Bilen language

Spoken in

  • Afro-Asiatic Cushitic Zentralkuschitisch Blin

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Byn

Blin ( Bilen or even Bilin; proper name ብሊና b ( ə ) lina ) is a Cushitic language, which is spoken by 70,000 people around Keren in Eritrea.

Language situation

The Blin is especially with the neighboring language Tigre in close contact. In the town of Keren many Blin speakers also speak Tigre, Tigrinya and Arabic.

Blin is recognized as one of nine " national languages ​​" of Eritrea that apply formally as equal ( in fact Tigrinya and Arabic have by far the greatest importance as official languages).

Phonology

Consonants

Status of ʔ as a phoneme is controversial. The volume ʧ occurs only in foreign words.

Vowels

Font

The Ge'ez alphabet was introduced by missionaries in the 19th century. It is mostly used today, but contains additional characters for exclusive phonemes of Blin:

Language family Keren, Eritrea Tigre language Bilabial consonant Labiodental consonant Alveolar consonant Palatal consonant Velar consonant Pharyngeal consonant Glottal consonant Voiced bilabial stop Voiceless alveolar stop Voiced alveolar stop Voiceless velar stop Voiced velar stop Bilabial nasal Alveolar nasal Velar nasal Fricative consonant Voiceless labiodental fricative Voiceless alveolar fricative Voiced alveolar fricative Voiceless palato-alveolar sibilant Voiceless velar fricative Voiceless pharyngeal fricative Voiced pharyngeal fricative Voiceless glottal fricative Approximant consonant Palatal approximant Roundedness Close central unrounded vowel Close back rounded vowel Close-mid front unrounded vowel Back vowel Open front unrounded vowel
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