Masaaba (Lumasaaba)

Masaaba is a Bantu language spoken by about 1.65 million people in the Eastern Region of Uganda, in particular in the Bududa, Bulambuli, Manafwa, Mbale and Sironko districts of the Bugisu sub-region around Mout Elgon (Masaaba).

Masaaba is also known as Bagisu, Gisu, Kisu, Lugisu, Masaba or Lumasaaba. Dialects include Gisu, Kisu, Syan, Tachoni, Dadiri and Buya.

Masaaba was first documented in 1899 by Charles William Hobley and Ernst Georg Ravenstein, who compiled wordlists. A grammar of the language was published in 1907 by Harry Hamilton Johnston. Parts of the The Book of Common Prayer among the Nations of the World were translated into Masaaba by the Rev. William Arthur Crabtree in 1914.

Masaaba is currently written with an orthography devised in 1977. It is taught in primary schools, used in literature and the media, and supported by the Lumasaaba Language Academy.

Masaaba alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Masaaba (Excel)

Notes

s = [ʃ] before i

Sample text (The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4)

Yezu wabaloma ari, “Ni muba nga muloomba, muloma muri, ‘Paapa, Khayo lisiina lyoowo likhosefu liisibwemo lukoosi, buyiinga bwoowo bwiitse.
Ukhuwe buli ndaalo biilyo byeesi khukana.
Ukhwiyakhile bibyonako byeefwe, nga nafwe nikhwiyakhila buli mutweela ukhukholakho buubi, ne ukhakhuyila mu khukhonjelesebwa ta.’ ”

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/2184/LUK.11.LCE

Translation

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.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
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.

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

Sample videos in Masaaba

Links

Information about Masaaba
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaaba_language
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/myx
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/masa1299
https://archive.org/details/AManualOfLumasabaGrammar

Bantu languages

Bangi, Basaa, Bemba, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bukusu, Bulu, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mende, Mongo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nambya, Nande, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Safwa, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tanga, Tembo, Tonga, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Vwanji, Xhosa, Yao, Yasa, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 16.03.22. Last modified: 01.05.24

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