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Gude [GDE] (Nigeria, Cameroon). Mo Perrin (per. comm.) reports a labial flap in
Gude. She cites one rare ideophone: LK LK LK LK ‘hit!’.
Kamwe [HIG] (Nigeria). Mohrlang (1972: 23, 35, 42) reports a labiodental
“flapped fricative” in the Nkafa dialect of Kamwe. The sound is included in his phoneme
chart, but he does not provide evidence of contrast. He attests it in the following two
ideophones: L=(L=(L=( L=(L=(L=( ‘signal of distress’ and >LB-( >LB-( >LB-( >LB-( ‘(ideophone)’. He considers it rare.
Marghi Central [MAR] (Nigeria). A labial flap is attested in Marghi by Hoffman
(1963), Ladefoged (1968: 18), Ladefoged (1971: 52), and Ladefoged (1982: 154-5). The
first two sources explicitly mention a flap against the upper teeth. Ladefoged (1968: 18)
indicates that the flap is preceded by a stop in which “the lower lip is tensed against the
upper lip and teeth.” This initial stop has only been attested in Marghi. Hoffman attests
the flap in the following ideophones: >(LK( >(LK( >(LK( >(LK( ‘of sudden appearance and flight’, D=(L=(MK D=(L=(MK D=(L=(MK ‘of
escape of an animal’, =(L=DK =(L=DK =(L=DK =(L=DK ‘of intruding into a place’.
Mukulu [MOZ] (Chad). Jungraithmayr (1990: 196) mentions a labiodental flap as
occuring in the Mokilko dialect of Mukulu. He describes it as a ‘coup fricatif dentilabial’.
This is most likely a labiodental flap, but the description is unclear. He attests it in the
lexical item MK(LK MK(LK MK(LK MK(LK ‘noise of falling in water’.
Pevé [LME] (Chad, Cameroon). Venberg (1975) reports a labial flap in Pevé. He
includes it in his phoneme inventory, but he does not provide clear evidence of contrast.
It does not occur in intervocalic position. Venberg provides the following examples: LE LE LE LE
‘slingshot’ and L= L= L= L= ‘once upon a time’.
Ron [CLA] (Nigeria). Phil Davison (per. comm.) reports a labiodental flap during
the playing of the game awali (popularly known as Mancala in the U.S.). At the point
where the last stone is put in a hole so that a player succeeds in getting the opponent’s
stones, the player exclaims LE LE.
LE LE