Maba language explained

Maba
Nativename:	buraa mabaŋ
States:	Chad
Region:	Ouaddaï, Wadi Fira
Ethnicity:	Maba
Date:	2019
Ref:	e27
Familycolor:	Nilo-Saharan
Fam2:	Maban
Fam3:	Mabang
Dia1:	Maba
Dia2:	Kodroy
Dia3:	Kabartu
Dia4:	Kondongo
Script:	Arabic script Latin
Iso3:	mde
Glotto:	maba1277
Glottorefname:	Maba (Chad)

Maba (Maban, Mabang, or Bura Mabang) is a Nilo-Saharan language of the Maban branch spoken in Chad and Sudan. It is divided into several dialects, and serves as a local trade language. Maba is closely related to the Masalit language.^[1] Most speakers of Maba reside in Chad with 542,000 speakers as of 2019. In 2022 there were 28,000 speakers in Sudan where the language is known as Sulaihab.

Phonology

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i iː		u uː
Open-mid	ɛ ɛː		ɔ ɔː
Open		a aː

• /ɛ, ɛː/ and /ɔ, ɔː/ may be realized as more close [e, eː] and [o, oː], when found in open syllable positions.
• Vowels may also be marginally realized as nasal when in nasal environments.

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Retroflex	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n		ɲ	ŋ
Stop		(p)	t	(ʈ)	c	k
		b	d	(ɖ)	ɟ	g
		ᵐb	ⁿd	(ᶯɖ)	ᶮɟ	ᵑɡ
Fricative		f	s		ʃ		(h)
			(z)
Rhotic			ɾ
Lateral			l
Approximant					j	w

• Stop sounds /b, t, k/ are heard as unreleased [p̚, t̚, k̚] when in word-final position.
• Sounds [p, h] are heard mostly as a result of loanwords. [z] is also mostly from Arabic loanwords, but also may occur in some native words as well.
• /t, d, ⁿd/ when preceding a tap /ɾ/, are then heard as retroflex [ʈ, ɖ, ᶯɖ].
• /ɾ/ may also be heard as a trill [r] in free variation.^[2]

Orthography

Maba language is written with the Latin and Arabic Chad Alphabet.

A a

B b

C c

Ch ch

D d

Dr dr

E e (Ɛ ɛ)

F f

G g

H h

I i

J j

K k

Kh kh

L l

M m

Mb mb

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

N n

N̰ n̰

Nd nd

Ndr ndr

Nj nj

Ŋ ŋ

Ng ng

O o (Ɔ ɔ)

Pp

R r

S s

T t

Tr tr

U u

W w

Y y

Z z

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/ (pronounced as /link/)

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

pronounced as /link/

Maba Arabic alphabet^[3]

Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ‌(-) pronounced as /link//pronounced as /link/| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (B b) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (P p) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (T t) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (T t) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (J j) pronounced as /link/ |-! Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Nj nj) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (C c) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (H h) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Kh kh) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (D d) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Nd nd) pronounced as /link/ |-! Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (S s) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (R r) pronounced as /link/ (pronounced as /link/)| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Dr dr) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Z z) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Tr tr) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Ndr Ndr) pronounced as /link/ |-! Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (S s) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Ch ch) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (S s) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (D d) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (T t) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (Z z) pronounced as /link/ |-! Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (-) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" bgcolor="#FFEFD5" | (Kh kh) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Ŋ ŋ) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Ng ng) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (F f) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (G g) pronounced as /link/ |-! Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (K k) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (L l) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (M m) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Mb mb) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (N n) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (N̰ n̰) pronounced as /link/ |-! Arabic (Latin) [IPA]| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (H h) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (W w) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ‌(-) pronounced as /link/| style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | (Y y) pronounced as /link/ | style="width:7em; text-align:center; padding: 3px;" | ‌(-) pronounced as /link/|} Vowel at beginning of word A E (Ɛ) I O (Ɔ) U Aa Ee (Ɛɛ) Ii Oo (Ɔɔ) Uu Vowel at middle and end of word a e (ɛ) i o (ɔ) u ∅ aa ee (ɛɛ) ii oo (ɔɔ) uu Sample Text Sample texts from "Mabaan Dictionary".^[4] Translation Nyanna, when you go to Mulle's village, ask Mulle for my oil gourd the gourd that she borrowed the other day. When she gives it to you bring it in your hand so that I can pour out some of my oil because I don't have any left. Latin Script N̰anna, ne i ooddi ban Mullinye, dala ne i tooccaa Mulliti te lwan̰gon ya lwan̰gon uanne eke oŋiti. Dala ne i wondi owwa bieŋiti aŋka ya buaga luayi n̰on ya acaan ya balka geel moki bee. Arabic Script Further reading Web site: Mabaan dictionary . https://web.archive.org/web/20240417191053/http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Nilo-Saharan/Nilotic/Mabaan%20dictionary%20Unicode.pdf . 2024-04-17 . Roger Blench. Doris . Weiss . Phonologie et morphosyntaxe du Maba . Phonology and Morphology of Maba . Université Lumière - Lyon II . 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240418140309/https://theses.hal.science/tel-01540280/document . 2024-04-18 . .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Maba. Ethnologue. 8 March 2024.
2. Book: Weiss, Doris. Phonologie et morphosyntaxe du Maba. Université Lumière - Lyon II. 2009.
3. Book: mde . Alkassim. Oumar. Fathimat Al-Zahra. Hicham. Abdoulaye Ali. Dahab. Ousman Timsa. Ali. Zürcher. Evodie. Weiss. Doris. بُرَا مَبَݝْنُ، جِݝ قٚر مِرْنِ! (كِتَب ١) (Buraa mabaŋnu jiŋ ger mirni! (Kitab 1)) . N’Djaména . SIL Tchad . 2007 . 4 . 2000 .
4. http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Nilo-Saharan/Nilotic/Mabaan%20dictionary%20Unicode.pdf Mabaan dictionary