Meüen (also Mekan, Mieüen, Mieken, Meqan, Men) is a Nilo-Saharan language (Eastern Sudanic, Surmic, Southeast Surmic) spoken in Ethiopia by the Meüen people. In recent years, it has been written with the Geýez alphabet, but in 2007 a decision was made to use the Latin alphabet. Dialects include Bodi (Podi) and Tishena (Teshina, Teshenna).
Meüen and Kwegu are unique among Surmic languages in that they have ejective consonants.
Reliable descriptions of some parts of the language have been produced by Hans-Georg Will, often contradicting Carlo Conti Rossini's work, the editing of the extensive language notes of a non-linguist.
Phonology
can be realized as a fricative in initial and medial positions.
can have lax variants as .
Notes
References
- Conti Rossini, Carlo. (1913). "I Mekan o Suro nell'Etiopia meridionale e il loro linguaggio." Rendiconti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei XXII (7-10): 397âÂÂ463.
- Diehl, Achim and Hans-Georg Will. (2007). "MeÃÂen language." In Siegbert Uhlig (ed.), Encyclopaedia Aethiopica 3, 907âÂÂ909. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag.
- Eba Teresa Garoma and Amanuel Raga Yadate. 2015. Sketch [of] Morphology and Syntax of Meüenit. International Journal Advances in Social Science and Humanities Vol.3, Issue 7, pp. 30âÂÂ50.
- Will, Hans-Georg. 1989. "Sketch of Meüen grammar." In M. Lionel Bender (ed.), Topics in Nilo-Saharan linguistics 129âÂÂ50. Nilo-Saharan, 3. Hamburg: Helmut Buske.
- Will, Hans-Georg. 1998. "The Meüen verb system: Does Meüen have tenses?." In Gerrit J. Dimmendaal and Marco Last (eds.), Surmic languages and cultures, 437âÂÂ58. Nilo-Saharan, 13. Cologne: R. Köppe
External links