Kalabari language

Kalabari is an Ijo language of Nigeria spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State by the Awome people.^[3] Its three dialects are mutually intelligible.^{[citation needed]} 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.

Kalabari
Ibani–Kalabari–Kirike
Native to	Nigeria
Region	Rivers State
Ethnicity	Kalabari, Ibani
Native speakers	(570,000 cited 1989–1995)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Ijoid Ijaw East Kalabari
Dialects	Kalabari Ibani (Bonny)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: ijn – Kalabari iby – Ibani okr – Kirike
Glottolog	kaki1246
ELP	Kalabari
	Kirike[2]

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."^[4]

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.^[5]

Kalabari-language words have been proposed for some modern technical terms.^[6]

Dialects

Kalabari is spoken south of Port Harcourt.

Ibani is spoken southeast of Port Harcourt, in the Bonny local government area and in Opobo.

Kirike is spoken in Port Harcourt and the local government areas of Okrika and Ogu–Bolo.

Writing system

Ibani alphabet^[7]

a

b

ḅ

d

e

ẹ

f

g

gb

gh

gw

h

i

ị

j

k

kp

kw

l

m

n

nw

ny

o

ọ

p

r

s

t

u

ụ

v

w

y

z

Kirike alphabet^[8]

a

b

ḅ

ch

d

ḍ

e

ẹ

f

g

gb

gw

h

i

ị

j

k

kp

kw

l

m

n

ñ

nw

ny

o

ọ

p

r

s

t

u

ụ

v

w

y

z

See also

• Defaka word list (Wiktionary)