Inor language

Inor
Ennemor
Native toEthiopia
Native speakers
(undated figure of 280,000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ior
Glottologinor1238
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Inor (pronounced [inoːr]), sometimes called Ennemor, is an Afroasiatic language spoken in central Ethiopia. One of the Gurage languages, it is mainly spoken within the Gurage Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, as well as by speakers of the language who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa. In addition to the morphological complexity that is common to all Semitic languages, Inor exhibits the very complex morphophonology characteristic of West Gurage languages.

Endegegn, Enner, Gyeto, and the extinct dialect Mesmes are all sometimes considered dialects of Inor.

Inor possesses nasal vowels, which are unusual for a Gurage language. Many of these may be the result of historical rhinoglottophilia.

Phonology

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Consonants

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Inor consonants[2][3]
labial alveolar alveo-
palatal
palatal velar glottal
plain labial plain labial plain labial
Stops and
affricates
ejective t’ tʃ’ k’ kʷ’
voiceless p t c k ʔ ʔʷ
voiced b d ɟ ɡ ɡʷ
Fricatives voiceless f s ʃ ç x
voiced z ʒ
Nasals m n ɲ
Approximants plain β̞ (l) j w
nasalized β̞̃
Rhotics plain r
nasalized

Vowels

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Inor vowels[4]
front central back
high i ɨ u
mid e ə o
low æ a

[ɨ] may be regarded as largely epenthetic and only marginally phonemic.[5]

References

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Bibliography

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  • Abza, Tsehay (2016). Binyam Sisay Mendisu; Janne Bondi Johannessen (eds.). "Consonants and Vowels in the Western Gurage Variety Inor: Complex Connections between Phonemes, Allophones, and Free Alternations". Oslo Studies in Language. 8 (1): 31–54. doi:10.5617/osla.4416.
  • Boivin, Robert (1996). "Spontaneous Nasalization in Inor". In Hudson, G. (ed.). Essays on Gurage Language and Culture. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 21–33.
  • Bustorf, Dirk (2005). "Ennämor Ethnography". In Uhlig, Siegbert (ed.). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Vol. 2: D-Ha. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 307–308.
  • Chamora, Berhanu. "Consonant distribution in Inor". In Hudson, G. (ed.). Essays on Gurage Language and Culture. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 53–67.
  • Chamora, Berhanu; Hetzron, Robert (2000). Inor. Munich: Lincom Europa. ISBN 3-89586-977-5.
  • Hetzron, R. (1977). The Gunnän-Gurage Languages. Napoli: Istituto Orientale di Napoli. OCLC 4989162.
  • Leslau, Wolf (1979). Etymological Dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic). Vol. 1–3. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-02041-5.
  • Leslau, Wolf (1983). Ethiopians Speak: Studies in Cultural Background. Part V : Chaha - Ennemor. Äthiopistische Forschungen. Vol. 16. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 3-515-03965-1.
  • Leslau, Wolf (1996). "Inor Lullabies". Africa. 66 (2): 280–287. doi:10.2307/1161320. JSTOR 1161320.
  • Voigt, Rainer (2005). "Ennämor Language". In Uhlig, Siegbert (ed.). Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Vol. 2: D-Ha. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 307.