Kpan language

Wikipedia

Kpan
Native toNigeria
RegionTaraba State
Native speakers
(11,000 cited 2000)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3kpk
Glottologkpan1246
ELPKpan

Kpan is a Jukunoid language[2] of Taraba State, Nigeria. There are several dialects.

Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists Gayan, Gindin Dutse, Kato Bagha, Likam, Suntai, and Wukari villages, which are distributed in Sardauna, Takum, and Wukari LGAs.

Phonology

Kpan has the following phonology[3]

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal (alveolar) Velar Labiovelar
Stop p, b, ᵐb t, d, ⁿd k, g, ᵑɡ kʷ, gʷ
Affricate t͡s, d͡z
Fricative f, v s, z ʃ, ʒ x, ɣ
Trill r
Aproximant j w
Vowels
Front Middle Back
High i u
High Mid e o
Low a
  1. Vowels can be nasalized, turning preceding pre nasalized stops in nasals
  2. There is no stress
  3. The syllable structure is (C)(C)V of which the second consonat can be /ʃ, ʒ, j, k, g, w/, [ŋ]
  4. There are 3 level tones

References

  1. Kpan at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Kpan". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. "LAPSyD - Lyon-Albuquerque Phonological Systems Database". lapsyd.huma-num.fr. Retrieved 2025-12-20.