Bade (gàbàden)

Bade is a West Chadic language spoken in Yobe and Jigawa States in northern Nigeria. In 2007 there were about 250,000 speakers of Bade, which is also known as Badanci, Bedde, Bede or Gidgid. Bade is used in homes and villages, is taught in primary schools, and used in literature and on the radio. However, Bade speakers are shifting to Hausa, the dominant language of the region.

There are three main dialects of Bade: Gashua Bade, Southern Bade and Western Bade. Gashua Bade is spoken in the city of Gashua, and in the surrounding area. Southern Bade is spoken mainly in the towns of Katamma, Katangana and Gorgoram to the south and west of Gashua. Western Gade has the most speakers, and is spoken in the towns of Amshi, Dagona, Tagali and Madamuwa is the west of the Bade-speaking area.

Within each dialect of Bade there is much variation, and each Bade-speaking town and village has it's own version of the language.

Bade alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

Long vowels are indicated by doubling (aa, ee, etc) or by a macron (ā)
A high tone is indicated with an acute accent (á), a low with a grave accent (à), a falling tone with a circumflex accent (â), and a rising tone with a caron (ǎ). The mid tone is not marked
Consonants are labialized when followed by w, e.g. mw = [mʷ], and palatalized when followed by y, e.g. gy = [ɡʲ]
r̃ is only used in the Gashua dialect

Download an alphabet chart for Bade (Excel)

Sample video in Bade

Links

Information about Bade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bade_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bade_(langue)
http://aflang.humanities.ucla.edu/language-materials/chadic-languages/yobe/bade/
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bde
http://aflang.humanities.ucla.edu/language-materials/chadic-languages/yobe/bade/bade-course/

Chadic languages

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

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 23.04.21

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