Limba language


The Limba language, Hulimba, is a Niger-Congo language of Sierra Leone and Guinea. It is not closely related to other languages and appears to form its own branch of the Niger–Congo family, although it was formerly classified as an Atlantic language. Dialects include Tonko, Sela, Kamuke, Wara-wara, Keleng, Biriwa, and Safroko. The eastern variety, spoken primarily in Guinea, is quite distinct. Limba has a system of noun classes, marked by an old, eroded set of prefixes augmented by a newer set of enclitics.

Distribution

Ethnologue lists the following two varieties of Limba, spoken in Guinea and Sierra Leone.
East Limba is spoken in Ouré-Kaba, Guinea.
West-Central Limba is spoken in northern Sierra Leone. It is spoken in the Little Scarcies River area in east Bombali District and northeast Kambia District, as well as north of Makeni.

Phonology

Like neighboring Temne, Limba has an unusual contrast among its consonants. It distinguishes dental and alveolar, but the dental consonants are apical and the alveolar consonants are laminal, the opposite of the general pattern.

Grammar

Noun classes

Noun classes are distinguished by the form of the definite article which follows the noun, and sometimes also by a prefix. Roughly, the following classes can be deduced from the examples given by Mary Lane Clarke:
A. Person Class
Definite article : wo; pronoun : wunde, wun
B. People Class
Def. art.: be; pronoun: bende, ben
C. Language Class
Def. art.: ha; pronoun: -?-
D. Country Class
Def. art.: ka
E. Bodkins Class
Def. art.: ta
F. Cascade Class
Def. art.: ko
G. Dogs Class, plurals of F.
Def. art.: ňa
H. Arrival Class
Def. art.: ma
I. Needles Class, plurals of H.
Def. art.: ma
J. Yam Class
Def. art.: ki
K. Bracelets Class, plurals of J.
Def. art.: ki
L. Meat Class
Def. art.: ba
M. Boxes Class, plurals of L.
Def. art.: ba
N. Yarn Class
Def. art.: mu
O. Waves Class
Def. art.: mu
P. Kusini-fruits Class
Def. art.: bu
Q. A class with definite article wu
Other nouns, including nouns of quantity, etc., take no article. It may be that they are classless: