The Gula Iro language (autonym ''kùláál'') is a
Bua language
The Bua language (also called Ba) is spoken north of the Chari River around Korbol and Gabil in Chad. In 1993 it was spoken by some 8,000 people. It is the largest member of the small Bua group of languages and is mutually comprehensible with ...
spoken by some 3,500 people (in 1991) north and east of
Lake Iro
Iro Lake () is a cyclically occurring lake in the Moyen-Chari Region in southeastern Chad. It is fed in the summer and autumn months from the eastern arm of the Bahr Salamat, which forks seven kilometers southwest of the lake. The lake is about 10 ...
in southern
Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
, between the
Bola and
Salamat
Salamat may refer to:
Music
* Salamat (album), ''Salamat'' (album), a 2007 album by Yeng Constantino
** Salamat (Yeng Constantino song), "Salamat" (Yeng Constantino song), its title track
* Salamat (The Dawn song), "Salamat" (The Dawn song)
* Sala ...
rivers. It has four dialects, according to Pairault:
*''páṭóól'' (350 speakers), the northernmost and the least comprehensible to speakers of the other dialects, spoken in and around
Badi;
*''pòŋààl'' (2,000 speakers), by the north shore of the lake, spoken in and around
Boum Kabir Boum may refer to one of the following:
* Boum, a type of dhow (Arab sailing vessel)
People
* Boum (born 1985), French Canadian animator, illustrator, and comic strip author
* Hemley Boum (born 1973), Cameroonian writer
* Joseph Boum (born 1989 ...
,
Boum Sarher, and
Tordjigel;
*''tɩ́ààlà'' (730 speakers), spoken east and south of the lake, including
Kouré,
Bouni,
Tormorhal, and
Masidjanga;
*''tííṭààl'' (200 speakers), the easternmost, spoken in various villages west of
Tamba;
to which
Ethnologue
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It w ...
adds a fifth, Korintal (170 speakers), spoken in
Tieou.
[
Gula Iro is very closely related to Zan Gula and ]Bon Gula
Bon Gula, or Bon, is an Adamawa language of Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan ...
, but they are not mutually comprehensible.
Phonology
The consonants, along with their orthography, are:
The vowels are: a, e, i, o, u, ɛ, ɩ, ɔ, ʋ. Nasalization (only on a, e, o) and length are both contrastive, and diphthongs can be formed. Tone
Tone may refer to:
Visual arts and color-related
* Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory
* Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color
* Toning (coin), color change in coins
* ...
is phonemic; each vowel must carry high or low tone.
Grammar
Typical word order is subject–verb–object. The basic subject pronouns are: ''ñó'' I, ''mó'' you (sg.), ''á'' he/she/it, ''pʋ́'' we (exclusive), ''én'' we (inclusive), ''í'' you (pl.), ''ʋ́'' they.
Bibliography
* P. Boyeldieu. "La formation du pluriel nominal en kulaal (Tchad): essai de systématisation des documents publiés par C. Pairault". ''Afrika und Übersee'', 1986, n° 69, vol. 2, p. 209-249.
* C. Pairault, ''Documents du parler d'iro: kùláál du Tchad''. Langues et Littérature de l'Afrique Noire V. Klincksieck: Paris 1969.
References
{{Adamawa languages
Languages of Chad
Bua languages