Bata language


Bata is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Nigeria in Adamawa State in the Numan, Song, Fufore and Jimeta gire Yola maiha Demsa lamorde Local [government areas of Nigeria|LGAs], and in Cameroon in North Province along the border with Nigeria. Dialects are Demsa, Garoua, Jirai, Kobotachi, Malabu, Ndeewe, Ribaw, Wadi, and Zumu. It is often considered the same language as Bacama.

Names

Blench lists Bwatye as a closely related language variety. They are located in Adamawa State and Kaduna State. It is also called Kwā ɓwàryē.
ALCAM lists Gbwata as the singular personal form of Bata. The speakers refer to their language as "the language of the Gbwata", called Magbwatá, Magbwati or Magbwatiye in Cameroon.

Dialects

In Cameroon, there are three varieties of Gbwata:
Ndeewe is the dialect of the Gbwata who live far from the banks of the Faro and Benue rivers, where the "agricultural Bata" live. It is now spoken by only a few dozen people.
Bacama is a Gbwata ethnic group settled in Nigeria.
There are 2,500 speakers in Cameroon.

Phonology

Consonants

  • Sounds may occur optionally as independent sounds, or as allophones of /n, s, z, ⁿz/ in palatalized positions.

Vowels