Bata language

{{Short description|Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Nigeria and Cameroon}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Bata

|nativename=Gbwata

|states=Nigeria, Cameroon

|region=Adamawa State, North Region

|speakers={{sigfig|304,500|1}}

|date=2020

|ref=e25

|dia1=Zumu

|dia2=Wadi

|dia3=Malabu

|dia4=Kobocī

|dia5=Ribow

|dia6=Njoboliyo

|dia7=Garua

|dia8=Jirai

|dia9=Furo

|dia10=Song Bata

|script=Latin

|familycolor=Afro-Asiatic

|fam2=Chadic

|fam3=Biu–Mandara

|fam4=Bata languages (A.8)

|iso3=bta

|lc1=kso|ld1=Kofa

|glotto=bata1314

|glottorefname=Bata

|map=Afro asiatic peoples nigeria.png

|mapcaption=Ethnic territories of the Bata-speaking people (Batta) in Nigeria, in blue

}}

{{Infobox ethnonym

|person=Gbwata

|people=

|language=Magbwata

|root=Bata

}}

Bata (Gbwata) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Nigeria in Adamawa State in the Numan, Song, Fufore and Jimeta gire Yola maiha Demsa lamorde LGAs, and in Cameroon in North Province along the border with Nigeria. Dialects are Demsa, Garoua, Jirai, Kobotachi, Malabu, Ndeewe, Ribaw, Wadi, and Zumu (Jimo). It is often considered the same language as Bacama.Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices

Names

Blench (2019) lists Bwatye (endonym: Ɓwaare; exonym: Bachama) as a closely related language variety. They are located in Adamawa State (Numan and Guyuk LGAs) and Kaduna State (northeast of Kaduna town).{{Cite book|title=An Atlas of Nigerian Languages|last=Blench|first=Roger|publisher=Kay Williamson Educational Foundation|year=2019|edition=4th|location=Cambridge}} It is also called Kwā ɓwàryē.[https://www.rblanguesdafrique.info/bata.html Bata materials from Raymond Boyd]

ALCAM (2012) lists Gbwata (Bwaara in Nigeria) 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.{{cite book|editor-last=Binam Bikoi|editor-first=Charles|date=2012|title=Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM)|trans-title=Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon|volume=1: Inventaire des langues|language=fr|location=Yaoundé|publisher=CERDOTOLA|series=Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC)|isbn=9789956796069}}

Dialects

In Cameroon, there are three varieties of Gbwata:

Demsa (Demsa commune in Bénoué department, which is on the Nigerian border, 30 km northeast of Garoua)
Kokoumi (Garoua commune, Bénoué department, which is along the Benue River)
Faro (Jelepo in Beka commune, Faro department)

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 =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan="2" \| !Labial !Alveolar !Retroflex !Post-alv./ Palatal !Velar !Labio- velar !Glottal
colspan="2" \|Nasal \|{{IPAlink\|m}} \|{{IPAlink\|n}} \| \|({{IPAlink\|ɲ}}) \| \| \|
rowspan="4" \|Stop/ Affricate !voiceless \|{{IPAlink\|p}} \|{{IPAlink\|t}} \| \| \|{{IPAlink\|k}} \|{{IPAlink\|k͡p}} \|{{IPAlink\|ʔ}}
voiced \|{{IPAlink\|b}} \|{{IPAlink\|d}} \| \|({{IPAlink\|d͡ʒ}}) \|{{IPAlink\|ɡ}} \|{{IPAlink\|ɡ͡b}} \|
prenasal \|{{IPAlink\|ᵐb}} \|{{IPAlink\|ⁿd}} \| \|({{IPAlink\|ⁿd͡ʒ}}) \|{{IPAlink\|ᵑɡ}} \|{{IPAlink\|ᵑɡ͡b}} \|
implosive \|{{IPAlink\|ɓ}} \|{{IPAlink\|ɗ}} \| \| \| \| \|
rowspan="3" \|Fricative !voiceless \|{{IPAlink\|f}} \|{{IPAlink\|s}} \| \|({{IPAlink\|ʃ}}) \| \| \|{{IPAlink\|h}}
voiced \|{{IPAlink\|v}} \|{{IPAlink\|z}} \| \| \| \| \|
prenasal \| \|{{IPA link\|ⁿz}} \| \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Rhotic \| \| \|{{IPAlink\|ɽ}} \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Lateral \| \| \|{{IPAlink\|ɭ}} \| \| \| \|
colspan="2" \|Approximant \| \| \| \|{{IPAlink\|j}} \| \|{{IPAlink\|w}} \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! colspan="2" |

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPAlink|m}}

|{{IPAlink|n}}

|({{IPAlink|ɲ}})

rowspan="4" |Stop/
Affricate

!voiceless

|{{IPAlink|p}}

|{{IPAlink|t}}

|{{IPAlink|k}}

|{{IPAlink|k͡p}}

|{{IPAlink|ʔ}}

voiced

|{{IPAlink|b}}

|{{IPAlink|d}}

|({{IPAlink|d͡ʒ}})

|{{IPAlink|ɡ}}

|{{IPAlink|ɡ͡b}}

prenasal

|{{IPAlink|ᵐb}}

|{{IPAlink|ⁿd}}

|({{IPAlink|ⁿd͡ʒ}})

|{{IPAlink|ᵑɡ}}

|{{IPAlink|ᵑɡ͡b}}

implosive

|{{IPAlink|ɓ}}

|{{IPAlink|ɗ}}

rowspan="3" |Fricative

!voiceless

|{{IPAlink|f}}

|{{IPAlink|s}}

|({{IPAlink|ʃ}})

|{{IPAlink|h}}

voiced

|{{IPAlink|v}}

|{{IPAlink|z}}

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ⁿz}}

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|{{IPAlink|ɽ}}

colspan="2" |Lateral

|{{IPAlink|ɭ}}

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPAlink|j}}

|{{IPAlink|w}}

Sounds [ɲ, ʃ, d͡ʒ ⁿd͡ʒ] may occur optionally as independent sounds, or as allophones of /n, s, z, ⁿz/ in palatalized positions.{{Cite book |last=Boyd |first=Raymond |title=Bata phonology: a reappraisal |publisher=München: Lincom Europa |year=2002}}

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! !Front !Central ! colspan="2" \|Back
align="center" !Close \|{{IPAlink\|i}} \| \|{{IPAlink\|ɯ}} \|{{IPAlink\|u}}
Mid \|{{IPAlink\|e}} \|{{IPAlink\|ə}} \| colspan="2" \|{{IPAlink\|o}}
align="center" !Open \| \|{{IPAlink\|a}} \| colspan="2" \|

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Front

!Central

! colspan="2" |Back

align="center"

!Close

|{{IPAlink|i}}

|{{IPAlink|ɯ}}

|{{IPAlink|u}}

Mid

|{{IPAlink|e}}

|{{IPAlink|ə}}