Niellim language
# Niellim language

The Niellim language (autonym lwaà) is a Bua language spoken by some 5,000 people (as of 1993) along the Chari River in southern Chad. It is mainly spoken in two areas: one around the city of Sarh (to which many - perhaps most - speakers have migrated) and one, its traditional home, further north, between about 9°30′ and 9°50′ N, corresponding to the former chiefdoms of Pra, Niellim, and Niou.

Niellim borders on several languages of diverse families – in particular Sara, Ndam, and Laal – and is influenced by the local lingua franca, Baguirmi; it has itself strongly influenced Laal, but also apparently has been influenced by Laal, or a relative of Laal, since much of the common Laal–Niellim vocabulary is not Bua. It is notably homogeneous. As a small minority in Chad, its speakers usually have to learn other languages, mostly (as of 1974) Baguirmi, Sara, Arabic, and Bua.

## Phonology

The consonants are:

| | | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stop | voiceless | p | t | c | k | ʔ |
| Stop | plain voiced | b | d | ɟ | g | |
| Stop | prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | |
| Stop | Implosive | ɓ | ɗ | | | |
| Fricative | Fricative | | s | | | h |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Nasal approximant | Nasal approximant | | | | w̃ | |
| Approximant | Approximant | | l | j | w | |
| Trill | Trill | | r | | | |

The vowels are /i/, /ɨ/, /u/, /e/, /ə/, /a/, and /o/ as well as the diphthongs, /ja/ and wa; all except /ɨ/ can also be given contrastive length and nasalization. Complex vowel harmony, rather similar to that found in Laal, is observable.

There are three tone levels: low, mid, high. Any syllable must bear at least one tone; it may bear any combination of two tones, or one of three three-tone combinations: LML, MLH, or HLH.

## Grammar

### Syntax

The typical word order is subject–verb–object (though this can be affected by topic fronting); preposition - prepositional object (- postposition); noun - adjective; possessed - possessor. However, possessive pronouns precede the noun.

### Pronouns

The basic personal pronouns include: n "I", m "you", r "he, she, it" (with low tone as subjects, high tone as objects), í "you (pl.)", á "they". ("We" does not appear in sources so far examined by the editors.)

### Nouns

Noun plural formation is quite complex, and includes some apparent relics of a now-absent noun class system; the commonest ways include combinations of internal vowel ablaut, the suffix -gɨ, a change l/n > r, and/or replacing final -a with -i.

### Verbs

Each verb has two forms: indicative and optative ("injunctive" in Boyeldieu's terminology.) They are distinguished by tonal pattern.

Verbs may be preceded by various particles to indicate tense, aspect, and mood: for instance wò continuous, ɓə future, ká obligation. Indirect quoted speech is preceded with the particle ɓə "that".

Verbal nouns may be formed by changing the tone pattern and/or suffixing -li or -la (in which the l becomes n following a nasal) together with internal vowel ablaut.

Verb derivational suffixes include -n intensive (realized as -nì or -ɨ̀n, e.g. nun "bite" > nùnɨ̀n "gnaw", and sometimes causing internal ablaut), and -gɨ̀ mediopassive (sometimes -gi or -gu, rarely causes internal ablaut).

### Prepositions

Common prepositions include gɨ̀ "to (dative)", naà "with", ti "to".

## Examples

* ɓá̰ tɨba ti ʔùu:l, sì sì, tén w̃àɲ, kà ŕ lápyaà.

    child fall road, go go, find chief, do him hello.
    The child set off, walked and walked, found the chief and greeted him.
* á na ŕ ndúu: ní ŕ ɲì.

    they give him water he drink
    They gave him water to drink.
* jée:l lá ŕ ʔwa̰ ŕ ɓi:r tén w̃àɲ:

    evening too he get-up he ask chief:
    In the evening he got up and asked the chief:
* w̃àɲ, ɲìin hina ḿ ɓá̰ tàa:m. ɛɛ̀, pàáy kəə̀y? ǹ tà:m ḿ ɓá̰ càaw.

    chief I(emph.) come you child seek, eh, is-it what?, I want you child marry (verbal noun)
    "Chief, I have come to seek your daughter; I want to marry your daughter."

(From a story recounted by Dakour Yalka Ali, in Boyeldieu 1985, p. 10)

