Ghomala' language
# Ghomala' language

Ghɔmálá’, or Bamileke-Banjun (Bamiléké-Bandjoun), is a major Bamileke language of Cameroon.

It is spoken by an estimated 1.1 million people in two main population groups.

## Phonology

### Consonants

| | | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | | k | ʔ |
| Plosive | voiced | b | d | | ɡ | |
| Affricate | voiceless | p͡f | t͡s | t͡ʃ | | |
| Affricate | voiced | b͡v | d͡z | d͡ʒ | | |
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | (ʃ) | | h |
| Fricative | voiced | (v) | | (ʒ) | (ɣ) | |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | | ŋ | |
| Approximant | lateral | | (l) | | | |
| Approximant | central | w | | j | | |
| Approximant | centralized | | | ɥ̈ | | |

* The glottal stop /ʔ/ only occurs as word-final.
* Sounds [v l ʃ ʒ ɣ] are alternative consonant sounds of /b͡v d t͡ʃ d͡ʒ ɡ/.
* /t d/, when occurring before close front-central vowel sounds /i ʉ/, can sound palatalized as [tʲ dʲ].
* Sounds /p b t d k/, when preceding a /h/ sound, are realized as affricated [p͡ɸ b͡β t͡θ d͡ð k͡x].
* /ɡ/, when occurring before central vowel sounds /ə ɐ/, may sound affricated as [ɡ͡ɣ].
* A word-final /k/ sound, may be realized as uvular sounds [q χ].

### Vowels

| | Front | Central | Back |
| - | - | - | - |
| High | i | ʉ | u |
| Mid | e | ə | o |
| Mid | ɛ | ɐ | ɔ |
| Low | | a | |

* Sounds /ɐ u ɔ/ when occurring with a velar nasal /ŋ/, can be realized as nasalized vowel sounds [ɐ̃ ũ ɔ̃].

### Tone

Tones are marked as high [á], low [à], central (unmarked) [a], rising [ǎ], or falling [â].

