Limba language

Distribution

Ethnologue lists the following two varieties of Limba, spoken in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

East Limba is spoken in Ouré-Kaba, Guinea.

West-Central Limba is spoken in northern Sierra Leone. It is spoken in the Little Scarcies River area in east Bombali District and northeast Kambia District, as well as north of Makeni.

Phonology

Like neighboring Temne, Limba has an unusual contrast among its consonants. It distinguishes dental and alveolar, but the dental consonants are apical and the alveolar consonants are laminal, the opposite of the general pattern.

Consonants

• Sounds /f/ and /ɡ/ are heard across dialects.

Vowels

Grammar

Noun classes

Noun classes are distinguished by the form of the definite article (class particle) which follows the noun, and sometimes also by a prefix. Roughly, the following classes can be deduced from the examples given by Mary Lane Clarke:

A. Person class

• Examples:
• Wukọnọ wo - a Kono person;
• sapiri wo - crowbar;
• kaň wo - the sun Definite article (follows the noun): wo; pronoun ("he, she, it" as subject): wunde, wun

B. People class

• Examples:
• Bikọnọ be - Kono people;
• sapiriň be - crowbars;
• ** bia be** - people, ancestors Definite article: be; pronoun: bende, ben

C. Language class

• Examples:
• Hukọnọ ha - the Kono language;
• lia - toe Definite article: ha; pronoun: -?- (presumably this is neuter according to class, and so on through the neuter classes)

D. Country class

• Examples:
• Kakọnọ ka - Konoland Definite article: ka

E. Bodkins class

• Examples:
• lia - bodkins;
• lia - toe Definite article: ta

F. Cascade class

• Examples:
• kutintọ ko - cascade;
• kekeň ko - country;
• kutiň ko - dog Definite article: ko

G. Dogs class, plurals of F.

• Examples:
• ňatintọ ňa - cascades;
• ňakeň ňa - countries
• ňatiň ňa - dogs Definite article: ňa

H. Arrival class

• Examples:
• matebeň ma - calm (noun);
• matalaň ma - arrival;
• masandiň ma - needle Definite article: ma

I. Needles class, plurals of H.

• Examples:
• masandi ma - needles;
• matubucuciň ma - signs;
• mendeň ma - days, sleeps Definite article: ma

J. Yam class

• Examples:
• ndamba ki - yam;
• nbēn ki (the b is a "smothered b") - bracelet;
• nkala ki - vine Definite article: ki

K. Bracelets class, plurals of J.

• Examples:
• ndambeň ki - yams;
• nbēni ki ("smothered b" as above) - bracelets;
• nbuliň ki (also with "smothered b") - windpipes Definite article: ki

L. Meat class

• Examples:
• piňkari ba - gun, musket;
• bọňa ba (bọňa has "smothered b", as above) - path, way;
• bara ba - meat, flesh Definite article: ba

M. Boxes class, plurals of L.

• Examples:
• piňkariň ba - guns, muskets;
• bọňeň ba (bọňeň also has "smothered b") - paths, ways;
• kankaren ba - boxes, trunks Definite article: ba

N. Yarn class

• Examples:
• lia - woof, yarn;
• lia - suffering;
• lia - fan Definite article: mu

O. Waves class

• Examples:
• muňkuliň mu - waves;
• mudọňiň mu - habitations Definite article: mu

P. Kusini-fruits class

• Examples:
• busini bu - fruits of the kusini tree Definite article: bu

Q. A class with definite article wu

• Examples: - ? -

Other nouns, including nouns of quantity, etc., take no article. It may be that they are classless:

• Examples:
• Alukorana - the Qur'an (Arabic);
• disa - fringe, shawl;
• duba - ink (from Mandingo);
• kameci - late, brown rice

References

References

1. "Limba, East". Ethnologue.
2. "Limba, West-Central". Ethnologue.
3. Güldemann, Tom. (2018). "The Languages and Linguistics of Africa". De Gruyter Mouton.
4. {{SOWL. 42
5. Rolle, Nicholas. (2024). "A report on Limba, a Niger-Congo isolate of Sierra Leone".
6. Mary Lane Clarke, ''A Limba–English Dictionary, or, Tampeň ta ka Taluň ta ka Hulimba ha in Huiňkilisi ha'', Houghton, New York, 1922, reprinted 1971 by Gregg International Publishers, Farnborough, England. {{page needed. (August 2018 This information is based on the '''Biriwa''' and '''Safroko''' dialects.)