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Mantsi language (Nigeria)
Mantsi (also known as Ma’as or Mangas) is an endangered Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Mangas town in Bauchi State, Nigeria.[1] Blench (2020) reports that it is also called Mantsi. According to Blench, the structure of Mantsi differs significantly from the other South Bauchi languages.[2] Word lists of Mantsi had previously been published in Kiyoshi Shimizu's (1978) South Bauchi survey, which first mentioned the existence of the language.[3] An unpublished word list was also recorded by Ronald Cosper (n.d.).[4] NamesMantsi speakers refer to their language as Pyik Mantsi [pʲìk mántsì], and to themselves as the Mantsi [mántsì] people. Although there are fewer than 1,000 speakers, the language is still being spoken by children.[2] DemographicsMantsi is spoken in the single village of Mantsi (locally known as Maɗana [mánànā] or Ma’as [màʔās]) in the southern part of Bauchi LGA, Bauchi State. The Kir [Kyiir] and Laar peoples, who speak closely related but distinct languages, live just to the northeast of Mantsi village in the nearby villages of Kir and Laar, respectively.[2] ClassificationMantsi belongs to the Kir branch of the South Bauchi languages. It is most closely related to Kir and Laar, as shown by the lexical comparisons below.[2]
Mantsi also has some lexical innovations, which are:
PhonologyMantsi has 3 level tones, as well as rising and falling contour tones.[2] GrammarNumber is not marked morphologically.[2] LexiconPlants and animalsSome Mantsi names of plants and animals:[2] NumeralsMantsi numerals:[2]
Notes
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