Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
9 thoughts on “Language quiz”
Syllable timing. Five vowels with some diphthongs. Possibly a few ejectives.
Didn’t hear any ejectives, but otherwise I agree with Daniel. I get the impression that this is a non-tonal language of Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, but I can’t get more specific than that. Are we on the right track?
It sounds like a creole/pidgin based on Spanish or Portuguese to me!
Sameer – this language is spoken in Africa, but not in Franophone Africa.
There are only about four or five Portuguese-based creoles spoken in sub-Saharan Africa. I’m tempted to lean toward it being one of those based on the five vowel system and lack of tones.
It isn’t a creole, but may have some influence from Portuguese.
The language is Oshiwambo, a Bantu language spoken in Namibia and Angola.
oh how fun! I thought it was an african language . nice blog, just stumbled across it, how many languages do you speak? (fluently! lol)
Karen – I speak five languages more or less fluently (English, French, Welsh, Irish and Mandarin), six others farily well, and know the basics of about 12 more.
Syllable timing. Five vowels with some diphthongs. Possibly a few ejectives.
Didn’t hear any ejectives, but otherwise I agree with Daniel. I get the impression that this is a non-tonal language of Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa, but I can’t get more specific than that. Are we on the right track?
It sounds like a creole/pidgin based on Spanish or Portuguese to me!
Sameer – this language is spoken in Africa, but not in Franophone Africa.
There are only about four or five Portuguese-based creoles spoken in sub-Saharan Africa. I’m tempted to lean toward it being one of those based on the five vowel system and lack of tones.
It isn’t a creole, but may have some influence from Portuguese.
The language is Oshiwambo, a Bantu language spoken in Namibia and Angola.
The recording comes from YouTube.
oh how fun! I thought it was an african language . nice blog, just stumbled across it, how many languages do you speak? (fluently! lol)
Karen – I speak five languages more or less fluently (English, French, Welsh, Irish and Mandarin), six others farily well, and know the basics of about 12 more.
See: http://www.omniglot.com/language/learning/index.htm