Urhobo language

Urhobo is a South-Western Edoid language spoken by the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria. It is from the Delta and Bayelsa States.

Phonology
Urhobo has a rather reduced system of sound inventory compared to proto-Edoid. The inventory of Urhobo consists of seven vowels; which form two harmonic sets, and.

It has a conservative consonant inventory for an Edoid language. It maintains three nasals, and only five oral consonants,, have nasal allophones before nasal vowels.


 * is interchangeable with only before nasal vowels.
 * can be heard as before non-front vowels.
 * Nasal consonants can have allophones of nasalized approximants as, , ,.
 * Approximants are heard as nasalized approximants  before and after nasal vowels.
 * Velar fricatives can vary from being heard as  to lowered fricatives  and approximants .  can also be heard as a palatal fricative  before.
 * Rhotics may have different realizations as alveolar or retroflex, and can be articulated as approximants, or taps . A retroflex lateral flap  can also be heard in syllable-final position.

According to Anthony Ukere, Urhobo has two tones, a high tone and a low tone. These can also combine to form rising and falling tones.

Syntax
Urhobo has the SVO constituent order type as illustrated with the example below:

Òtítí ò chó ọhọ ná

Otiti 3SG steal.PST hen DET

‘Otiti stole the hen.’

General references

 * Frank Kügler, Caroline Féry, Ruben Van De Vijver (2009) Variation and Gradience in Phonetics and Phonology
 * Okrokoto Ebireri. Ukoko re Ephere R'Urhobo