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Klao language

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Kru language spoken in Liberia
Klao
Kru
Native toLiberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Guinea
EthnicityKru people
Native speakers400,000 (2020)
Language familyNiger–Congo?
Language codes
ISO 639-3klu
Glottologklao1243
A Klao speaker in Liberia.

Klao (also Klaoh), or Kru, is a Kru language of the Niger–Congo language family, spoken primarily in Liberia, with some speakers also in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Guinea. It uses SVO word order for main clauses and SOV for embedded clauses. A Klao translation of the Bible by missionary Nancy Lightfoot was released in 2000. The language has Western, West Central, Central, and Eastern dialects.

Phonology

Consonants

Klao consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labio-
velar
plain lab.
Plosive voiceless p t c k k͡p
voiced b d ɟ ɡ͡b
Fricative f s
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ ŋ͡m
Lateral l
Approximant w j
  • /l/ may also be heard as flap sounds or .

Vowels

Klao vowels
Front Central Back
Close i ĩ u ũ
Close-mid e ə ə̃ ɵ ɵ̃ o
Open-mid ɛ ɛ̃ ɔ ɔ̃
Open a ã
  • Sounds /ə, ə̃, ɵ, ɵ̃/ may also be heard as among dialects.

References

  1. Klao at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. "The GOOD NEWS News". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
  3. Ethnologue report for language code:klu
  4. ^ Duitsman, John; Bertkau, Jana; Laesch, James (1975). A Survey of Kru Dialects. Studies in African Linguistics 6(1). pp. 77–103.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Lightfoot, Nancy (1974). Tones on Kru Monosyllables. Anthropological Linguistics, 16(9). pp. 425–441.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. Singler, John Victor (1983). Vowel harmony in Klao: linear and nonlinear analysis. Studies in African Linguistics 14(1). pp. 1–33.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Languages of Liberia
Official language
Indigenous languages
Manding
Kru
Other
Creole languages
Languages of Sierra Leone
Official language
Indigenous languages
Creole languages
Kru languages
Eastern
Western
Grebo
Wee
Others
Others


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