Bua languages
Encyclopedia
The Bua languages are a subgroup of the Mbum–Day subgroup of the Savanna languages
spoken by fewer than 30,000 people in southern Chad
in an area stretching roughly between the Chari River
and the Guera Massif. They were labeled "G13" in Joseph Greenberg
's Adamawa
language-family proposal. They are ultimately part of the Niger–Congo family
, and have exerted a significant influence on Laal
.
All of these languages are tonal, with distinctive vowel length
and nasal vowel
s in limited contexts. Most of these languages have lost the typical Niger–Congo noun class system (Goula Iro appears to have retained it to some degree.) However, its former presence is betrayed by their quite complicated system of plural formation, combining internal ablaut with changes to final consonants and/or suffixation.
They include:
The first to note the similarity between Bua and Niellim in print was G. Nachtigal, in 1889. Maurice Gaudefroy-Demombynes added Tunia and "Mana" (possibly an alternate name for Fanian) in 1907, forming a "Groupe Boa". Johannes Lukas (1937) likewise described a "Bua-Gruppe" consisting of Bua, Niellim, and Koke, and in Joseph Greenberg
's 1963 classification The Languages of Africa
, the three languages were placed together in the Adamawa subphylum as a group named Adamawa-13. Later, Pairault (1965, 1969) added the more northerly Gula languages, Fanian, Koke, and Bolgo, allowing Samarin (1971) to define roughly the current membership of the Bua languages/Adamawa-13. Palayer later added Noy.
, Gula Iro
for works on those languages.
Savanna languages
-External links:* – Blench* by Michael & Charlene Ayotte, 2002. SIL Electronic Survey Reports SILESR 2002-048.* , Tourneaux...
spoken by fewer than 30,000 people in southern Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
in an area stretching roughly between the Chari River
Chari River
The Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
and the Guera Massif. They were labeled "G13" in Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Harold Greenberg was a prominent and controversial American linguist, principally known for his work in two areas, linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.- Early life and career :...
's Adamawa
Adamawa languages
The Adamawa languages are a putative family of 80–90 languages scattered across the Adamawa Plateau in central Africa, in Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Chad, spoken altogether by only one and a half million people . Joseph Greenberg classified them as one branch of the...
language-family proposal. They are ultimately part of the Niger–Congo family
Niger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
, and have exerted a significant influence on Laal
Laal language
Laal is an unclassified language spoken by 749 people in three villages in the Moyen-Chari prefecture of Chad on opposite banks of the Chari River,...
.
All of these languages are tonal, with distinctive vowel length
Vowel length
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. Often the chroneme, or the "longness", acts like a consonant, and may etymologically be one, such as in Australian English. While not distinctive in most dialects of English, vowel length is an important phonemic factor in...
and nasal vowel
Nasal vowel
A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the velum so that air escapes both through nose as well as the mouth. By contrast, oral vowels are ordinary vowels without this nasalisation...
s in limited contexts. Most of these languages have lost the typical Niger–Congo noun class system (Goula Iro appears to have retained it to some degree.) However, its former presence is betrayed by their quite complicated system of plural formation, combining internal ablaut with changes to final consonants and/or suffixation.
They include:
- Bua languageBua languageThe Bua language is spoken by some 7,708 people north of the Chari River around Korbol and Gabil in Chad. It is the largest member of the small Bua group of languages and is mutually comprehensible with Fanian.-External links:**...
(7,708 speakers in 1993), north of the Chari RiverChari RiverThe Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
around Korbol and Gabil (after which the group was named); mutually comprehensible with Fanian. - Fanian, or Mana, or Kobe (> 1,100 speakers in 1997), in the villages of Mouraye, Sengué, Malakonjo, Rim, Sisi, Karo west of Lake Iro.
- NiellimNiellim languageThe Niellim language is a Bua language spoken by some 5,000 people along the Chari River in southern Chad. It is mainly spoken in two areas: one around the city of Sarh and one, its traditional home, further north, between about 9°30′ and 9°50′ N, corresponding to the former chiefdoms of Pra,...
or Lua (5,157 speakers in 1993), spoken around Niellim and Niou along the Chari RiverChari RiverThe Chari or Shari River is a 949-kilometer-long river of central Africa. It flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border from N'Djamena, where it joins the Logone River waters....
north of SarhSarhSarh is the third largest city in Chad, after N'Djamena and Moundou. It is the capital of Moyen-Chari region and the department of Barh Köh. It lies 350 miles south-east of the capital Ndjamena on the Chari River...
(including the extinct Chini dialect) - Tunia (2,255 speakers in 1993), around SarhSarhSarh is the third largest city in Chad, after N'Djamena and Moundou. It is the capital of Moyen-Chari region and the department of Barh Köh. It lies 350 miles south-east of the capital Ndjamena on the Chari River...
(including the extinct Perim dialect) - NoyNoy languageThe Noy Language is a nearly extinct language of Chad. It has a population of 36 people who live in regions: Moyen-Chari and Mandoul regions, between Sarh, Djoli, Bédaya, Koumra, and Koumogo villages . It is also called Loo....
or Loo (36 speakers in 1993), spoken in Bedaya, Balimba, Djoli, KoumraKoumraKoumra is a town in southern Chad. It is the capital of the region of Mandoul and of the department of Mandoul Oriental. It is the sixth largest town in Chad....
, and KoumogoKoumogo- Bridge :A bridge over the Bragoto River collapsed greatly disrupted road traffic until the bridge was reconstructed....
south of SarhSarhSarh is the third largest city in Chad, after N'Djamena and Moundou. It is the capital of Moyen-Chari region and the department of Barh Köh. It lies 350 miles south-east of the capital Ndjamena on the Chari River...
. Nearly extinct. - Gula languages:
- Gula IroGula Iro languageThe Gula Iro language is a Bua language spoken by some 3,500 people north and east of Lake Iro in southern Chad, between the Bola and Salamat rivers...
or Kulaal (3,500 speakers in 1991), around Lake Iro. - Zan Gula (4,000 speakers in 1997), around ZanZanZan may refer to:*Zan Perrion, dating and relationship consultant*Zan language, a proposed collective term for the Megrelian and Laz languages*Zan, the original Chinese name of Kanzashi...
and Chinguil. - Bon Gula (>1,200 speakers in 1997), in the villages of BonBonBON, Bon, or bon may refer to:Places:* Cap Bon, a peninsula in Tunisia* Flamingo International Airport, Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles...
and Ibir.
- Gula Iro
- Koke (600 speakers in 1993), around Daguela
- BolgoBolgo languageThe Bolgo language is a member of the Bua languages spoken in south-central Chad, in the villages of Koya, Boli, Gagne, and Bedi southeast of Melfi, by about 1,800 people According to de Rendinger, it has two principal dialects, Bolgo Werel around Daguela and Bolgo Mengo around Aloa-Niagara, as...
(1,800 speakers in 1993), near MelfiMelfiMelfi is a town and comune in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata.-Geography:On a hill at the foot of Mount Vulture, Melfi is the most important town in Basilicata's Vulture, both as a tourist resort and economic centre.-Early history:Inhabited...
, in Koya, Boli, Gagne, and Bedi.
The first to note the similarity between Bua and Niellim in print was G. Nachtigal, in 1889. Maurice Gaudefroy-Demombynes added Tunia and "Mana" (possibly an alternate name for Fanian) in 1907, forming a "Groupe Boa". Johannes Lukas (1937) likewise described a "Bua-Gruppe" consisting of Bua, Niellim, and Koke, and in Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Greenberg
Joseph Harold Greenberg was a prominent and controversial American linguist, principally known for his work in two areas, linguistic typology and the genetic classification of languages.- Early life and career :...
's 1963 classification The Languages of Africa
The Languages of Africa
The Languages of Africa is a 1963 book of essays by Joseph Greenberg, in which he sets forth a genetic classification of African languages that, with some changes, continues to be the most commonly used one today...
, the three languages were placed together in the Adamawa subphylum as a group named Adamawa-13. Later, Pairault (1965, 1969) added the more northerly Gula languages, Fanian, Koke, and Bolgo, allowing Samarin (1971) to define roughly the current membership of the Bua languages/Adamawa-13. Palayer later added Noy.
General relevance
- Pascal Boyeldieu and C. Seignobos, "Contribution à l'étude du pays niellim (Moyen-Chari–Tchad)", L'homme et le milieu, Aspects du développement au Tchad, N'Djamena, "Annales de l'Universite du Tchad", Série: Lettres, Langues vivantes et Sciences humaines, no. 3, 1975, pp. 67–98. Includes an 80-word comparative list for Niellim and three Tunia varieties, with some remarks on regular correspondences
- P. Boyeldieu. "Présentation sommaire du groupe boua, Tchad (Adamawa 13 de J.H. Greenberg)", pp. 275–286, in: Colloques et séminaires: Le Milieu et les Hommes. Recherches comparatives et historiques dans la bassin du lac Tchad. Actes du 2ème colloque Méga-Tchad ORSTOM BONDY, le 3 et 4 octobre 1985. Ministère française de la Coopération & MESRES Cameroun, 1985.
- P. Boyeldieu, "vestiges de suffixes des classes nominales dans les langues du groupe boua (Tchad, Adamawa-13 de J. H. Greenberg)" – Current Approaches to African Linguistics, vol. 2 (J. Kaye, H. Koopman, D. Sportiche and A. Dugas, eds.) – Dordrecht/Cinnaminson, Foris Publications, pp. 3–15.
- P. Boyeldieu & C. Seignobos, Contribution à l'étude du pays niellim, Université du Tchad / INTSH, N'djamena, 1974. Includes word lists for Kwa Tchini (Niellim dialect) and Kwa Perim (Tunia dialect).
- P. Boyeldieu. "Vestiges de suffixes de classes nominales dans les langues du groupe boua (Tchad, Adamawa-13 de J.H. Greenberg)" in Current Approaches to African Linguistics (Actes du 13ème Colloque Annuel de Linguistique Africaniste, Montréal, Canada). Dordrecht: Foris Publications, 1983, p. 3-15. Coll. Publications in African languages and linguistics.
- M. Gaudefroy-Demombynes, Documents sur les langues de l'Oubangui-Chari, Paris, 1907. Includes (pp. 107–122) a 200-word comparative list of Bua, Niellim, Fanian, and Tunia, with a brief grammar and some phrases collected by Decorse.
- A. Joly, Le canton de Boli, 1935, N'djamena archives W-52/19. Contains some 200 Fanian and Bolgo words (pp. 43–50.)
- J. Lukas, Zentralsudanisches Studien, Hamburg, Friedrichsen, de Gruyter & Cie, 1937. Gives the wordlists of Nachtigal, zu Mecklenburg, Barth, and Gaudefroy-Demombynes for Bua (~400 words), Niellim (~200 words), and Koke (~100 words).
- P. Palayer, "Notes sur les Noy du Moyen-Chari (Tchad)", Les langues du groupe Boua, N'djamena, I.N.S.H., "Etudes et documents tchadiens", Série C (Linguistique), no. 2, pp. 196–219. Elements of Noy, plus a 50-word comparative list of Noy, Niellim (2 dialects), Tunia, Iro Gula.
- Gen. de Rendinger, "Contribution à l'étude des langues nègres du Centre Africain", Journal de la Société des Africanistes, XIX-II, 1949, pp. 143–194. Includes examples and grammatical information on Bolgo varieties and Zan Gula.
- A. N. Tucker & M. A. Bryan, The Non-Bantu Languages of North-Eastern Africa, Handbook of African Languages, part III, Oxford University Press for International African Institute, 1956. Includes an over-inclusive list of Bua languages, a grammatical summary of Bua, Tunia, and Niellim based on existing fieldwork, and a brief comparative wordlist for Day.
Specific languages
See NiellimNiellim language
The Niellim language is a Bua language spoken by some 5,000 people along the Chari River in southern Chad. It is mainly spoken in two areas: one around the city of Sarh and one, its traditional home, further north, between about 9°30′ and 9°50′ N, corresponding to the former chiefdoms of Pra,...
, Gula Iro
Gula Iro language
The Gula Iro language is a Bua language spoken by some 3,500 people north and east of Lake Iro in southern Chad, between the Bola and Salamat rivers...
for works on those languages.
- P. A. Benton, Languages and Peoples of Bornu Vol. I, Frank Cass & Co:London 1912 (1st ed.)/1968 (2nd ed.) Gives Barth's unpublished vocabulary of Bua on pp. 78–130.
- P. Boyeldieu, La langue lua ("niellim") (Groupe Boua – Moyen-Chari, Tchad) Phonologie – Morphologie – Dérivation verbale. Descriptions des langues et monographes ethnologuistiques, 1. Cambridge University Press & Editions de la Maison des Sciences de l'Homme for SELAF. Paris 1985. ISBN 0-521-27069-3 (CUP). (A major source for this bibliography.)
- Faris, David and Marba Meundeung. 1993. Etude sociolinguistique de la langue bon goula. SIL Chad. Includes wordlist.
- J. Mouchet, "Contribution à l'étude du Gula (Tchad)", Bulletin de l'IFANInstitut Fondamental d'Afrique NoireIFAN is a cultural and scientific institute in the nations of the former French West Africa...
, vol. XX, series B, no. 3-4, 1958, pp. 593–611. On Bon Gula. - P. Palayer, Esquisse phonologique du Tounia, INSH, 1974 (?).