Benga

Benga is a Bantu language spoken by about 5,000 people in southwestern Equatorial Guinea and northwestern Gabon. In Gabon it is spoken in Cap Esterias and Cap Santa Clara to the north of Libreville, the capital, and on the islands of Corisco, Small Elobey and Great Elobey. In Equatorial Guinea it is spoken on the Cabo San Juan (Cape of St Juan) in the Continental Region (Río Muni), and in the towns of Mbini and Bata.

Benga is also known as Boumba or Ndowe. It is closely related to Bube, which is spoken nearby. The people who speak Benga are known as Ndowe or Playeros (Beach People), and traditionally they make a living from fishing.

A way to write Benga with the Latin alphabet was devised by missionaries in the late 19th century. Parts of the Bible have been translated into the language, and there is also a grammar and dictionary.

Benga alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Benga (Excel)

Sample text (Genesis 1:1-5)

O jali ka Anyambĕ a vela oba na he.
He yu diaka nʻ uvela, e diakindi nanĕ; ivititʻ i diakindʻ o boho bwa ndiba, Ka Ilina ja Anyambĕ ja muwa oba ya miba.
Ka Anyambĕ a vâ na, Bwe e diakĕ: na bwe na diaka.
Ka Anyambĕ a yĕnĕ bwe, na e ndi bwam: na Anyambĕ na palwakidĕ bwe o ivititʻ.
Ka Anyambĕ a tuba bwe na mwehe, ka mwa tuba ivititʻ na bulu. Ka kolo nʻ ubwa bia dia buhwa bwa boho.

Source: https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_bng_gen-1

Translation

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/GEN.1.KJV

Sample videos in and about Benga

Information about Benga | Numbers

Links

Information about Benga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benga_language
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_benga
https://www.sorosoro.org/en/benga/
http://www.language-archives.org/language/bng

Bantu languages

Bangi, Basaa, Bemba, Bena, Benga, Bukusu, Bulu, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Herero, Ikizu, Jita, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbunda, Mende, Mongo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nande, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tanga, Tembo, Tonga, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Xhosa, Yao, Yasa, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 20.12.23. Last modified: 11.01.24

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