Inor language

Inor (pronounced [inoːr]), sometimes called Ennemor, is an Afroasiatic language spoken in central Ethiopia. One of the Gurage languages, it is mainly spoken within the Gurage Zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, as well as by speakers of the language who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa. In addition to the morphological complexity that is common to all Semitic languages, Inor exhibits the very complex morphophonology characteristic of West Gurage languages.

Inor
Ennemor
Native toEthiopia
Native speakers
(undated figure of 280,000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ior
Glottologinor1238

Endegegn, Enner, Gyeto, and the extinct dialect Mesmes are all sometimes considered dialects of Inor.

Inor possesses nasal vowels, which are unusual for a Gurage language. Many of these may be the result of historical rhinoglottophilia.

Phonology

Consonants
Inor consonants[2]
labial alveolar alveo-
palatal		 palatal velar glottal
plain labialized plain palatalized lab. plain lab.
Stops and
affricates		 ejective t’tʃ’k’kʲ’kʷ’
voiceless ppʷttʃkkʲkʷʔʔʷ
voiced bbʷddʒɡɡʲɡʷ
Fricatives voiceless ffʷsʃxxʲxʷ
voiced zʒ
Nasals mmʷnɳɲŋ
Approximants plain β̞(l)jw
nasalized β̞̃
Rhotics plain r
nasalized r̃

Vowels
Inor vowels[3]
frontcentralback
high iɨu
mid eəo
low æa

[ɨ] may be regarded as largely epenthetic and only marginally phonemic.[4]

References
  1. Inor at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005)
  2. Chamora & Hetzron (2000:10)
  3. Chamora & Hetzron (2000:13–16)
  4. Chamora & Hetzron (2000:13)

Bibliography
  • Berhanu Chamora. "Consonant distribution in Inor", in: G. Hudson (ed.), Essays on Gurage Language and Culture (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag), pp. 53–67.
  • Chamora, Berhanu; Hetzron, Robert (2000), Inor, Munich: Lincom Europa, ISBN 3-89586-977-5
  • Bustorf, Dirk. (2005). "Ennämor Ethnography”, in: Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 2: D-Ha, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, p. 307-08.
  • Boivin, Robert (1996). "Spontaneous Nasalization in Inor", in: G. Hudson (ed.), Essays on Gurage Language and Culture (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag), pp. 21–33.
  • Hetzron, R. (1977). The Gunnän-Gurage Languages. Napoli: Istituto Orientale di Napoli.
  • Leslau, W. (1979). Etymological Dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic). 3 vols. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-02041-5
  • Leslau, W. (1983). Ethiopians Speak: Studies in Cultural Background. Part V : Chaha - Ennemor. Äthiopistische Forschungen, Band 16. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 3-515-03965-1
  • Leslau, W. (1996). "Inor Lullabies", in: Africa 66/2, pp. 280–287.
  • Voigt, Rainer.(2005). "Ennämor Language”, in: Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, vol. 2: D-Ha, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, p. 307.
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