟l | |
| baobab | *ɓoɣ | ɓoh | ɓoh | ɓoh | ɓa | ɓa’ |
| finger | *kun | jokun j- | jokon | ndukun | kun | kun |
| sneeze | *ti̟s | tes | ti̟s | (s)tisoh | (d)ti̟s | ti̟s |
| ant | *ñii̟ñ | ñii̟ñ | ñii̟ñ | ñiñoh f- | (d)ñii̟ñ f- | ñii̟n f- |
| rear/raise | *koɗ | koɗ | koɗ | koɗ | kod | |
| honey | *kV-(C)u̟m | ku̟um k- | ku̟um | (d)ku̟um k- | ku̟um k- | |
| horse | *panis̟ | pen̟is̟ f- | pan̟is̟ | panis | pan̟is̟ f- | |
| causative | *-iɗ̟ | -iɗ̟ | -iɗ̟ | -iɗ | -iɗ̟ | -iɗ̟ |
| anticausative | *-ox | -uk | -ok | -uk | -oh | -ox |
| reversive | *-i̟s | -i̟s | -i̟s | -is | -i̟s | -i̟s |
| negative | *-ɗii | -ɗii | -ɗi |
See also
[edit]- Serer language
- List of Proto-Cangin reconstructions (Wiktionary)
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ Merrill, John Thomas Mayfield. 2018. The Historical Origin of Consonant Mutation in the Atlantic Languages. Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Berkeley.
References
[edit]- Walter Pichl, The Cangin Group: A Language Group in Northern Senegal, Pittsburgh, PA : Institute of African Affairs, Duquesne University, Coll. African Reprint Series, 1966, vol. 20
- Guillaume Segerer & Florian Lionnet 2010. "'Isolates' in 'Atlantic'". Language Isolates in Africa workshop, Lyon, Dec. 4
| Official language | ||
|---|---|---|
| Indigenous languages | ||
| Sign languages | ||
| Immigrant languages | ||
