The Bua language (also called Ba
) is spoken north of the
Chari River
The Chari River, or Shari River, is a long river, flowing in Central Africa. It is Lake Chad's main source of water.
Geography
The Chari River flows from the Central African Republic through Chad into Lake Chad, following the Cameroon border f ...
around
Korbol
Korbol is a sub-prefecture of Moyen-Chari Region in Chad.
The Bua language
The Bua language (also called Ba) is spoken north of the Chari River around Korbol and Gabil in Chad. In 1993 it was spoken by some 8,000 people. It is the largest m ...
and
Gabil in
Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Repub ...
. In 1993 it was spoken by some 8,000 people. It is the largest member of the small
Bua group of languages and is mutually comprehensible with
Fanian. Kawãwãy (Korom) may be a dialect or a distinct language.
Bua is a local
lingua franca in
Korbol
Korbol is a sub-prefecture of Moyen-Chari Region in Chad.
The Bua language
The Bua language (also called Ba) is spoken north of the Chari River around Korbol and Gabil in Chad. In 1993 it was spoken by some 8,000 people. It is the largest m ...
Canton, due to the historical influence of the Korbol Caliphate since the late 1700s and 1800s. Speakers also live around Gabil (in the
Guéra Region Guéra or Guera may refer to:
* Guéra Prefecture, a former first-level administrative division of Chad until 1999
* Guéra Region, a first-level administrative division of Chad since 2002
* Guéra Department, a second level administrative divis ...
), and in
Sarh
Semi-active radar homing (SARH) is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive det ...
and
N'Djaména
N'Djamena ( ) is the capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''.
The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the ...
.
Korom
Korom is spoken by about 60 people in 3 or 4 villages in
Moyen-Chari Region
Moyen-Chari ( ar, شاري الأوسط) is one of the 23 regions of Chad, located in the south of the country. Its capital is Sarh. The former prefecture of the same name was larger and included modern Mandoul Region.
Geography
The region b ...
and
Guéra Region Guéra or Guera may refer to:
* Guéra Prefecture, a former first-level administrative division of Chad until 1999
* Guéra Region, a first-level administrative division of Chad since 2002
* Guéra Department, a second level administrative divis ...
of Chad. The main community of speakers is called Kawãwãy, who comprise a community of blacksmiths in Tili Nugar (Tilé Nougar), a
Fania village. The language has been documented by Florian Lionnet and R. Hoinathy in 2014 and 2017. Lionnet considers Korom to be separate language closely related to Bua.
[Lionnet, Florian]
Chadic languages
References
Further reading
* 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.
* 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.
* 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).
* 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. Summarizes the grammar of Bua and two relatives based on existing fieldwork.
{{Adamawa languages
Languages of Chad
Bua languages