Margi language


Margi, also known as Marghi and Marghi Central, is a Chadic language spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad. It is perhaps the best described of the Biu–Mandara branch of that family. Marghi South language and Putai are closely related and sometimes considered dialects of Margi

Phonology

Vowels

Margi is noted for having a vertical vowel system, with only two phonemic vowels, and, in native vocabulary.

Consonants

Margi has a large consonant inventory, with a number of labialised consonants and typologically infrequent speech sounds such as a labiodental flap. Hoffmann describes 84 consonantal phonemes, a very large number compared to that of most languages. This system, with a great number of non-click consonants, compares to that of the Caucasus language Ubykh, having the largest inventory of any language without clicks. However, Hoffmann's list of consonants includes all sequences of consonant clusters occurring in onsets in the language. Many of these cluster have since been analysed as sequences, such as and. If labialized consonts are counted separately, there are 66 consonants that remain in the analysis, and 54 if it is interpreted as a sequence.
LabialDentalAlveolarLateralPost-
alveolar		PalatalVelarLabio-
velar		Glottal
Nasal
Glottalized
Prenasalized
Prenasalized
Oral
occlusive
Oral
occlusive
Fricative
Fricative
Approximant
Vibrant

and are palatalised allophones of and, the latter of which is closer to an approximant. The closely related language Bura is similar but has a palatalised lateral series as well. is used in mimesis rather than in lexical vocabulary. The glottalised consonants have been described as either creaky voiced or implosive; according to Maddieson, they are evidently both, as in Hausa.
The sequences that Hoffmann included in his consonant inventory are all labial–coronal: