Hədi
Hdi
Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, Central, Mafa-Bata subgroup)
Hdi (formerly Hidé, Hide) is a Chadic language of the Mandara Mountains in northern Cameroon, near the Nigerian border. It is famous in linguistic literature for being one of the few documented African languages with an [+/-ATR] vowel harmony system fully comparable to West African Atlantic-Congo languages, despite its Afro-Asiatic affiliation. Hdi has a rich glottal-consonant inventory including voiced and voiceless implosives (ɓ, ɗ), and Frajzyngier's 2002 reference grammar is a major work in Chadic linguistics. The Hdi people are subsistence farmers in the rocky Mandara terrain.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Hdi
Water
yam
/jam/
Fire
hu
/hu/
Sun
vah
/vah/
Moon
ʔir
/ʔir/
Star
gùvàkw
/ɡuvakʷ/
Mother
nəh
/nəh/
Father
baba
/baba/
I
yà
/ja/
You
kà
/ka/
Name
ɮùm
/ɮum/
Eye
ɓah
/ɓah/
Hand
xen
/xen/
Heart
ɓal
/ɓal/
Love
ɓəz
/ɓəz/
Tree
ʔən
/ʔən/
House
gay
/ɡaj/
Dog
ɓəzaŋ
/ɓəzaŋ/
Cat
mərz
/mərz/
Eat
za
/za/
Drink
sa
/sa/
One
kələ
/kələ/
Two
sìɗá
/siɗa/
Hello
ʔaza
/ʔaza/
Thank you
ʔusi
/ʔusi/
Good
ɗəfa
/ɗəfa/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, Central, Mafa-Bata subgroup) languages
| Meaning | Hdi | Daba | Kera | Blin | Kabardian | Tigrinya | Kabyle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | yam /jam/ | yam /jam/ | mam /mam/ | አኳ /akwa/ | псы /psə/ | ማይ /maj/ | aman /aman/ |
| Fire | hu /hu/ | kʷu /kʷu/ | ákə̀rə /akərə/ | ላእ /laʔ/ | мафӏэ /mafʼa/ | ሓዊ /ħawi/ | times /timəs/ |
| Sun | vah /vah/ | ɓa /ɓa/ | kêr /keːɾ/ | ኤርሕ /erəħ/ | дыгъэ /dəʁa/ | ጸሓይ /tsʼəħaj/ | iṭij /itˤiʒ/ |
| Moon | ʔir /ʔir/ | paɗ /paɗ/ | mə̀sə̀rə /məsərə/ | ቸራ /tʃəra/ | мазэ /maza/ | ወርሒ /wərħi/ | aggur /aɡːuɾ/ |
| Star | gùvàkw /ɡuvakʷ/ | gwevar /ɡʷevar/ | tùwrò /tuwro/ | ኰኵብ /kʷəkʷəb/ | вагъуэ /waːʁʷa/ | ኮኸብ /koˈxəb/ | itri /itri/ |
| Mother | nəh /nəh/ | mma /mːa/ | nâ /naː/ | እና /əna/ | анэ /ana/ | ኣደ /ʔaddə/ | yemma /jəmːa/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | daa /daː/ | bâ /baː/ | አባ /aba/ | адэ /ada/ | ኣቦ /ʔabbo/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | yà /ja/ | nə /nə/ | kə́ŋ /kəŋ/ | አን /an/ | сэ /sa/ | ኣነ /ˈʔanä/ | nekk /nəkː/ |
| You | kà /ka/ | ka /ka/ | kə /kə/ | እንቲ /ʔənti/ | уэ /wa/ | ንስኻ /nɨsˈxa/ | kečč /kətʃː/ |
| Name | ɮùm /ɮum/ | zlim /ɮim/ | sumo /sumo/ | ስም /səm/ | цӀэ /tsʼə/ | ስም /sɨm/ | isem /isəm/ |
| Eye | ɓah /ɓah/ | ɓəh /ɓəh/ | gìr /ɡir/ | ኢላ /ila/ | нэ /na/ | ዓይኒ /ʕajni/ | tiṭ /titˤ/ |
| Hand | xen /xen/ | xən /xən/ | kéu /keu/ | አንካዕ /ankaʕ/ | ӏэ /ʔa/ | ኢድ /ʔid/ | afus /afus/ |
| Heart | ɓal /ɓal/ | ɓəl /ɓəl/ | gùm /ɡum/ | ሊባ /liba/ | гу /ɡʷə/ | ልቢ /lɨbbi/ | ul /ul/ |
| Love | ɓəz /ɓəz/ | saw /saw/ | kùm /kum/ | ኩረቦ /kurəbo/ | лъагъуныгъэ /ɬaʁʷənəʁa/ | ፍቕሪ /fɨqʼɾi/ | tayri /tajɾi/ |
| Tree | ʔən /ʔən/ | hin /hin/ | kòsō /kosoː/ | ሐጨር /ħətʃər/ | жыг /ʒəɡ/ | ኦም /ʔom/ | ttejra /tːəʒɾa/ |
| House | gay /ɡaj/ | gəy /ɡəj/ | gòl /ɡol/ | ጊና /ɡina/ | унэ /wəna/ | ገዛ /ɡəza/ | axxam /aχːam/ |
| Dog | ɓəzaŋ /ɓəzaŋ/ | ɓəzaŋ /ɓəzaŋ/ | kŋā /kŋaː/ | ጋቢራ /ɡabira/ | хьэ /ħa/ | ከልቢ /kəlbi/ | aydi /ajdi/ |
| Cat | mərz /mərz/ | mərz /mərz/ | mūsā /muːsaː/ | ሐራ /ħara/ | джэду /dʒadu/ | ድሙ /dɨmmu/ | amcic /amʃiʃ/ |
| Eat | za /za/ | za /za/ | nà /na/ | ምሰራ /məsəra/ | шхэн /ʃxan/ | ምብላዕ /mɨblaʕ/ | ečč /ətʃː/ |
| Drink | sa /sa/ | sa /sa/ | sā /saː/ | መዕያ /mətʕəja/ | ефэн /jafan/ | ምስታይ /mɨstaj/ | sew /səw/ |
| One | kələ /kələ/ | mma /mːa/ | ká /ka/ | አሬ /are/ | зы /zə/ | ሓደ /ħadə/ | yiwen /jiwən/ |
| Two | sìɗá /siɗa/ | sɨla /sɨla/ | cèw /tʃɛw/ | ልኛ /ləŋa/ | тӀу /tʷʼə/ | ክልተ /kɨlˈtə/ | sin /sin/ |
| Hello | ʔaza /ʔaza/ | salaŋ /salaŋ/ | ásālāmā /asaːlaːmaː/ | ኢራዋ /irawa/ | фӏэхъус /fʼaqʷəs/ | ሰላም /səlam/ | azul /azul/ |
| Thank you | ʔusi /ʔusi/ | ndzaŋ /ndzaŋ/ | shùkūr /ʃukuːɾ/ | ቀንየለይ /qənjələj/ | фӏыщӏэ /fʼəʃʼa/ | የቐንየለይ /jɨqʼɨnjɨlɨj/ | tanemmirt /tanəmːiɾt/ |
| Good | ɗəfa /ɗəfa/ | ɗəfa /ɗəfa/ | kúɗá /kuɗa/ | ጨጋ /tʃəɡa/ | фӏы /fʼə/ | ጽቡቕ /tsʼɨbuqʼ/ | yelha /jəlħa/ |
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