Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
6 thoughts on “Language Quiz”
There’s something in the timbre of the voice that makes me think it is a Bantu or at least southern African language. There are also vowel sounds that make me think that as well.
However I am surprised by the number of nasal sounds but then that doesn’t mean it isn’t southern African.
The nasalized vowels, tonal quality, labialized glides, and possible French loans make me think of West African languages like Twi. (Actually the French should make me think of languages in Francophone countries, while Twi is spoken in Ghana.) But this is not a well-researched guess, so I’m not confident.
In the sample the word “Bakashi” is mentioned, and that is a town in western Nigeria. It sounds a bit like a language of that region, but not quite. So far the thorough research 🙂
It’s an Atlantic-Congo branch language called Ubang (southeastern Nigeria).
There’s something in the timbre of the voice that makes me think it is a Bantu or at least southern African language. There are also vowel sounds that make me think that as well.
However I am surprised by the number of nasal sounds but then that doesn’t mean it isn’t southern African.
The nasalized vowels, tonal quality, labialized glides, and possible French loans make me think of West African languages like Twi. (Actually the French should make me think of languages in Francophone countries, while Twi is spoken in Ghana.) But this is not a well-researched guess, so I’m not confident.
In the sample the word “Bakashi” is mentioned, and that is a town in western Nigeria. It sounds a bit like a language of that region, but not quite. So far the thorough research 🙂
It’s an Atlantic-Congo branch language called Ubang (southeastern Nigeria).
It’s interesting, because in Ubang you have a different lexicon for men and women. See https://www.myjoyonline.com/world/2018/august-23rd/the-nigerian-village-where-men-and-women-speak-different-languages.php
Alex is right – the answer is Ubang, a Bendi language spoken in Cross River State in southern Nigeria.
The recording comes from YouTube: