Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Uvbie language

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Native to
  
Nigeria

Ethnicity
  
Urhobo

ISO 639-3
  
evh

Region
  
Delta State

Native speakers
  
20,000 (2000)

Language family
  
Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Volta–Niger yeai Edoid Southwestern Uvbie

Uvbie (Uvwie, Evrie, or Evhro) is a Niger Congo language spoken by the Uvwie people of southern Nigeria. It is classified alongside Urhobo, Okpe, Isoko and Eruwa as co-ordinate members of South-western Edoid branch of Proto Edoid language spoken by the Uvwie people of southern Nigeria.

Phonology

The phonemic inventory of Uvwie, amongst other things, consists of seven vowels. Although earlier studies identified nine vowels in two harmonic sets, /i e a o u/ and /ɪ ɛ a ɔ ʊ/.

The consonant system is somewhat conservative, and nearly the same as that of Urhobo. The only significant differences are the loss of ɸ, ɣ, and of the distinction between l and n: these alternate, depending on whether the following vowel is oral or nasal. /ɾ, ʋ, j, w/ also have nasal allophones before nasal vowels.

References

Uvbie language Wikipedia