mə-daba
Daba
Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, Central, Mafa-Bata — Daba subgroup)
Daba is a Chadic language of the Mandara Mountains in northern Cameroon, sister to other Mafa-Bata languages of the same general region. Linguistically, Daba shares Central Chadic family features (rich consonant inventory with implosives ɓ ɗ, vowel harmony, gender-based agreement) with neighboring Mafa, Bata, Hide (xed), and other Mandara group languages. The Daba people are subsistence farmers and traders in the rocky Mandara terrain, with strong historical interactions with neighboring Fulani pastoralists. Mouchet's 1966 reference grammar Le parler daba is the foundational documentation; SIL Cameroon has produced contemporary literacy materials.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Daba
Water
yam
/jam/
Fire
kʷu
/kʷu/
Sun
ɓa
/ɓa/
Moon
paɗ
/paɗ/
Mother
mma
/mːa/
Father
daa
/daː/
Eat
za
/za/
Drink
sa
/sa/
Love
saw
/saw/
Heart
ɓəl
/ɓəl/
Tree
hin
/hin/
House
gəy
/ɡəj/
Dog
ɓəzaŋ
/ɓəzaŋ/
Cat
mərz
/mərz/
Hand
xən
/xən/
Eye
ɓəh
/ɓəh/
Hello
salaŋ
/salaŋ/
Thank you
ndzaŋ
/ndzaŋ/
One
mma
/mːa/
Good
ɗəfa
/ɗəfa/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, Central, Mafa-Bata — Daba subgroup) languages
| Meaning | Daba | Hdi | Kera | Beja | Serer | Lomwe | Cham |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | yam /jam/ | yam /jam/ | mam /mam/ | yam /jam/ | mbox /mbɔx/ | mahi /mahi/ | ia /ja/ |
| Fire | kʷu /kʷu/ | hu /hu/ | ákə̀rə /akərə/ | neʼaat /neʔaːt/ | ngir /ŋɡiɾ/ | moro /moɾo/ | apuei /apuei/ |
| Sun | ɓa /ɓa/ | vah /vah/ | kêr /keːɾ/ | yint /jint/ | naangu /naːŋɡu/ | nsuwa /nsuwa/ | aditiak /aditiak/ |
| Moon | paɗ /paɗ/ | ʔir /ʔir/ | mə̀sə̀rə /məsərə/ | tirig /tiɾiɡ/ | weer /weːɾ/ | mweri /mweɾi/ | bilan /bilan/ |
| Mother | mma /mːa/ | nəh /nəh/ | nâ /naː/ | indee /iːndeː/ | yaay /jaːj/ | ammai /amːai/ | mai /mai/ |
| Father | daa /daː/ | baba /baba/ | bâ /baː/ | baab /baːb/ | baay /baːj/ | atati /atati/ | amaa /amaː/ |
| Eat | za /za/ | za /za/ | nà /na/ | tame /tame/ | niam /ɲam/ | olya /oʎa/ | huak /huak/ |
| Drink | sa /sa/ | sa /sa/ | sā /saː/ | gwaʼa /ɡʷaʕa/ | ñam /ɲam/ | omwa /omwa/ | maum /maum/ |
| Love | saw /saw/ | ɓəz /ɓəz/ | kùm /kum/ | kima /kima/ | mbutu /mbutu/ | osivela /osivela/ | gauh /ɡauh/ |
| Heart | ɓəl /ɓəl/ | ɓal /ɓal/ | gùm /ɡum/ | ginʼa /ɡinʕa/ | xol /xɔl/ | murima /muɾima/ | hatai /hatai/ |
| Tree | hin /hin/ | ʔən /ʔən/ | kòsō /kosoː/ | hindeb /hindeb/ | garab /ɡaɾab/ | mwiri /mwiɾi/ | kayuw /kajuv/ |
| House | gəy /ɡəj/ | gay /ɡaj/ | gòl /ɡol/ | gaw /ɡaw/ | kër /kəɾ/ | nupa /nupa/ | thang /tʰaŋ/ |
| Dog | ɓəzaŋ /ɓəzaŋ/ | ɓəzaŋ /ɓəzaŋ/ | kŋā /kŋaː/ | yas /jas/ | xaj /xaj/ | nampwe /nampwe/ | athuw /atʰuv/ |
| Cat | mərz /mərz/ | mərz /mərz/ | mūsā /muːsaː/ | kabsoot /kabsoːt/ | mboor /mboːɾ/ | paka /paka/ | meuw /meuv/ |
| Hand | xən /xən/ | xen /xen/ | kéu /keu/ | ay /aj/ | ɓod /ɓɔd/ | nthata /ntʰata/ | tangin /taŋin/ |
| Eye | ɓəh /ɓəh/ | ɓah /ɓah/ | gìr /ɡir/ | liili /liːli/ | kën /kən/ | nito /nito/ | matá /mata/ |
| Hello | salaŋ /salaŋ/ | ʔaza /ʔaza/ | ásālāmā /asaːlaːmaː/ | salaam /salaːm/ | na nga def /na ŋɡa dɛf/ | salama /salama/ | salam /salam/ |
| Thank you | ndzaŋ /ndzaŋ/ | ʔusi /ʔusi/ | shùkūr /ʃukuːɾ/ | baraʼoo /baɾaʕoː/ | jaaraama /dʒaːɾaːma/ | ekoshelele /ekoʃelele/ | tarima kasih /tarima kasiʔ/ |
| One | mma /mːa/ | kələ /kələ/ | ká /ka/ | gaal /ɡaːl/ | leeng /leːŋɡ/ | mosaa /mosaː/ | tha /tʰa/ |
| Good | ɗəfa /ɗəfa/ | ɗəfa /ɗəfa/ | kúɗá /kuɗa/ | dabaab /dabaːb/ | xaal /xaːl/ | orera /oɾeɾa/ | siam /siam/ |
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