Somrai (bii gə chibne)

Somrai is an East Chadic language spoken by about 7,400 people in the southwest of Chad, particularly near the city of Lai in the Tandjilé Est department of the Tandjilé region.

Somrai is also known as Chibne, Chibné, Shibne, Sibine, Somray, Somre, Somrei, Soumrai, Soumray, Soumraye, Sounrai or Sumrai. It is most closely related to Ndam, although the two languages are not mutually intelligible.

Somrai is written with a version of the Latin alphabet. It has been taught in some pre-schools and literacy classes since 2002, and parts of the Bible and other texts have been translated into Somrai.

Somrai alphabet (ABC gə bii gə chibne)

Notes

Somrai has five tones which are not usually indicated in writing.

Download an alphabet chart for Somrai (Excel)

Details provided by Michael Peter Füstumum

Sample text (Jonah 1:1-3)

Wala mən, Aba dama gə dərə̂w bər̰in̰ ꞌogə Jonas gənə̂ Amitay gorəndəw me wayəw ba da:
«So daa, ha managə Ninibə də i ciri də geche, me soy berni-yə̂ dədə̂ dara na gwale ilə̂ dədə̂gələ̂ dara acn̰a day di swa bəra yala ꞌyon daa.»
Ər̰ə Jonas di so wa dara ba ha managə ciri də Tarsislə̂, bam hə̂n̰ gə Aba dama gə dərə̂w bər̰in̰ di. An̰ji gər managə ciri də Japa də i kuray gə geche bəwə̂, me ꞌyo bərwa gə geche gə ilə̂ hara managə Tarsis di. An̰ji ꞌyogə kili duwa me nagə gə nare di dara hara Tarsis, bam hə̂n̰ gə Aba dama gə dərə̂w bər̰in̰ di.

Source: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/2630/JON.1.SOR

Translation

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

Source: https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Jonah-Chapter-1/

Sample video in Somrai

Information about Somrai | Numbers

Links

Information about Somrai
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somrai_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soumray
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Сомрай
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/sor
https://www.chibne.net/fr/acceuil

Chadic languages

Bade, Bana, Barein, Bole, Dangaléat, Gawar, Goemai, Hausa, Hdi, Karai-karai, Kera, Lele, Marba, Migaama, Miya, Moloko, Musey, Mwaghavul, Ngizim, Polci, Sokoro, Somrai, Tangale, Tumak, Wandala, Zulgo-Gemzek

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 01.11.21. Last modified: 07.11.21

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