Izere is a dialect continuum of Plateau languages in Nigeria. According to Blench (2008), it is four languages, though Ethnologue does not distinguish NW and NE Izere. The Cen and Ganang varieties are spoken by only 2000 each. Cen has added Berom noun-class prefixes and consonant alternation to an Izere base.
Dialects Blench (2019) lists the following Izere dialects.
Fobur Northeastern (Federe) Southern (Foron) Ichèn Faishang Ganang
Phonology The Izere phonetic inventory includes 29 consonants and seven vowels and distinguishes three tone levels; two additional contour tones appear only rarely, in loanwords and due to onomatopoeia.
Consonants The consonant phonemes of Izere are shown in the following table.
Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Palato-alveolar Palatal Velar Labial–velar Glottal Stop Nasal Trill () Fricative Affricate Approximant , Lateral
Vowels The vowel phonemes of Izere are shown in the following table. + Vowel phonemes Front Back Close Close-mid Open-mid Open
Tonemes There are three level (L, M & H) and two contour tonemes (LM & HL) in Izere; the latter two are found only in loanwords and onomatopoeia.
References
Blench (2008) Prospecting proto-Plateau. Manuscript.
External links
Roger Blench: Izere page