mə-daba
Daba
Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, Central, Mafa-Bata — Daba subgroup)
Daba is a Chadic language of the Mandara Mountains in northern Cameroon, sister to other Mafa-Bata languages of the same general region. Linguistically, Daba shares Central Chadic family features (rich consonant inventory with implosives ɓ ɗ, vowel harmony, gender-based agreement) with neighboring Mafa, Bata, Hide (xed), and other Mandara group languages. The Daba people are subsistence farmers and traders in the rocky Mandara terrain, with strong historical interactions with neighboring Fulani pastoralists. Mouchet's 1966 reference grammar Le parler daba is the foundational documentation; SIL Cameroon has produced contemporary literacy materials.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Daba
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, Central, Mafa-Bata — Daba subgroup)
| Meaning | Daba | Hdi | Kera | Western Cham | Susu | Adnyamathanha | Mampruli |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | yim /jim/ | ìmí /ìmí/ | kan /kan/ | ايا /ja/ | yi /ji/ | awi /awi/ | kuom /kuom/ |
| Fire | kuhu /kuhu/ | vú /vú/ | cəwa /tʃə̄wā/ | افوي /apuei/ | te /te/ | ardrla /aʈɭa/ | bugum /buɡum/ |
| Sun | pic /pitʃ/ | fìtík /fìtík/ | cəwa /tʃə́wá/ | أديتياء /aditiak/ | soge /soɡe/ | yurnrdu /juɳʈu/ | wuntiri /wuntiri/ |
| Moon | təra /təra/ | tili /tili/ | kitir /kitiɾ/ | بيلن /bilan/ | kike /kike/ | viRa /viɹa/ | gɔoŋ /ɡɔːŋ/ |
| Star | gəməzla /ɡəməɮa/ | tekwatsa /tekwatsa/ | seska /seska/ | فتاۛء /patɨʔ/ | tunbi /tunbi/ | vurdli /vuʈli/ | ŋmariga /ŋmariɡa/ |
| Night | vùɗu /vùɗu/ | rvíɗìk /rvíɗìk/ | duugŋ /duːɡŋ/ | مالم /malam/ | kɔɛ /kɔɛ/ | wilydya /wiʎca/ | yuŋŋu /juŋːu/ |
| Rain | van /van/ | — | ko /ko/ | — | tunɛ /tunɛ/ | warrana /warana/ | sa /sa/ |
| Wind | mit /mit/ | falak /falak/ | kaŋkaw /kaŋkaw/ | أڠين /aŋin/ | foye /foje/ | milyaRu /miʎaɹu/ | pɛsiŋŋu /pɛsiŋːu/ |
| Earth | xàyik /xàjik/ | xàɗík /xàɗík/ | seŋka /seŋka/ | تانه /tanah/ | bɔxi /bɔxi/ | yarta /jaʈa/ | tiŋŋa /tiŋŋa/ |
| Stone | gugun /ɡuɡun/ | pala /pala/ | pərki /pəɾki/ | فتاو /patau/ | gɛmɛ /ɡɛmɛ/ | adynya /acɲa/ | kugri /kuɡri/ |
| Mountain | caɗak /tʃaɗak/ | ghwá /ɣʷá/ | pərki /pəɾki/ | — | geya /ɡeja/ | — | zoori /zoːri/ |
| Mother | məy /məj/ | má /má/ | nər /nəɾ/ | ماي /mai/ | nga /ŋɡa/ | ngami /ŋami/ | ma /ma/ |
| Father | vay /vaj/ | dá /dá/ | bar /baɾ/ | أمآ /amaː/ | baba /baba/ | vapi /vapi/ | ba /ba/ |
| Daughter | gə̀lə̀məy /ɡə̀lə̀məj/ | makwa /makʷa/ | tər /təɾ/ | — | di ginɛ /di ɡinɛ/ | — | bipuŋŋa /bipuŋa/ |
| I | kata /kata/ | íí /íí/ | ten /ten/ | كاو /kɔw/ | n /n/ | ngayi /ŋaji/ | mani /mani/ |
| You | hoh /hoh/ | kághá /káɣá/ | tam /tam/ | هاۛ /hɨ/ | i /i/ | nhina /n̪ina/ | fu /fʊ/ |
| We | min tokon / ni /min tokon / ni/ | ámú / áŋní /ámú / áŋní/ | áŋ / are /áŋ / aɾe/ | دري /drej/ | won / muxu /wɔn / muxu/ | ngarlpurla /ŋaɭpuɭa/ | tidima /tidima/ |
| Name | zlimi /ɮimi/ | xgà /xɡà/ | sam /sam/ | أڠن /aŋan/ | xili /xili/ | mityi /mici/ | yuli /juli/ |
| Person | hidi /hidi/ | mndu /mndu/ | hulum /hulum/ | — | mixi /mixi/ | yuRa /juɹa/ | nira /nira/ |
| Head | tə̀ləŋ /tə̀ləŋ/ | ghəŋ /ɣəŋ/ | cəərə /tʃəːɾə/ | — | xunyi /xuɲi/ | vapardrla /vapaʈɭa/ | zugu /zuɡu/ |
| Eye | həra /həra/ | ìrí /ìrí/ | dər /dəɾ/ | متا /mata/ | ya /ja/ | mina /mina/ | nini /nini/ |
| Ear | zlimi /ɮimi/ | sləməŋ /ɬəməŋ/ | koso /koso/ | — | tuli /tuli/ | yuri /juɾi/ | tubri /tubri/ |
| Nose | mìcin /mìtʃin/ | xtsíŋ /xtsíŋ/ | — | — | ɲɔɛ /ɲɔɛ/ | — | nyoori /ɲoːri/ |
| Mouth | mà /mà/ | wa /wa/ | ku /ku/ | — | dɛ /dɛ/ | — | noori /noːri/ |
| Tooth | ndiŋ /ndiŋ/ | sliʼiŋ /ɬiʔiŋ/ | kəsəŋ /kəsəŋ/ | تڬي /taɡɛj/ | ɲinyi /ɲiɲi/ | ira /iɾa/ | nyini /ɲini/ |
| Tongue | gə̀nà /ɡənà/ | ghanik /ɣanik/ | kəsəl /kəsəl/ | دله /dalah/ | nɛnɛ /nɛnɛ/ | yarli /jaɭi/ | zilinni /zilinːi/ |
| Hand | zləra /ɮəra/ | dzvú /dzvú/ | kaasa /kaːsa/ | تاڠين /taŋin/ | belexɛ /belexɛ/ | mara /maɾa/ | nuusi /nuːsi/ |
| Foot | ngə̀z /ŋɡə̀z/ | səla /səla/ | kampar /kampar/ | تاكاي /takai/ | sanyi /saɲi/ | idna /idna/ | napɔŋŋu /napɔŋːu/ |
| Heart | mututukul /mututukul/ | ŋùɗùf /ŋùɗùf/ | tarmə /taɾmə/ | هتاي /hatai/ | bɔɲɛ /bɔɲɛ/ | yurlk-aka /juɭkaka/ | suuri /suːri/ |
| Bone | gengirizl /ɡeŋɡiriɮ/ | ghudzif /ɣudzif/ | kəskəŋ /kəskəŋ/ | تلڠ /talaŋ/ | xɔri /xɔri/ | warlpu /waɭpu/ | kɔbri /kɔbri/ |
| Blood | ɓiɓiž /ɓiɓiʒ/ | us /us/ | kor /kor/ | دره /darah/ | wuli /wuli/ | arti /aʈi/ | zim /zim/ |
| Poop | bəbah /bəbah/ | ghúvì /ɣúvì/ | — | — | gbi /ɡbi/ | udna /utna/ | — |
| Love | may /maj/ | ɗvú /ɗvú/ | bele /bele/ | ڬاوه /ɡauh/ | xanunteya /xanunteja/ | ngadha-pa- /ŋat̪apa/ | paaba /paːba/ |
| Tree | pay /paj/ | fú /fú/ | kəbaŋ /kəbaŋ/ | كايو /kajuv/ | wuri /wuɾi/ | wirti /wiʈi/ | tia /tia/ |
| Dog | həza /həza/ | krì /krì/ | kooya /koːja/ | أتحو /atʰuv/ | barɛ /baɾɛ/ | wirlka /wiɭka/ | baaga /baːɡa/ |
| Cat | mbə̀va /mbə̀va/ | ùvá /ùvá/ | baadu /baːdu/ | ميٛو /meuv/ | nyɛɛsu /ɲɛːsu/ | — /—/ | nyusi /ɲusi/ |
| Fish | kìlif /kìlif/ | klipi /klipi/ | aska /aska/ | كان /kan/ | yɛxɛ /jɛxɛ/ | varru /varu/ | zinga /ziŋa/ |
| Bird | ɨ̀vkin /ɨ̀vkin/ | ɗyak /ɗjak/ | kasko /kasko/ | — | xɔni /xɔni/ | — | niiŋŋa /niːŋːa/ |
| Egg | nezli /neɮi/ | slislik /ɬiɬik/ | kiciki /kitʃiki/ | بوه /boh/ | xɛlɛ /xɛlɛ/ | vipi /vipi/ | jalli /dʒalli/ |
| Horse | pilis /pilis/ | plis /plis/ | gədaamo /ɡədaːmo/ | — | soo /soː/ | — | yoofu /joːfu/ |
| House | jik /dʒik/ | hgá /hɡá/ | kuli /kuli/ | تحاڠ /tʰaŋ/ | banxi /banxi/ | wardrli /waʈɭi/ | yiri /jiri/ |
| Milk | wa /wa/ | uʼa /uʔa/ | kaw /kaw/ | — | xiɲɛ /xiɲɛ/ | ngama /ŋama/ | bisim /bisim/ |
| Honey | ɓùɓum /ɓùɓum/ | zuɗum /zuɗum/ | son bə tum /son bə tum/ | — | kumi /kumi/ | — | sikpaam /sikpaːm/ |
| Salt | mandà /mandà/ | hlùghúl /ɬùɣúl/ | manta /manta/ | — | fɔxɛ /fɔxɛ/ | — | yaarim /jaːrim/ |
| Rice | merure /merure/ | — | — | — | — | — | sinkaafa /sinkaːfa/ |
| Iron | məsa /məsa/ | kfur /kfur/ | kooso /koːso/ | — | wure /wuɾe/ | — | kurigu /kuriɡu/ |
| Wheel | ngaz mota /ŋɡaz mota/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Book | beftere /beftere/ | deftera /deftera/ | kefter /kefteɾ/ | — | buki /buki/ | — | bukku /bukːu/ |
| Eat | zəm /zəm/ | za /za/ | hame /hame/ | هواء /huak/ | don /don/ | ngarlku- /ŋaɭku/ | di /di/ |
| Drink | sa /sa/ | sa /sa/ | se /se/ | ماوم /maum/ | min /min/ | yapa- /japa/ | nyu /ɲu/ |
| Sleep | wan /wan/ | xàná /xàná/ | kin /kin/ | — | xi /xi/ | miya /mija/ | gbisi /ɡbisi/ |
| One | takan /takan/ | tùrtúkw /tùrtúkʷ/ | məna /məna/ | تحا /tʰa/ | keren /keɾen/ | ubmanaka /upmanaka/ | yini /jini/ |
| Two | səray /səraj/ | xìs /xìs/ | ɓasi /ɓasi/ | ڎوا /ɗuə/ | firin /firin/ | alypilhanha /aʎpil̪an̪a/ | ayi /aji/ |
| Three | makaɗ /makaɗ/ | xkán /xkán/ | sóópe /sóːpe/ | كلاو /klaw/ | sakhan /saxan/ | urlpa-rrina /uɭparina/ | ata /ata/ |
| Four | foɗ /foɗ/ | fwaɗ /fwaɗ/ | waaɗe /waːɗe/ | — | naani /naːni/ | — | anaasi /anaːsi/ |
| Five | jəɓin /dʒəɓin/ | hùtáf /hùtáf/ | wiiɗiw /wiːɗiw/ | لاماۛ /lamɨː/ | suuli /suːli/ | — | anu /anu/ |
| Hundred | bələk /bələk/ | dərmək /dərmək/ | kəsi /kəsi/ | — | kɛmɛ /kɛmɛ/ | — | kɔbga /kɔbɡa/ |
| Hello | usoko /usoko/ | zgú /zɡú/ | suuse /suːse/ | سلام /salam/ | inu uxara /inu uxaɾa/ | — /—/ | n na ti bʋɔ /n na ti bʊɔ/ |
| Thank you | soko /soko/ | ŋkáʼ /ŋkáʔ/ | suuse ablaw /suːse ablaw/ | تريما كاسيه /tarima kasiʔ/ | inu wali /inu wali/ | — /—/ | barika /barika/ |
| Good | ninek /ninek/ | zɗá /zɗá/ | pisi /pisi/ | سيام /siam/ | fanyi /faɲi/ | warnrdu /waɳʈu/ | vɛla /vɛla/ |
| New | yìwun /jìwun/ | lfiɗa /lfiɗa/ | kimirwi /kimiɾwi/ | باهاو /bahau/ | nɛɛnɛ /nɛːnɛ/ | marra /mara/ | paalli /paːli/ |
| Red | mèpɨ̀rriŋ /mèpɨ̀rːiŋ/ | dvá /dvá/ | kəəli /kəːli/ | ماۛرياه /mɨriah/ | gbeeli /ɡbeːli/ | yalhdhatyi /jal̪t̪aci/ | moo /moː/ |
| White | màbɨ̀rrɨn /màbɨ̀rːɨn/ | ŋúhlín /ŋúɬín/ | bərwa /bəɾwa/ | — | fiixɛ /fiːxɛ/ | upa /upa/ | peelli /peːli/ |
| Black | mimìliŋ /mimìliŋ/ | ŋəra /ŋəra/ | sarka /saɾka/ | — | fɔɔrɛ /fɔːɾɛ/ | — | sabilli /sabilli/ |
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