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Anii

Anii is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Benin and Togo. Glottolog rates it threatened.

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Anii · 9.1°N 1.6°E

The Anii is a Guan language (sometimes called Bassila or Baseca, also known as Oji-Ouji, Ouinji-Ouinji, Winji-Winji, though this is derogatory) which is spoken in Benin, central-eastern Togo and central eastern Ghana by Makɔ-Makua or Bakɔ-Bakua clan. It is part of the geographic group of Ghana Togo Mountain languages (formerly known as the Togorestsprachen or Togo Remnant languages) of the Kwa branch of Niger–Congo.

There are four major dialect groups in Anii, which are quite different from each other, even to the point that some of the dialects are not mutually intelligible. These differences may include variation in phonology (including tonology), lexicon, syntax, and semantics. There are significant differences from village to village within groups, particularly regarding pronunciation.

The name "Anii" was chosen in May 1979 by the Anii people as the official name for the language because it is a word that is common to all the Anii dialects. It is an interjection meaning roughly ‘do you hear?’, or ‘do you understand?’ Some of the older names have colonial or derogatory connotations and should no longer be used, and just be kept for reference.

From Wikipedia · Anii language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Anii

MeaningWordRomanization
personrE*
nameyida*
eye5ine*
earato*
noseimoNo*
tooth5io*
tonguedano*
hand5E*
bloodakono*
skinpou*
kneek3wo*
breastrENE*
waterbùtó
firetonu*
sunSile*
starnoropi*
stonetakuwa*
mountainbono*
treeyo*
leafbo*
nightjiboNo*
dogs3na*
fishfili*
onend3N*
two5iw*
In*
youw*
wegi*
drink5em*
seeN3*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

  • AdeleAtlantic-Congo13% alike
  • TsogoAtlantic-Congo13% alike
  • SukumaAtlantic-Congo13% alike
  • MungkipNuclear Trans New Guinea12% alike
  • KrobuAtlantic-Congo12% alike
  • VaiMande12% alike

Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.

Nearby languages

Elsewhere

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Glottolog · anii1245 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · blo