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Gwari is a Nupoid language spoken by the Gbagyi people, which make up over a million people in Nigeria. There are two principal varieties, Gbari (West Gwari) and Gbagyi (East Gwari), which have some difficulty in communication; sociolinguistically they are distinct languages.

Phonology

Vowels

• /i, u, e, o/ can also have allophones .
• Nasal vowels /ĩ, ũ, ẽ, õ/ can also be heard as .

Consonants

• The following sounds may be labialized as /pʷ, bʷ, fʷ, vʷ, kʷ, ɡʷ, mʷ, k͡pʷ, ɡ͡bʷ, hʷ/ and palatalized as /pʲ, bʲ, fʲ, vʲ, kʲ, ɡʲ, mʲ, lʲ, wʲ/.
• Sounds /t, d, s, z, n/ when palatalized are always heard as .
• Sounds /f, b/ can be heard as bilabial sounds in free variation.
• /n/ is heard as velar when preceding velar consonants.
• /n/ becomes a labialized-velar when preceding a /w/.
• Sounds /bʷ, ɡʷ, ɡʲ/ are softened to fricatives when preceding a glide, in medial-intervocalic position.
• /ɡ͡b/ is heard as an implosive in free variation.
• /h/ only has a limited occurrence, but it also may be allophonic with /f/ in Northern Gbagyi. In Southern Gbagyi, is heard in free variation with /j/, when /j/ occurs before /i/ in syllable-final position.
• The palatalized /lʲ/ may also be heard as a central glide .

• The following sounds may be labialized as /pʷ, bʷ, fʷ, vʷ, kʷ, ɡʷ, mʷ/ and palatalized as /pʲ, bʲ, fʲ, vʲ, tʲ, dʲ, kʲ, ɡʲ, mʲ, lʲ, wʲ/.
• Stops may also be heard as post-nasalized as .
• Palatalized sounds /tʲ, dʲ/, typically occur as or in free variation, and as , they can be represented orthographically as <ch, j>. Sounds /s, z, n/ when palatalized are always heard as , and can be represented orthographically as <sh, zh, ny>.
• Sounds /f, fʲ, b/ can be heard as bilabial sounds in free variation.
• /d/ can also be heard as .
• Sounds /b, ɡ/ and /bʷ, ɡʷ, ɡʲ/ are softened to fricatives and when preceding a glide, in medial-intervocalic position.
• /n/ becomes a labialized-velar when preceding a /w/.
• The palatalized /lʲ/ may also be heard in free variation, as a central glide or as a palatalized equivalent .
• /n/ when palatalized is heard as a palatal nasal , and is velar as when preceding velar consonants.

Varieties

Gbagye is also known as Gwari-Matai or Gwarin Ngenge, which are recently adopted cover terms.

There are two separate Gbagyi groups living in:

• Minna and Kuta (more prominent group)
• around Diko, northeast of Suleja

Gbagye is the only Nupoid language that has the bilabial implosive /ɓ/.

Gbagyi (also known as Gwari) is a cover term for all the Gbari-speaking peoples, and includes many varieties.

Gbari-Yama is a cover term used for all southern Gbari dialects. There are two closely related dialects, which are:

• Shigokpna
• Zubakpna

Gbedegi is an extinct language (possibly a Nupe dialect) spoken near Mokwa (Nadel 1941).

References

1. Gbagyi at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
   Gbari at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
2. ^ Rosendall, Heidi James (1992). A phonological study of the Gwari Lects. Dallas, Tex.: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
3. ^ Rosendall, Elias Patrick (1998). Aspects of Gbari Grammar. University of Texas at Arlington.
4. ^ Blench, Roger. 2013. The Nupoid languages of west-central Nigeria: overview and comparative word list.

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