Ghomalaʼ language

or Ghomala is a major Bamileke language spoken in Cameroon, originally in the following departments of the West region:

• Mifi, Koung-Khi and Hauts-Plateaux: most of the three departments (except extreme south and except pockets in the north and west)
• Menoua: east of the department
• Bamboutos: a corner in the south

It is spoken by an estimated 2 million people in two main population groups.

Phonology

Consonants

• The glottal stop only occurs as word-final.
• Sounds are alternative consonant sounds of .
• , when occurring before close front-central vowel sounds /i ʉ/, can sound palatalized as .
• Sounds , when preceding a sound, are realized as affricated .
• , when occurring before central vowel sounds , may sound affricated as .
• A word-final sound, may be realized as uvular sounds .

Vowels

• Sounds when occurring with a velar nasal , can be realized as nasalized vowel sounds .

Tone

Tones are marked as high , low , mid (unmarked) , rising , or falling .

References