Gbaya
< Ganda | Major Languages | Gbe >
Categories: Languages, Central African Republic, NW DRC,
Eastern Cameroon, Northern Congo
On this page... (hide)
- 1. Classification / Classification
- 2. Where Spoken / Localisation géographique
- 3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs
- 4. Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte
- 5. Usage / Utilisation
- 6. Orthography / Orthographe
- 7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC
- 8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation
- 9. Comments / Remarques
- 10. References / Références
1. Classification / Classification
Gbaya encompasses those languages belonging to the Gbaya-Mandja-Ngbaka group of Adamawa Eastern (Adamawa-Oubangian). (Webbook)
Ethnologue lists four kinds of Gbaya, all classified as follows but with an additional subclassification for each: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, North, Adamawa-Ubangi, Ubangi, Gbaya-Manza-Ngbaka. A fifth language - Bokoto - is listed together with those as languages in the "macrolanguage" of Gbaya by SIL International. Another - Suma - has the same classification and possible interintelligibility with one of the others.
In addition there are several others in the same family: Ali, Boffi, Gbanu, Manza (Mandja), Ngbaka (Ngbaka Minangende), Nbaka Manza.
(Not to be confused with the small Gbaya language of South Sudan.)
2. Where Spoken / Localisation géographique
It is spoken in the Central African Republic (CAR), eastern Cameroon, and northeastern [northwestern?] Dem. Rep. of the Congo (DRC). (Webbook)
There are also small numbers of speakers of some dialects in the Congo.
3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs
According to information compiled from Ethnologue:
- Bokoto: 130,000 in CAR (1996)
- Gbaya, Northwest/Nordouest:
- 200,000 in CAR (1996)
- 65,000 to 80,000 in Cameroon (1980)
- 2,000 in Congo (1993 Johnstone)
- Gbaya, Southwest/Sudouest:
- 164,000 in CAR (1996)
- 13,000 to 18,000 in Cameroon (1998 SIL)
- Gbaya-Bossangoa: 176,000 in CAR (1996)
- Gbaya-Bozoum: 32,500 in CAR (1996)
- Ali: 35,000 in CAR (1996)
- Boffi: 23,500 in CAR (1996)
- Gbanu: 95,000 in CAR (1996)
- Manza: 220,000 in CAR (1996)
- Ngbaka:
- 1,012,184 in DRC (2000 WCD)
- 3,652 in Congo (2000 WCD)
- Ngbaka Manza: 29,000 in CAR (1996)
- Suma/Souma: 50,000 in CAR (1996)
Total of all speakers: > 2.25 million
4. Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte
Noss (personal communication, 1986) states there is considerable dialect variation in Gbaya, with some of the dialects being mutually unintelligible in Cameroon alone. Yaayuwee and Bangando, for example, only share 74 percent of their basic vocabulary. Moñino is presently preparing a reconstruction of Proto-Gbaya, which includes dialect delineation. Tucker and Bryan (1956) consider Gbaya along with Manja and Mbaka (Ngbaka [Ma'bo]), sometimes termed "languages," to be dialects of the same language. Noss and Fr. M. Campagna are preparing a lexicon in four Cameroonian dialects (Yaayuwee, Lai, Dooka, and Mbodomo) of Gbaya using 2,000 basic words with French equivalents. (Webbook)
SIL International considers Gbaya to be a "macrolanguage" with Bokoto, Gbaya-Bossangoa, Gbaya-Bozoum, Northwest Gbaya, and Southwest Gbaya listed under it. According to information compiled from Ethnologue on these five and several others, the dialects are:
- Bokoto - May be intelligible with Northwest Gbaya
- Gbaya of Boda (Gbaya de Boda)
- Bokpan
- Bokoto
- Gbaya, Northwest/Nordouest
- Gbaya Kara (Gbaya de Bouar, Boar)
- Bodoe
- Lai (Lay)
- Yaáyuwee (Yaiwe, Kalla)
- Gbaya, Southwest/Sudouest
- Biyanda (Bianda)
- Buli (Boli)
- Mbondomo (Mbodomo)
- Yangamo-Garga-Sarali
- Petit-Belo-Doumba
- Bokare (Bokari)
- Mboundja (Mbunza)
- Bosoko (Bossouka, Mbusuku)
- Toongo
- Yangele
- Mbakolo (Yasua)
- Budamono
- Mbombeleng
- Dooka
- Gbaya-Bossangoa - May be inherently intelligible with Gbaya-Bosoum or Suma
- Gbabana
- Bossangoa
- Gbaya-Bozoum - May be inherently intelligible with Gbaya-Bossangoa
- Diabe
- Boyali
- Bozom
- Ali
- Boffi
- Gbanu
- Gbanu
- Gbagiri (Gbagili, Bagili, Baguili)
- Budigri (Bidikili)
- Manza - Close to Ngbaka-Minangende of DRC
- Ngbaka - Dialect differences are minor. Related to Gbaya of CAR and Cameroon
- Ngbaka Manza - May be intelligible with Manza
- Suma/Souma - May be intelligible with Gbaya-Bossangoa
5. Usage / Utilisation
Gbaya is an important regional language; Grimes (1978) notes that 27 percent of the Central African Republic's population speak Gbaya. It is also an official media (radio) language of eastern Cameroon (Noss, personal communication, 1986). (Webbook)
Ethnologue says the following about Ngbaka in DRC: "Vigorous. Speakers of Gilima, Ngbundu, Mbandja, and Mono use it as second language. All domains. Oral and written use in administration, religion, oral use in commerce, oral literature. Used in some schools for first three years. All ages. Positive language attitude. One-third speak Lingala, 5% speak French."
6. Orthography / Orthographe
6.1 Status / Statut
Noss (personal communication, 1986) reports that "an orthography has been established for a number of dialects, including Yaayuwee, Bangando, Ngbaka, and others." (Webbook) [need more information]
6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple
Alphabet as reported by Hartell (1993) and presented in Systèmes alphabétiques: http://sumale.vjf.cnrs.fr/phono/AfficheTableauOrtho2N.php?choixLangue=gbaya
The "Language Museum" has a sample of Gbaya (NB- This may not represent the standard or "official" orthography): http://www.language-museum.com/g/gbaya.htm
7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC
7.1 Fonts / Polices
7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier
7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet
7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localisés
Not aware of any.
7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue
Gbaya (CAR) [SIL, the RA for ISO-639-3, includes bdt, gbp, gbq, gya, gso, & gmm under this heading; mdo was retired in 2008]
- ISO 639-1: -
- ISO 639-2: gba
- ISO 639-3: gba
Bokoto
- ISO 639-3: bdt
Gbaya, Northwest/Nordouest
- ISO 639-3: gya
Gbaya, Southwest/Sudouest
- ISO 639-3: mdo (retired in 2008 - split into gso & gmm)
- ISO 639-3: gso
Gbaya-Bossangoa
- ISO 639-3: gbp
Gbaya-Bozoum
- ISO 639-3: gbq
Gbaya-Mbodomo
- ISO 639-3: gmm
Ali
- ISO 639-3: aiy
Boffi
- ISO 639-3: bff
Gbanu
- ISO 639-3: gbv
Manza
- ISO 639-3: mzv
Ngbaka
- ISO 639-3: nga
Ngbaka Manza
- ISO 639-3: ngg
Suma/Souma
- ISO 639-3: sqm
7.6 Other / Autre
8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation
8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)
8.2 Institutions / Institutions
8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile
Latin & diacritic character picker http://people.w3.org/rishida/scripts/pickers/latin/
9. Comments / Remarques
Although the speakership of this language is important, would the complex dialect situation pose a challenge for localisation efforts?
There is a need for clarification on what dialects/languages are closely related and which ones are more distant (in terms of intelligibility).
10. References / Références
Chanard, Christian (2006), Systèmes alphabétiques des langues africaines, LLACAN, CNRS, http://sumale.vjf.cnrs.fr/phono/
Dwyer, David (1997), Webbook of African Languages, http://africa.isp.msu.edu/afrlang/hiermenu.html (page on "Gbaya," http://africa.isp.msu.edu/afrlang/gbaya_root.html )
Hartell, Rhonda L., ed. (1993), The Alphabets of Africa. Dakar: UNESCO and SIL. (The French edition, published the same year, is entitled Alphabets de Langues Africaines).
SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Ali," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/aiy
______, "Bofi," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/bff
______, "Bokoto," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/bdt
______, "Gbanu," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gbv
______, "Gbaya, Northwest," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gya
______, "Gbaya, Southwest," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/mdo (retired in 2008)
______, "Gbaya, Southwest," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gso
______, "Gbaya-Bossangoa," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gbp
______, "Gbaya-Bozoum," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gbq
______, "Gbaya-Mbodomo," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/gmm
______, "Manza," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/mzv
______, "Ngbaka," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/nga
______, "Nbaka Manza," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/ngg
______, "Suma," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/sqm
SIL International, "Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: gba," http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=gba
______, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp
______, "ISO 639-3 Macrolangauge Mappings," http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/macrolanguages.asp
U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php
Wikipedia, "Gbaya languages," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gbaya_languages
______, "Gbaya (langue)," https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gbaya_(langue)
< Ganda | Major Languages | Gbe >
Categories: Languages, Central African Republic, NW DRC, Eastern Cameroon, Northern Congo