Guere language
# Guere language

Guéré (Gere), also called Wè (Wee), is a Kru language spoken by over 300,000 people in the Dix-Huit Montagnes and Moyen-Cavally regions of Ivory Coast.

## Phonology

The phonology of Guere (here the Zagna dialect of Central Guere / Southern Wè) is briefly sketched out below.

### Consonants

The consonant phonemes are as follows:

| | | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labial- velar | Labialized velar |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Stops | voiceless | p | t | c | k | k͡p | kʷ |
| Stops | voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | ɡ͡b | ɡʷ |
| Stops | implosive | ɓ | | | | | |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | ɲ | | | |
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | | | | |
| Fricative | voiced | v | z | | | | |
| Approximant | Approximant | | l | j | | | w |

Allophones of some of these phonemes include:

* [k͡m] is an allophone of /k͡p/ before nasal vowels
* [ŋ͡m] is an allophone of /ɡ͡b/ before nasal vowels
* [ŋʷ] is an allophone of /w/ before nasal vowels
* [ɗ] is an allophone of /l/ in word-initial position
* [r] is an allophone of /l/ after a coronal consonant (alveolar or palatal)

In addition, while the nasal consonants /m, n/ and contrast with /ɓ/ and /l/ before oral vowels, and are thus separate phonemes, before nasal vowels only the nasal consonants occur. /ɓ/ and /l/ do not occur before nasal vowels, suggesting that historically a phonemic merger between these sounds and the nasals /m, n/ may have occurred in this position.

### Vowels

Like many West African languages, Guere makes use of a contrast between vowels with advanced tongue root and those with retracted tongue root. In addition, nasal vowels contrast phonemically with oral vowels.

| | Oral | Oral | Nasal | Nasal |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Front | Back | Front | Back |
| Close (ATR) | i | u | ĩ | ũ |
| Close (RTR) | ɪ | ʊ | ɪ̃ | ʊ̃ |
| Mid (ATR) | e | o | | õ |
| Mid (RTR) | ɛ | ɔ | ɛ̃ | ɔ̃ |
| Open (RTR) | | a | | ã |

### Tones

Guere is a tonal language and contrasts ten tones:

| Tone | IPA | Example | Gloss |
| - | - | - | - |
| Low | ˩ | ɡ͡ba˩ | "to scatter" |
| Mid | ˧ | ɡ͡ba˧ | "to destroy" |
| High | ˦ | mɛ˦ | "to die" |
| Top | ˥ | ji˥ | "full" |
| Low–high rising | ˩˦ | ɡ͡bla˩˦ | "hat" |
| Low–top rising | ˩˥ | k͡plɔ̃˩˥ | "banana" |
| Mid–high rising | ˧˦ | ɓlo˧˦ | "wall" |
| High–top rising | ˦˥ | de˦˥ | "younger brother" |
| High–low falling | ˦˩ | ɡ͡ba˩a˦˩ | "goat" |
| Mid–low falling | ˧˩ | sre˧˩ | "penis" |
