Kabiye is member of the Gur branch of Niger-Congo language family spoken mainly in northen Togo, and also in Ghana and Benin. In 2014 there were about 1.2 million speakers of Kabiye, which is also known as Kabiyé, Kabiyè, Kabye, Kabyé, Kabyè, Kabire, Kabure, Cabrai or Cabrais.
Kabiye is a national language of Togo, along with Ewe, and is used in the media and education.
Kabiye first appeared in print in the 1930s. The first grammar of the language was published in 1976 by Jacques Delord, a missionary-linguist. It has also been used in books of folktales, poetry, medicine, agriculture, politics, religion, educational material and translations of the Bible.
A standard orthography for Kabiye was created in the 1980s by the Comité de Langue Nationale Kabiyè, part of the education ministry in Togo. Another spelling system, devised by R.P. Adjola Raphael, is used by Catholics.
Kabiye has tones which are marked with acute (á) and grave (à) accents.
Download an alphabet chart for Kabiye (Excel)
Palʊlʊʊ ɛyaaa nɛ pa-tɩ yɔɔ wɛʊ kpaagbaa nɛ pɛwɛɛ kɩmaŋ wala ɛsɩndaa. Palʊlʊʊ-wɛ nɛ pɔ-lɔŋ nɛ pa-aɣzɩm; mbʊ yekina nɛ pɔsɔɔlɩ ɖama se pɛkɛ ɛyaa pa-tɩŋgɛ.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Information about Kabiye | Numbers
Information about the Kabiye language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabiye_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/kbp
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabiyè_(langue)
Berba, Birifor (Northern), Birifor (Southern), Dagaare, Dagbani, Frafra, Gourmanchéma, Kasem, Konkomba, Kusaal, Láá Láá Bwamu, Mampruli, Moba, Mossi, Paasaal, Safaliba, Sisaali, Tammari, Tem, Tumulung Sisaala, Turka, Waama, Western Sisaala
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 01.07.23
[top]
Why not share this page:
If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.
Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com
Get a 30-day Free Trial of Amazon Prime (UK)
If you're looking for home or car insurance in the UK, why not try Policy Expert?
[top]
