Gbanu (Gbànù, Banu, Gbanou) is a Gbaya language of the Central African Republic. The people do not consider themselves to be ethnically Gbaya. Phonology Gbanu has 14 vowels, oral and nasal . Syllables may be maximally CVN, where N is or . There are four tones on CV syllables, high, low, rising, and falling. Words have six tone patterns, those four plus dipping (falling–rising) and peaking (rising–falling). Intervocallically, the only voicing distinction that is maintained is ; otherwise only voiceless oral stops and fricatives occur between vowels. Nasal consonants lightly nasalize surrounding vowels, and nasal vowels, including those triggered by nasal consonants, nasalize the glottalized consonants. The approximants do not occur with nasal vowels, and so may not be phonemic; may be posited as the underlying phonemes. References Yves Moñino, 1995. "Phonologie de Gbanu". In Le Proto-Gbaya. Peeters, Paris Gbaya languages Languages of the Central African Republic Languages of Cameroon