# Day language

Day (also spelled Daye) is an Adamawa language of southern Chad, spoken by 50,000 or so people southeast of Sarh. Ethnologue reports that its dialects are mutually intelligible, but Blench (2004) lists Ndanga, Njira, Yani, Takawa as apparently separate languages.
Pierre Nougayrol's publications and field notes of Day from the 1970s constitute almost all of the available materials on the Day language.
Güldemann (2018) notes that Day has few morphological and lexical features that are typical of Niger-Congo, and hence cannot be classified with certainty.

## Phonology

Consonants :
| | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| Plosive | p b | t d | ɟ | k g | ʔ |
| Implosive | ɓ | ɗ | | | |
| Prenasalized | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑg | |
| Fricative | v | s | | | h |
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Approximant | w | r l | j | | |
Vowels :
| | Front | Central | Back |
| High | i iː | | u uː |
| Mid-high | e eː ẽ ẽː | ə̃ ə̃ː | o oː õ õː |
| Mid-low | | | ɔ ɔː |
| Low | | a aː | |
There are three tones: high, low, and mid.

## Lexicon

Some fish names in Day:
| Day (Bouna) | Scientific name |
| gàgà | Chrysichthys auratus |
| jí yēē | Hepsetus odoe |
| gūrú | Heterobranchus bidorsalis |
| bɔ́gɔ̀ | Heterotis niloticus |
| sɔ̄rɔ̄ŋ | Ophiocephalus obscurus |
| jīɲ | Protopterus annectens |
| kɔ̀tɔ̀kúnɔ̀ | Tetraodon fahaka |
Other animal names:
* kòŋní ʔólò (Pila wernei), a gastropod
Plant names in Day:
| Day (Bouna) | Scientific name | Family |
| njīlī | Carissa edulis | Apocynaceae |
| vɔ̄r gɔ̀jɔ̀ | Amaranthus viridis | Amaranthaceae |
| ndūgū re vōō | Ampelocissus africana / Ampelocissus multistriata | Ampelidaceae |
| rív | Annona senegalensis | Annonaceae |
| ndáávò | Hexalobus monopetalus | Annonaceae |
| hádìsó | Leptadenia hastata | Asclepiadaceae |
| mbɔ̄lɔ̄ | Stereospermum kunthianum | Bignoniaceae |
| mbéèr | Burkea africana | Caesalpiniaceae |
| mōkílàŋ | Cassia sieberiana | Caesalpiniaceae |
| kèŋgèlibā | Cassia tora | Caesalpiniaceae |
| gív | Daniellia oliveri | Caesalpiniaceae |
| pōgō | Detarium microcarpum | Caesalpiniaceae |
| jōŋ, njílà | Piliostigma reticulatum / Bauhinia reticulata | Caesalpiniaceae |
| sùù | Tamarindus indica | Caesalpiniaceae |
| kʷéygírá | Gynandropsis gynandra | Capparidaceae |
| ɲíí dāŋ | Vernonia sp. | Asteraceae |
| gɔ̀ɔ̄ɲɔ̀ | Cochlospermum tinctorium | Cochlospermaceae |
| ŋīmí yēē | Merremia sp. | Convolvulaceae |
| bón | Combretum glutinosum | Combretaceae |
| kíbāná, kɔ̄r dàr | Combretum sp. | Combretaceae |
| rɔ̀gɔ̀ | Terminalia sp. | Combretaceae |
| pálpùū (ré) vōō | Commelina benghalensis | Commelinaceae |
| pálpùū (ré) táná | Commelina forskailii | Commelinaceae |
| ɗàlá | Citrullus vulgaris | Cucurbitaceae |
| jɔ̀gɔ́ | Citrullus vulgaris / Colocynthis vulgaris | Cucurbitaceae |
| kùsú ŋín yēē | Cucumis melo var. agrestis | Cucurbitaceae |
| kùsú | Cucumis sativus | Cucurbitaceae |
| rùúŋ | Cucurbita pepo | Cucurbitaceae |
| ŋúù | Lagenaria siceraria / Lagenaria vulgaris | Cucurbitaceae |
| njòrò/gìndɔ́gɔ̀ (ɲíí ndògō) | Momordica charantia | Cucurbitaceae |
| bēɲ mbɔ̀rɔ́ŋ | Bulbostylis sp. | Cyperaceae |
| gāgrā | Hymenocardia acida | Euphorbiaceae |
| kùmɔ̄ | Jatropha curcas | Euphorbiaceae |
| báná mbéèr | Burkea africana / Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthii | Euphorbiaceae |
| ŋòórkúmɔ̀ | Combretum glutinosum | Euphorbiaceae |
| mbɔ̀r | Vitellaria paradoxa | tree |
| kɔ̀ndì | Hymenocardia acida | tree |
| sàkàrāàn | Cenchrus biflorus | Poaceae |
| gàlā táná | Cymbopogon giganteus | Poaceae |
| bànjá | Dactyloctenium aegyptiacum | Poaceae |
| mbáà | Eleusine coracana var. striata | Poaceae |
| tērīm/tērēm | Eragrostis cylindrica | Poaceae |
| kítíkáŋlá | Eragrostis tremula | Poaceae |
| tór | Imperata cylindrica | Poaceae |
| dōr | Pennisetum gibbosum | Poaceae |
| kàmsà, gɔ̀jɔ̀ | Sorghum caudatum var. colorans | Poaceae |
| kōró mīɲ | Sorghum caudatum var. feterita | Poaceae |
| kōró dúŋ-nú | Sorghum elegans var. elegans | Poaceae |
| mbùl | Sorghum guineense var. involutum | Poaceae |
| ʔɔ́r (tōō-rɔ̄) | Sorghum guineense var. scintillons | Poaceae |
| sīɲ bìì | Sorghum mellitum var. mellitum | Poaceae |
| tíɲā | Sorghum membranaceum var. firmius | Poaceae |
| mbàtì kóò (var. indurata), mbàtì kóò mānjā | Zea mays | Poaceae |
| gēr tōō-rɔ̄ | Andropogon sp. | Poaceae |
| ndàgə̰̀mɔ̀ tèmbè | Brachiaria sp. | Poaceae |
| bɔ̀gɔ́ gàà | Microprotus sp. | Poaceae |
| dàlà, sīɲ ndìlà | Sorghum sp. | Poaceae |
| kīnāvò, vòò | Ceiba pentandra | tree |
| sōn | Vitellaria paradoxa | tree |
| kò̰ kūū | Asparagus africanus | Liliaceae |
| hə̰̄ | Dipcadi longifolium | Liliaceae |
| ŋìrà bò̰ dàná | Gloriosa simplex | Liliaceae |
| dúú | Hibiscus asper | Malvaceae |
| dúú dí njàgá | Urena lobata | Malvaceae |
| ɗènjī, ŋùúrkútū | Strychnos spinosa | Loganiaceae |
| kítíjàlà | Cissampelos mucronata | Menispermaceae |
| kò̰ tōō-rɔ̄ | Acacia sieberiana | Mimosaceae |
| mbéèr | Amblygonocarpus schweinfurthii | Mimosaceae |
| lēl | Parkia biglobosa | Mimosaceae |
| sáàm | Prosopis africana | Mimosaceae |
| lòò kéré | Gisekia pharnaceoides | Molluginaceae |
| yāá yēē | Boerhavia repens | Nyctaginaceae |
| sìɲá | Ficus sp. | Moraceae |
| tírāáɲ | Afrormosia laxiflora | Papilionaceae |
| sōō dìm | Arachis hypogaea | Papilionaceae |
| mbámbàāl | Erythrina sigmoidea | Papilionaceae |
| gìndī gē | Rhynchosia minima | Papilionaceae |
| rēɲ ré táná | Tephrosia bracteolata | Papilionaceae |
| nɔ́n dɔ́gɔ̀ | Tephrosia lupinifolia | Papilionaceae |
| sàà bíí, sàà bāná, sàà tōō-rɔ̄ | Vigna catjang var. sinensis | Papilionaceae |
| sōō | Voandzeia subterranea | Papilionaceae |
| hòg mbúŋ | Ceratotheca sesamoides | Pedaliaceae |
| sɔ̀n tōō-rɔ̄ | Sesamum indicum | Pedaliaceae |
| sɔ̀n pùū | Sesamum radiatum | Pedaliaceae |
| tàv | Securidaca longipedunculata | Polygalaceae |
| bònò | Polypterus bichir | Polygalaceae |
| kírùgjú | Portulaca oleracea | Portulacaceae |
| ŋūtā | Sarcocephalus esculentus | Rubiaceae |
| hòg nām vàrā | Solanum sp. | Solanaceae |
| gìmī ré táná | Melochia corchorifolia | Sterculiaceae |
| sōn | Vitellaria paradoxa / Butyrospermum parkii | Sapotaceae |
| hòg gìtì kàrā | Corchorus tridens | Tiliaceae |
| bɔ̄r | Grewia mollis | Tiliaceae |
| gìmī ré vōō | Triumfetta pentandra | Tiliaceae |
| kóg/kóò kɔ̀ɔ̄l | Triumfetta sp. | Tiliaceae |
| laɲ yāā bārá | Tribulus terrestris | Zygophyllaceae |