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Bube

Bube is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Equatorial Guinea, by about 20 thousand people. Glottolog rates it moribund.

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Bube · 3.5°N 8.7°E

The Bube language or Bubi, Bohobé, Bube–Benga or Etyö is a Bantu language spoken predominantly by the Bubi, a Bantu people native to, and once the primary inhabitants of Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea. The language was brought to Bioko from continental Africa more than three thousand years ago when the Bubi began settling on the island.

It has around 50,000 speakers, with three variants: North, South and Central-East. It is noted for its tonal character and the divergence of words by gender. The language is also spoken by the Bubi native to Gabon and Cameroon.

The Bube language is divided into six different dialects that vary in the northern and southern regions of Bioko Island. For example, in the North, people speak Rebola and its variations: Basile, Banapa and Basupa. However, in the North-East, Bakake is spoken.

From Wikipedia · Bube language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Bube

MeaningWordRomanization
personmoto*
nameina*
eyeiso*
eareto*
nosembo*
toothino*
tongueleme*
bloodzina*
bonegyepa*
skingobo*
kneevoNo*
breasttuwa*
liverbumba*
watermamba*
fireiko*
sunmoni*
stardaNa*
stonecige*
mountainkodi*
treeete*
leafaga*
nightviti*
dogmbwande*
fishcue*
lousecidi*
onepoko*
twobiba*
weito*
drink5wa*
seeEna*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

Grammar

Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.

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Glottolog · bube1242 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · bvb