| Gola | |
|---|---|
| Gola,ꖑꕞ | |
| Native to | WesternLiberia & along the border withSierra Leone |
| Ethnicity | Gola |
Native speakers | 200,000 (2019–2020)[1] |
| Latin script,Vai script,Gola script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | gol |
| Glottolog | gola1255 |
Gola is a language ofLiberia andSierra Leone. It was traditionally classified as anAtlantic language, but this is no longer accepted in more recent studies.
Gola is not closely related to other languages and appears to form its own branch of theNiger–Congo language family.[2] Previously, Fields (2004) had classified Gola as a Mel language most closely related toBullom andKisi.[3]
According toEthnologue, Gola is spoken in widespread regions acrossLiberia. It is spoken inGbarpolu County,Grand Cape Mount County, andLofa County (between theMano River andSaint Paul River), as well as in inland areas ofBomi County andMontserrado County.
Dialects are Deng (Todii), Kongba, and Senje.
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | pb | td | tʃdʒ | kg | kpgb | |
| Implosive | ɓ | |||||
| Fricative | fv | sz | h | |||
| Nasal | mm̥ | nn̥ | ɲ | ŋ | ŋm | |
| Approximant | w | l | j |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | iiː | uuː | |
| Mid-high | e | o | |
| Mid-low | ɛɛː | ɔɔː | |
| Low | aaː |
There are at least two tones: high and low. Middle, falling, and rising tones can also be found, but may be allophones conditioned by the presence certain consonants that have a lowering or raising effect on the pronunciation of the tone.[4]
Multiple writing systems have been used to transcribe the Gola language. Until recently, theVai script was used across Liberia and Sierra Leone.[5]
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