Fon-gbe

The Fongbe (local name: Fɔngbe ) or Fon is a common language employed with the Bénin, the Nigeria and the Togo. It was the subject of several linguistic studies (phonology, lexicon and syntax).

majority Language of Benign the, Fon is practiced by nearly 50% of the population, mainly with the south and center of the country. It was the official language of the old kingdom of the Dahomey (Danxome). Today it is used on the radios and television public and deprived of the Benign one. It is employed in the programmes of elimination of illiteracy and education of the adults.

In Nigeria, it is used in south-west. To Togo, she is spoken in the center and the south.

Fongbe is the native tongue of the singer of Beninese origin Angélique Kidjo.

The word of this language most known on the international plan is vodun (Vaudou) which means " divinity”, “dieu" and which was acclimatized to Haiti by the slaves. It is the origin of the Haitian vodu there.

See too

Languages Kwa

External bonds

the language fongbe of the Benign one: site especially conceived for the thorough training of this language

Elements of bibliography

Gbéto, Flavien. 2000. Linguistic loans of European origin in Fon (New Kwa, Gbe: Benign). Köln: Rüdiger Köppe . language Fon (fon-gbe) is a group of dialects which belongs to the Gbe languages of Benign and of Togo. He is mainly spoken in the coastal area, and, like common language, increases gradually in the north parts of the Benign one. The study treats the lexical innovations of European origin in Fon-gbe. Firstly, it contrasts of the European phonemes with their counterparts in fon-gbe, and then analyzes the specific integration of the loanwords of Portuguese, French and English origin in the phonological structure of the Fon language. After the analysis of the phonemic integration of these foreign words, the author widens his analysis with the aspects tonologic of this process. The following chapters treat the phenomenon of the syllabic assimilation of the first names of European origin in fon-gbe and the integration of the verbs and verbal expressions French in the target language. The book is based over 16 years of work of intensive collection of data on the ground by the author. It differs from former work by its systematic character you it meticulousness of the analyzes. Comment (Michel Ahohounkpanzon): It would be desirable that same work is made compared to the lexical loans of the fon-gbe to other nonEuropean languages like the Arab and to the African languages like Yoruba and Raised it. Examples: Thursday: lamisi-gbe (Arab); peace: alafia (raised). ''
Guédou, Georges A.G., 1985: . Xó and gbè, language and culture at Fon (Benign) . Languages and African cultures 4 Paris, SELAF, 1985.

Guillet, Gerard. 1972. Initiation with the tonality and the grammar of the language Fon, 242 p., Format: 27 X 21 cm. Cotonou, Notre Dame Bookstore. : '' It is a handbook intended for the people not being informed any of the languages for tons. It presents the rules of the tonality and the grammar of the language fon as well as specificities of its writing. One can find also there the mechanisms of language teaching fon. This work includes/understands four parts: To write and read the language fon (12 p.); To understand and speak the language fon in 20 lessons with exercises, (108 p. and 17 p. of images; 21 simple and progressive conversations (24 p.); Great rules of the tonality (38 p.); Examples of terminologies [French - National languages; (Basket making) Plate in basket making - atε; Agriculture) To collect - ya; (Zoology) Hyena - hla ; (Morphology) Bump - kpo . Michel Ahohounkpanzon]

Höftmann, Hildegard (2003). Dictionary fon-French, with a grammatical draft . In collaboration with Michel Ahohounkpanzon. (Westafrikanische Studien: Frankfurter Beiträge zur Sprach- und Kulturgeschichte, 27.) Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. ISBN 3-89645-463-3. P 424. .

Lefebvre, Claire & Anne-Marie Brousseau (2002). has Grammar Fongbe off. (Sheep Grammar Library, 25.) Berlin: Sheep of Gruyter . .