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Kalabari

Kalabari is an Ijoid language spoken in Nigeria.

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Kalabari · 4.5°N 6.7°E

Kalabari is an Ijo language of Nigeria spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State by the Awome people. Its three dialects are mutually intelligible. The Kalabari dialect (Kalabari proper) is one of the best-documented varieties of Ijo, and as such is frequently used as the prime example of Ijo in linguistic literature.

As of 2005, the language, "spoken by 258,000 people, [was] endangered largely because of the massive relocation that has taken place in the area due to the development of Nigeria's oil industry in the Port Harcourt region."

Berbice Creole Dutch, a recently extinct Dutch Creole formerly spoken in Eastern Guyana, was spoken by descendants of Kalabari speakers. The African element in Berbice Dutch is predominantly Kalabari in origin.

From Wikipedia · Kalabari language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Kalabari

MeaningWordRomanization
nameere*
eyetoruNbo*
earberi*
nosenini*
toothaka*
tonguebele*
handbara*
bloodombiye*
boneimgbe*
skinojukiri*
kneebuokuku*
waterminji
firefini*
sunirua*
stonedubari*
treesin*
nightdin*
dogobiri*
fishinTi*
oneiNei*
twomai*
Iiyeri*
youiyeri*
wewamine*
drinkbu*
seeeri*
hearna*
diefi*
comebo*
pathetela*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

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

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Glottolog · kala1381 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · ijn