Mambila

Mambila is a member of the Mambiloid branch of the Northern Bantoid language family. It is spoken by about 130,000 people in Nigeria and Cameroon. In particular, it is spoken on the Mambilla Plateau in and around Gembu, the capital of the Sardauna Local Government Area in the southeast of Taraba State in the southeast of Nigeria, and in the towns of Banyo and Kimi / Bankim in the south of the Mayo-Banyo Department in the southwest of the Adamawa Region in northwestern Cameroon.

Mambila is also known as Mambere, Mabila or Mambilla. Dialects include Barup, Bang, Dorofi, Gembu, Hainari, Kabri, Mayo Ndaga, Mbamnga, Tamien and Warwar, which are spoken in Nigeria, and Sunu Torbi, Ju Naare, Ju Ba and Langa, which are spoken in Cameroon. The dialects spoken in Nigeria and Cameroon are classified as separate languages - Nigerian Mambila and Camerounian Mambila - in some sources. However, the people who speak them regard themselves as one ethnic group, and can more or less understand each other.

Mambila is written with the Latin alphabet, and there is a translation of the Bible and a number of other books in Mambila.

Mambila alphabet and pronunciation

Mambila alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Mambila (Excel)
Details of the Mambila alphabet provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)

Sample text

  1. Yeésò ye bɔ́ a: «Mɔ bí baá dua, bí júée: Tele beèh, yilí yeè a: dèn beè bɔ̀ nùàr jolosé. Ndê kɔgɔ yeè ká lètenè beèh dilí kwaá.
  2. Wò né béh yáb cieé dɔɔ́ŋ haá.
  3. Kúlú njí bɔ̀ veên beèh doó faá béh né dé bɔ̀ mbeí beèh lè beèh kulú sɔm nɔ. Bèh mé veên né béh taáb dɔɔ́ŋ, té béh teèn njí.»

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/2226/LUK.11.MCU

Translation

  1. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
  2. Give us day by day our daily bread.
  3. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
    The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos

Links

Information about Mambila
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambila_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambila_(langue)
https://www.mambila.info/Connell/project.html
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/mambila.html
http://www.language-archives.org/language/mcu
http://www.language-archives.org/language/mzk
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/mcu
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/mzk

Bantoid languages

Abon, Bafanji, Bebe, Bekwarra, Daka, Ipulo, Isu, Jagham, Jarawa, Kemezung, Kenyang, Ki, Koshin, Kung, Mambila, Mbe, Mbuʼ, Medumba, Metaʼ, Pinyin, Tiv, Yambeta

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 18.03.26. Last modified: 20.03.26

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