Editing Aja language (Nilo-Saharan)

{{Short description|Central Sudanic language}}
{{Distinguish|Adja language}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Aja
|states=[[South Sudan]], [[Central African Republic]]
|ethnicity=[[Aja people (South Sudan)|Aja people]]
|speakers=200 
|date=1993
|ref=e18
|familycolor=Nilo-Saharan
|fam2=[[Central Sudanic languages|Central Sudanic]]?
|fam3=[[Birri language|Birri]]–Kresh
|fam4=[[Kresh languages|Kresh]]
|iso3=aja
|glotto=ajas1235
|glottorefname=Aja (Sudan)
}}
[[Image:Darfur Linguistic Map.svg|thumb|right|Linguistic map of the non-Arab peoples of Darfur, showing the extent of the Kresh languages in Sudan.]]

'''Aja''' is a [[Central Sudanic languages|Central Sudanic language]] spoken in the southern [[South Sudan]]ese province of [[Bahr el Ghazal (region of South Sudan)|Bahr el Ghazal]] and along the South Sudanese border in the [[Central African Republic]].  Although the Aja are ethnically [[Kresh people|Kresh]], their language is unintelligible to other [[Kresh languages]]. It is largely [[Banda languages|Banda]] in vocabulary, though it remains Kresh in structure. Most members of the tribe are bilingual in Kresh.  Alternate spellings are '''Adja''' and '''Ajja'''.

== Phonology ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Aja consonants<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Santandrea |first=Stefano |url=https://phoible.org/sources/1250_kresh_aja |title=The Kresh group: Aja and Baka Languages (Sudan) |date=1976 |publisher=Istituto Universitario Orientale |location=Napoli |language=en}}</ref>
!
!Bilabial
!Labiodental
!Dental
!Alveolar
!Postalveolar
!Retroflex
!Palatal
!Velar
!Pharyngeal
!Glottal
|-
!Plosive
|{{IPA link|p}} {{IPA link|b}} {{IPA link|ɓ}}
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|
|{{IPA link|t}} {{IPA link|d}} {{IPA link|ɗ}}
|
|{{IPA link|ʈ}} {{IPA link|ɖ}}
|{{IPA link|c}} {{IPA link|ɟ}}
|{{IPA link|k}} {{IPA link|ɡ}}
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|-
!Nasal
|{{IPA link|m}}
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|
|{{IPA link|n}}
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|{{IPA link|ɲ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
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|-
!Trill
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|{{IPA link|r}}
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|-
!Tap or Flap
|
|{{IPA link|ⱱ}}
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|{{IPA link|ɾ}}
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|-
!Affricate
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|{{IPA link|ts}}
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|{{IPA link|tɕ}} {{IPA link|dʑ}}
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|-
!Fricative
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|{{IPA link|f}} {{IPA link|v}}
|{{IPA link|θ}}
|{{IPA link|s}}
|{{IPA link|ʃ}} {{IPA link|ʒ}}
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|{{IPA link|x}} {{IPA link|ɣ}}
|{{IPA link|ħ}} {{IPA link|ʕ}}
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
!Approximant
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|{{IPA link|j}}
|{{IPA link|w}}
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!Lateral approximant
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|{{IPA link|l}}
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|}

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Aja vowels<ref name=":0" />
!
!Front
!Near-front
!Central
!Near-back
!Back
|-
!Close
|i
|
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|u
|-
!Near-close
|
|ɪ
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|ʊ
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|-
!Close-mid
|e
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|o
|-
!Mid
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|-
!Open-mid
|ɛ
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|ɔ
|-
!Near-open
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|ɐ
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|-
!Open
|a
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|
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Languages of South Sudan}}
{{Central Sudanic languages}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aja Language (Nilo-Saharan)}}
[[Category:Central Sudanic languages]]
[[Category:Languages of South Sudan]]
[[Category:Languages of the Central African Republic]]
[[Category:Kresh languages]]

{{Ns-lang-stub}}
{{SouthSudan-stub}}
{{CentralAfricanRepublic-stub}}