Tegem, also Jebel Tekeim, is a Niger–Congo language spoken in Kordofan, Sudan. It is sometimes considered a dialect of Lafofa, which is poorly attested.

Phonology

Consonants

LabialDentalAlveolarRetroflexPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosivevoicelesspʈck
voicedbɟɡ
prenasalᵐbⁿd̪ᶯɖᶮɟᵑɡ
Nasalmnɲŋ
Rhoticrɽ
Sonorantwlɫjh
  • Labialization [ʷ] is also said to occur among sounds.
  • The following sounds can occur as geminated, [bː, mː, t̪ː, d̪ː, rː, lː, ɫː, ʈː, cː, ɟː, kː].

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closeiu
ɪʊ
Close-mideo
Open-midɛʌɔ
Openæaɑ
  • Vowel length is also distinctive.

Sources

  • Roger Blench, 2011 (ms), "Does Kordofanian constitute a group and if not, where does its languages fit into Niger-Congo?"