Mbre language

In this article we are going to address the issue of Mbre language, which has gained great relevance in recent years. Mbre language is a topic that has captured the attention of people in different fields, from academics to professionals, due to its impact and relevance in today's society. Throughout history, Mbre language has been the object of study, debate and reflection, demonstrating its importance in various disciplines. In this article, we will delve into the world of Mbre language, exploring its different facets, its evolution over time and its influence on contemporary society.

Not to be confused with Mpre language, Pere language (Nigeria), or Kutin language.
Mbre
Pere
Pεrε
Native toIvory Coast
RegionMarabadiassa
Native speakers
50 (2017)[1]
Niger–Congo?
  • Unclassified
    • Mbre
Language codes
ISO 639-3mka
Glottologmbre1244
ELPMbre

Mbre or Pere, known as Pεrε among themselves and as Bεrε by the locally dominant Koro, also spelled Pre and Bre, is a moribund language of the Ivory Coast.

It was first described in an unpublished manuscript by Denis Creissels. A grammar, dictionary and texts have been published by Jeffrey Heath and Brahima Tioté.

Sociolinguistic situation

Pere is spoken in the village of Bondosso – and marginally in Niantibo – not far from the city of Bouaké, Ivory Coast. Until recently it was also spoken in the village of Kouakoudougou. The speakers are a numu (blacksmith) caste among the Mande.

It had 30 active speakers in 2019 out of an ethnic population that was 700 in the year 2000.

Speakers are shifting to the neighbouring Manding language Koro, and the language has large numbers of Manding loanwords.

Classification

Mbre does not appear to belong to any of the traditional branches of the Niger–Congo language family. It doesn't have the verb extensions or noun classes characteristic of the Atlantic–Congo languages. Roger Blench suspects it may form its own branch, though perhaps not far from the Kwa languages.

Phonology

The phonology section below is sourced from Heath & Tioté (2019).

There are two tones, a /H/ and /L/, but phonetically /L/ may be realized as mid tone when followed by another /L/. Grammatical use of tone includes the distinction between perfective and imperfective aspect.

There are seven vowel qualities, with an ATR distinction in the mid vowels, but no vowel harmony. All seven may be long or short, nasal or oral. /CVɾV/ tends to be realized as for any short vowel.

The consonant inventory is also typical for the area, with marginal /h/ and /ʔ/.

p t tʃ k kp
b d dʒ ɡ ɡb
m n ɲ ŋ ŋm
f s~ʃ

Additionally, there are the phonemes /l/, /ɾ/, /w/, /j/. /CjV/ and /CwV/ sequences occur.

Grammar

Nouns have "absolute" suffix /a/ that appears at the end of a noun phrase and in citation form. Word order is SVOX. There are phrasal verbs with postpositions.

References

  1. ^ Mbre at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon

Further reading