Mpra

Mprɛ or Mpra is an extinct language spoken in the village of Butei (8°52′N 1°15′W) in central Ghana, located between the towns of Techiman and Tamale near the confluence of the Black and White Voltas. Mprɛ has been difficult to classify due to its divergent vocabulary. It is known from two word lists given in a 1931 article, and the other collected in 1956. Roger Blench considered it to be a possible language isolate, or alternatively a Kwa language.

A poorly attested language spoken in the nearby village of Tuluwe and "Kusawgu Division", Mpur, may also turn out to be yet another language isolate. Both Butei and Tuluwe are located near the village of Mpaha.

Painter (1967) briefly states that "ḿpŕ̩ɛ̀ has died" and that the ethnic group ("the Nnyamase-mprɛ") have "become Nnyamase-Gonja"; he appears to regard it as having been a dialect of Gonja. However, this is based only on the numerals, which are clearly related to Gonja. The rest of the vocabulary is "hard to recognise". Blench presented it initially as a language isolate, but also as a possible Kwa language; he later notes that it "may either be an isolate with [Kwa] borrowings or a highly divergent branch of Kwa".

摘自英文维基百科 · Mpra language · CC BY-SA 4.0