Day (also spelled Daye) is an Adamawa language of southern Chad, spoken by 50,000 or so people southeast of Sarh. Ethnologue reports that its dialects are mutually intelligible, but Blench (2004) lists Ndanga, Njira, Yani, Takawa, as apparently separate languages.
Pierre Nougayrol's publications and field notes of Day from the 1970s constitute almost all of the available materials on the Day language.Nougayrol, Pierre. 1979. Le day de Bouna (Tchad), I: phonologie, syntagmatique nominale, synthématique. (Bibl. de la SELAF (Société des Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France), 71-72.) Paris: Paris. 174pp.Nougayrol, Pierre. 1980. Le Day de Bouna (Tchad), II: Lexique Day-Français, Index Français-Day. (Société d'Études Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France, 77-78.) Paris: Centre National de la Récherche Sciéntifique. 176pp.Nougayrol, P. 1977. Éléments de phonologie du day de Bouna. In Caprile, J.-P. (ed.), Études phonologiques tchadiennes, 213-231. Paris: SELAF.
Güldemann (2018) notes that Day has few morphological and lexical features that are typical of Niger-Congo, and hence cannot be classified with certainty.
Phonology +ConsonantsLabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottalPlosive ImplosivePrenasalizedFricativeNasalApproximant +VowelsFrontCentralBackHigh Mid-high Mid-low Low
There are three tones: high, low, and mid.
Lexicon Some fish names in Day:
Day (Bouna) Scientific name gàgà Chrysichthys auratus jí yēē Hepsetus odoe gūrú Heterobranchus bidorsalis bɔ́gɔ̀ Heterotis niloticus sɔ̄rɔ̄ŋ Ophiocephalus obscurus jīɲ Protopterus annectens kɔ̀tɔ̀kúnɔ̀ Tetraodon fahaka
Other animal names:
kòŋní ʔólò (Pila wernei), a gastropod
Plant names in Day:
Day (Bouna) Scientific name Family njīlī Carissa edulis Apocynaceae vɔ̄r gɔ̀jɔ̀ Amaranthus viridis Amaranthaceae ndūgū re vōō Ampelocissus africana / Ampelocissus multistriata Ampelidaceae rív Annona senegalensis Annonaceae ndáávò Hexalobus monopetalus Annonaceae hádìsó Leptadenia hastata Asclepiadaceae mbɔ̄lɔ̄ Stereospermum kunthianum Bignoniaceae mbéèr Burkea africana Caesalpiniaceae mōkílàŋ Cassia sieberiana Caesalpiniaceae kèŋgèlibā Cassia tora Caesalpiniaceae gív Daniellia oliveri Caesalpiniaceae pōgō Detarium microcarpum Caesalpiniaceae jōŋ, njílà Piliostigma reticulatum / Bauhinia reticulata Caesalpiniaceae sùù Tamarindus indica Caesalpiniaceae kʷéygírá Gynandropsis gynandra Capparidaceae ɲíí dāŋ Vernonia sp. Asteraceae gɔ̀ɔ̄ɲɔ̀ Cochlospermum tinctorium Cochlospermaceae ŋīmí yēē Merremia sp. Convolvulaceae bón Combretum glutinosum Combretaceae kíbāná, kɔ̄r dàr Combretum sp. Combretaceae rɔ̀gɔ̀ Terminalia sp. Combretaceae pálpùū (ré) vōō Commelina benghalensis Commelinaceae pálpùū (ré) táná Commelina forskailii Commelinaceae ɗàlá Citrullus vulgaris Cucurbitaceae jɔ̀gɔ́ Citrullus vulgaris / Colocynthis vulgaris Cucurbitaceae kùsú ŋín yēē Cucumis melo var. agrestis Cucurbitaceae kùsú Cucumis sativus Cucurbitaceae rùúŋ Cucurbita pepo Cucurbitaceae ŋúù Lagenaria siceraria / Lagenaria vulgaris Cucurbitaceae njòrò/gìndɔ́gɔ̀ (ɲíí ndògō) Momordica charantia Cucurbitaceae bēɲ mbɔ̀rɔ́ŋ Bulbostylis sp. Cyperaceae gāgrā Hymenocardia acida Euphorbiaceae kùmɔ̄ Jatropha curcas Euphorbiaceae báná mbéèr Burkea africana / Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthii Euphorbiaceae ŋòórkúmɔ̀ Combretum glutinosum Euphorbiaceae mbɔ̀r Vitellaria paradoxa tree kɔ̀ndì Hymenocardia acida tree sàkàrāàn Cenchrus biflorus Poaceae gàlā táná Cymbopogon giganteus Poaceae bànjá Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum Poaceae mbáà Eleusine coracana var. striata Poaceae tērīm/tērēm Eragrostis cylindrica Poaceae kítíkáŋlá Eragrostis tremula Poaceae tór Imperata cylindrica Poaceae dōr Pennisetum gibbosum Poaceae kàmsà, gɔ̀jɔ̀ Sorghum caudatum var. colorans Poaceae kōró mīɲ Sorghum caudatum var. feterita Poaceae kōró dúŋ-nú Sorghum elegans var. elegans Poaceae mbùl Sorghum guineense var. involutum Poaceae ʔɔ́r (tōō-rɔ̄) Sorghum guineense var. scintillons Poaceae sīɲ bìì Sorghum mellitum var. mellitum Poaceae tíɲā Sorghum membranaceum var. firmius Poaceae mbàtì kóò (var. indurata), mbàtì kóò mānjā Zea mays Poaceae gēr tōō-rɔ̄ Andropogon sp. Poaceae ndàgə̰̀mɔ̀ tèmbè Brachiaria sp. Poaceae bɔ̀gɔ́ gàà Microprotus sp. Poaceae dàlà, sīɲ ndìlà Sorghum sp. Poaceae kīnāvò, vòò Ceiba pentandra tree sōn Vitellaria paradoxa tree kò̰ kūū Asparagus africanus Liliaceae hə̰̄ Dipcadi longifolium Liliaceae ŋìrà bò̰ dàná Gloriosa simplex Liliaceae dúú Hibiscus asper Malvaceae dúú dí njàgá Urena lobata Malvaceae ɗènjī, ŋùúrkútū Strychnos spinosa Loganiaceae kítíjàlà Cissampelos mucronata Menispermaceae kò̰ tōō-rɔ̄ Acacia sieberiana Mimosaceae mbéèr Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthii Mimosaceae lēl Parkia biglobosa Mimosaceae sáàm Prosopis africana Mimosaceae lòò kéré Gisekia pharnaceoides Molluginaceae yāá yēē Boerhavia repens Nyctaginaceae sìɲá Ficus sp. Moraceae tírāáɲ Afrormosia laxiflora Papilionaceae sōō dìm Arachis hypogaea Papilionaceae mbámbàāl Erythrina sigmoidea Papilionaceae gìndī gē Rhynchosia minima Papilionaceae rēɲ ré táná Tephrosia bracteolata Papilionaceae nɔ́n dɔ́gɔ̀ Tephrosia lupinifolia Papilionaceae sàà bíí, sàà bāná, sàà tōō-rɔ̄ Vigna catjang var. sinensis Papilionaceae sōō Voandzeia subterranea Papilionaceae hòg mbúŋ Ceratotheca sesamoides Pedaliaceae sɔ̀n tōō-rɔ̄ Sesamum indicum Pedaliaceae sɔ̀n pùū Sesamum radiatum Pedaliaceae tàv Securidaca longipedunculata Polygalaceae bònò Polypterus bichir Polygalaceae kírùgjú Portulaca oleracea Portulacaceae ŋūtā Sarcocephalus esculentus Rubiaceae hòg nām vàrā Solanum sp. Solanaceae gìmī ré táná Melochia corchorifolia Sterculiaceae sōn Vitellaria paradoxa / Butyrospermum parkii Sapotaceae hòg gìtì kàrā Corchorus tridens Tiliaceae bɔ̄r Grewia mollis Tiliaceae gìmī ré vōō Triumfetta pentandra Tiliaceae kóg/kóò kɔ̀ɔ̄l Triumfetta sp. Tiliaceae laɲ yāā bārá Tribulus terrestris Zygophyllaceae
References
External links Roger Blench, 2004. List of Adamawa languages (ms)