Yag Dii
Dii
Atlantic-Congo (Adamawa, Mbum-Day)
Dii (also Duru, Dourou, or Yag Dii — "Dii speech") is an Adamawa Niger-Congo language of northern Cameroon, in the highland Adamawa Plateau region around Ngaoundéré. The Dii people developed a distinctive cattle-herding culture that contrasts with the surrounding agricultural Bantu populations. SIL Cameroon has produced extensive descriptive work on Yag Dii, with Bohnhoff (1986) as the standard reference.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Dii
Water
mam
/mam/
Fire
mvə̀
/mvə/
Sun
ngə̄ə̀
/ŋɡəə/
Moon
mboɔn
/mbɔɔn/
Star
tewre
/tewre/
Mother
na
/na/
Father
ba
/ba/
I
am
/am/
You
mo
/mo/
Name
yiŋ
/jiŋ/
Eye
ngə̀ə
/ŋɡəə/
Hand
paà
/paa/
Heart
ngēli
/ŋɡeli/
Love
kūngí
/kuŋɡi/
Tree
ngà
/ŋɡa/
House
gā
/ɡa/
Dog
mvù
/mvu˩/
Cat
ngwā
/ŋɡwa/
Eat
kpén
/kpen˥/
Drink
kpɔ̀
/kpɔ/
One
hīn
/hin/
Two
reɓ
/reɓ/
Hello
mbóò
/mboo/
Thank you
vɛɛɛ
/vɛːɛ/
Good
gáà
/ɡa˥a˩/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Adamawa, Mbum-Day) languages
| Meaning | Dii | Kera | Zande | Donno So | Lingala | Māori | Sena |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mam /mam/ | mam /mam/ | ime /ime/ | di /di/ | máí /mai/ | wai /wai/ | madzi /madzi/ |
| Fire | mvə̀ /mvə/ | ákə̀rə /akərə/ | we /we/ | yɔ /jɔ/ | mɔ́tɔ /mɔtɔ/ | ahi /ahi/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | ngə̄ə̀ /ŋɡəə/ | kêr /keːɾ/ | uru /uɾu/ | naa /naː/ | mói /moi/ | rā /ɾaː/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ |
| Moon | mboɔn /mbɔɔn/ | mə̀sə̀rə /məsərə/ | diwi /diwi/ | ele /ele/ | sánzá /sanza/ | marama /maɾama/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ |
| Star | tewre /tewre/ | tùwrò /tuwro/ | kerekuru /kɛɾɛkuɾu/ | tolo /tolo/ | monzoto /monzɔtɔ/ | whetū /ɸɛtuː/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ |
| Mother | na /na/ | nâ /naː/ | na /na/ | na /na/ | mamá /mama/ | whaea /ɸaea/ | mai /mai/ |
| Father | ba /ba/ | bâ /baː/ | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | tatá /tata/ | matua /matua/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | am /am/ | kə́ŋ /kəŋ/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | ngai /ⁿɡai/ | au /au/ | ine /ine/ |
| You | mo /mo/ | kə /kə/ | mo /mo/ | u /u/ | yo /jo/ | koe /koe/ | iwe /iwe/ |
| Name | yiŋ /jiŋ/ | sumo /sumo/ | rimo /ɾimo/ | boy /bɔj/ | nkombo /ⁿkombo/ | ingoa /iŋoa/ | dzina /dzina/ |
| Eye | ngə̀ə /ŋɡəə/ | gìr /ɡir/ | bangiri /baŋɡiɾi/ | giré /ɡiɾe/ | líso /liso/ | karu /ˈkaɾu/ | diso /diso/ |
| Hand | paà /paa/ | kéu /keu/ | be /be/ | nu /nu/ | lobɔ́kɔ /lobɔkɔ/ | ringa /ɾiŋa/ | nkono /nkono/ |
| Heart | ngēli /ŋɡeli/ | gùm /ɡum/ | ngbaduse /ŋɡbaduse/ | kɛɛla /kɛːla/ | motéma /motema/ | ngākau /ŋaːkau/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Love | kūngí /kuŋɡi/ | kùm /kum/ | kpinyemu /kpiɲemu/ | suuli /suːli/ | bolíngo /boliŋɡo/ | aroha /aɾoha/ | kufuna /kufuna/ |
| Tree | ngà /ŋɡa/ | kòsō /kosoː/ | ngua /ŋɡua/ | ti /ti/ | nzété /nzete/ | rākau /ɾaːkau/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ |
| House | gā /ɡa/ | gòl /ɡol/ | bambu /bambu/ | gina /ɡina/ | ndáko /ndako/ | whare /ɸaɾe/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | mvù /mvu˩/ | kŋā /kŋaː/ | ango /aŋɡo/ | gɛɛ /ɡɛː/ | mbwá /mbwa/ | kurī /kuɾiː/ | mbwa /mbwa/ |
| Cat | ngwā /ŋɡwa/ | mūsā /muːsaː/ | gbabo /ɡbabo/ | monyi /moɲi/ | nyáu /ɲau/ | ngeru /ŋeɾu/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | kpén /kpen˥/ | nà /na/ | ri /ɾi/ | kɔɔ /kɔː/ | kolía /kolia/ | kai /kai/ | kudya /kudja/ |
| Drink | kpɔ̀ /kpɔ/ | sā /saː/ | mbira /mbiɾa/ | nɔ /nɔ/ | komɛ́la /komɛla/ | inu /inu/ | kumwa /kumwa/ |
| One | hīn /hin/ | ká /ka/ | sa /sa/ | tum /tum/ | mɔ̌kɔ́ /mɔkɔ/ | tahi /tahi/ | posi /posi/ |
| Two | reɓ /reɓ/ | cèw /tʃɛw/ | ue /uwe/ | lɛy /lɛj/ | mibale /mibale/ | rua /ɾua/ | piŵiri /piwiri/ |
| Hello | mbóò /mboo/ | ásālāmā /asaːlaːmaː/ | mo ima ya /mo ima ja/ | agandɛla /aɡandɛla/ | mbóte /mbote/ | kia ora /kia oɾa/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ |
| Thank you | vɛɛɛ /vɛːɛ/ | shùkūr /ʃukuːɾ/ | oni-tambua /oni-tambua/ | biguƞ /biɡũ/ | matɔ́ndɔ /matɔndɔ/ | ngā mihi /ŋaː mihi/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ |
| Good | gáà /ɡa˥a˩/ | kúɗá /kuɗa/ | wene /wene/ | suuli /suːli/ | malámu /malamu/ | pai /pai/ | nadidi /nadidi/ |
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