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
20 core words in Dii
Water
mam
/mam/
Fire
mvə̀
/mvə/
Sun
ngə̄ə̀
/ŋɡəə/
Moon
mboɔn
/mbɔɔn/
Mother
na
/na/
Father
ba
/ba/
Eat
kpén
/kpen˥/
Drink
kpɔ̀
/kpɔ/
Love
kūngí
/ku˧ŋɡi˥/
Heart
ngēli
/ŋɡeli/
Tree
ngà
/ŋɡa/
House
gā
/ɡa/
Dog
mvù
/mvu˩/
Cat
ngwā
/ŋɡwa/
Hand
paà
/paa/
Eye
ngə̀ə
/ŋɡəə/
Hello
mbóò
/mboo/
Thank you
vɛɛɛ
/vɛːɛ/
One
hīn
/hin/
Good
gáà
/ɡa˥a˩/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Adamawa, Mbum-Day) languages
| Meaning | Dii | Kera | Donno So | Zande | Lingala | Mende | Embu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mam /mam/ | mam /mam/ | di /di/ | ime /ime/ | máí /mai/ | njei /ndʒei/ | mai /mai/ |
| Fire | mvə̀ /mvə/ | ákə̀rə /akərə/ | yɔ /jɔ/ | nako /nako/ | mɔ́tɔ /mɔtɔ/ | ngombu /ŋɡombu/ | mwaki /mwaki/ |
| Sun | ngə̄ə̀ /ŋɡəə/ | kêr /keːɾ/ | naa /naː/ | urure /uɾuɾe/ | mói /moi/ | foni /foni/ | rĩũa /ɾiua/ |
| Moon | mboɔn /mbɔɔn/ | mə̀sə̀rə /məsərə/ | ele /ele/ | diwi /diwi/ | sánzá /sanza/ | ngewɔ /ŋɡewɔ/ | mweri /mweɾi/ |
| Mother | na /na/ | nâ /naː/ | na /na/ | na /na/ | mamá /mama/ | nje /ndʒe/ | mami /mami/ |
| Father | ba /ba/ | bâ /baː/ | ba /ba/ | ba /ba/ | tatá /tata/ | nya /ɲa/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | kpén /kpen˥/ | nà /na/ | kɔɔ /kɔː/ | ri /ɾi/ | kolía /kolia/ | mɛ /mɛ/ | kũrĩa /kuɾia/ |
| Drink | kpɔ̀ /kpɔ/ | sā /saː/ | nɔ /nɔ/ | mbira /mbiɾa/ | komɛ́la /komɛla/ | ngu /ŋɡu/ | kũnyua /kuɲua/ |
| Love | kūngí /ku˧ŋɡi˥/ | kùm /kum/ | suuli /suːli/ | kpinyemu /kpiɲemu/ | bolíngo /boliŋɡo/ | ndolo /ndolo/ | wendo /wendo/ |
| Heart | ngēli /ŋɡeli/ | gùm /ɡum/ | kɛɛla /kɛːla/ | ngbongbo /ŋɡboŋɡbo/ | motéma /motema/ | mola /mola/ | ngoro /ŋɡoɾo/ |
| Tree | ngà /ŋɡa/ | kòsō /kosoː/ | ti /ti/ | ngua /ŋɡua/ | nzété /nzete/ | ngulu /ŋɡulu/ | mũtĩ /muti/ |
| House | gā /ɡa/ | gòl /ɡol/ | gina /ɡina/ | bambu /bambu/ | ndáko /ndako/ | pɛlɛ /pɛlɛ/ | nyũmba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | mvù /mvu˩/ | kŋā /kŋaː/ | gɛɛ /ɡɛː/ | ango /aŋɡo/ | mbwá /mbwa/ | nguje /ŋɡudʒe/ | ngui /ŋɡui/ |
| Cat | ngwā /ŋɡwa/ | mūsā /muːsaː/ | monyi /moɲi/ | gbabo /ɡbabo/ | nyáu /ɲau/ | gɔngɔ /ɡɔŋɡɔ/ | nyau /ɲau/ |
| Hand | paà /paa/ | kéu /keu/ | nu /nu/ | be /be/ | lobɔ́kɔ /lobɔkɔ/ | lɔkɔ /lɔkɔ/ | guoko /ɡuoko/ |
| Eye | ngə̀ə /ŋɡəə/ | gìr /ɡir/ | gi /ɡi/ | bangiri /baŋɡiɾi/ | líso /liso/ | ngama /ŋɡama/ | riitho /ɾiːθo/ |
| Hello | mbóò /mboo/ | ásālāmā /asaːlaːmaː/ | agandɛla /aɡandɛla/ | mo ima ya /mo ima ja/ | mbóte /mbote/ | bua /bua/ | mwega /mweɡa/ |
| Thank you | vɛɛɛ /vɛːɛ/ | shùkūr /ʃukuːɾ/ | biguƞ /biɡũ/ | oni-tambua /oni-tambua/ | matɔ́ndɔ /matɔndɔ/ | bisɛ /bisɛ/ | nĩ baba /ni baba/ |
| One | hīn /hin/ | ká /ka/ | tum /tum/ | sa /sa/ | mɔ̌kɔ́ /mɔkɔ/ | yila /jila/ | ĩmwe /imwe/ |
| Good | gáà /ɡa˥a˩/ | kúɗá /kuɗa/ | suuli /suːli/ | wene /wene/ | malámu /malamu/ | nyande /ɲande/ | mwega /mweɡa/ |
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