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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:

Allophones of some of these phonemes include:

• 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.

Tones

Guere is a tonal language and contrasts ten tones:

See also

• Wobe a.k.a. Northern Wè

References

1. Central Gere (Southern Wee) at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
   Neyo (Western Wee) at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
2. Paradis, Carole (1983). Description phonologique du guéré. Abidjan: Institut de Linguistique Appliquée, Université d'Abidjan.

• Wee languages
• Languages of Ivory Coast