View source for Bube language

{{short description|Bantu or Bantoid language of Equatorial Guinea}}
{{redirect|Bubi language|the other Gabonese language called Bubi|Vove language|the Bubi dialect of Kele|Kele language (Gabon)}}
{{redirect|Bubia language|the Bantu language of Cameroon|Wumboko-Bubia language}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Bube 
|nativename = Bubi, Bohobé, Bube–Benga, Bobe
| altname = ''Idioma Bubé''
|states= Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Cameroon
|ethnicity=[[Bubi people|Bubi]], [[Wovea people|Wovea]]
| region = [[Bioko Island]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19990903061913/http://www.equatorialguinea.org/event1390/event_show.htm?doc_id=2715  EquatorialGuinea.org; Retrieved 12/08/1998]</ref><br> [[Río Muni]] (only spoken by minority)
|speakers=51,000 
|date=2011
|ref=e18
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic–Congo]]
|fam3=[[Volta-Congo]]
|fam4=[[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]]
|fam5=[[Bantoid languages|Bantoid]]
|fam6=[[Southern Bantoid]]
|fam7=[[Bantu languages|Bantu]]
|fam8=[[Mbam languages|Mbam]]-Bube-[[Jarawan languages|Jarawan]]
|protoname='''Pre-Bube'''
|minority={{Flag|Equatorial Guinea}}
* [[Bioko Island]]
|map=Lenguas de Guinea Ecuatorial.png
| mapcaption = ''Lenguas de Guinea Ecuatorial'' (Bube (pink)
|iso3=bvb
|lc1=bbx
|ld1=Bubia (Wovea)
|guthrie=A.31, A.221
|glotto=bube1242
|glottorefname=Bube
}}

The '''Bube language''' or '''Bubi''', '''Bohobé''', '''Bube–Benga''' or '''Fernandian''' (Bobe) is a [[Bantu language]] spoken predominately by the [[Bubi people|Bubi]], a [[Bantu people]] native to, and once the primary inhabitants of [[Bioko Island]] in Equatorial Guinea. The language was brought to Bioko from continental Africa more than three thousand years ago when the [[Bubi people|Bubi]] began settling on the island.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/19990903061913/http://www.equatorialguinea.org/event1390/event_show.htm?doc_id=2715  EquatorialGuinea.org; Retrieved 12/08/1998]</ref>

It has around 50,000 speakers, with three variants: North, South and Central-East. It is noted for its [[Tone (linguistics)|tonal]] character and the divergence of words by gender. The language is also spoken by the Bubi native to [[Gabon]] and [[Cameroon]].

The Bube language is divided into six different dialects that vary in the northern and southern regions of Bioko Island. For example, in the North, people speak ''Rebola'' and its variations: ''Basile'', ''Banapa'' and ''Basupa''. However, in the North-East, ''Bakake'' is spoken.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

Bube is also spoken in a small area on the mainland closest to the island, where speakers are shifting to [[Wumboko language|Wumboko]].<ref>Harald Hammarström (2013) ''Review of the Ethnologue, 16th Ed.''</ref> This has been reported as "Bube", "Bubia" or "Wovea" (see [[Wovea people]]).

The first works on the Bube language were those of the Baptist missionary [[John Clarke (Baptist missionary)|John Clarke]], published in 1846 and 1848.<ref>See Bibliography.</ref> A later Bube-to-English [[Primer (textbook)|primer]] was authored in 1875 by [[William Barleycorn]], a colonial era [[Primitive Methodist]] [[missionary]] of [[Igbo people|Igbo]] and [[Fernandino peoples|Fernandino]] descent, while he was serving in the Bubi village of [[Basupu]]. An official language dictionary and grammar guide was published by the ethnic Bubi scholar [[Justo Bolekia Boleká]].

== Other names==
Other names and forms of the name include Bubé, eVoové, eBubée, Bhubhi, Bubi, Ibubi, Ibhubhi, Pove and Eviia.

== Phonology ==
=== Vowels ===
Bube has 7 vowels that can be either short or long:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+Vowel phonemes
|-
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]!! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i iː}} ({{IPA link|ĩ}})
| {{IPA link|u uː}} ({{IPA link|ũ}})
|-
![[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPA link|e eː}} ({{IPA link|ẽ}})
| {{IPA link|o oː}} ({{IPA link|õ}})
|-
![[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ ɛː}} ({{IPA link|ɛ̃}})
| {{IPA link|ɔ ɔː}} ({{IPA link|ɔ̃}})
|-
![[Open vowel|Open]]
|colspan="2" |{{IPA link|a aː}} ({{IPA link|ã}})
|}

The [[Nasalization|nasal]] vowels are [[allophone]]s of respective oral vowels.

=== Consonants ===
Bube has 29 consonants. Some of them are [[Prenasalized consonant|prenasalized]]:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Consonant Phonemes
|-
! colspan="3" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br> [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
! {{small|voiceless}}
| {{IPAlink|m̥}}
| {{IPAlink|n̥}}
|
|
|
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPAlink|m}}
| {{IPAlink|n}}
| {{IPAlink|ɲ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="4" | [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
! rowspan="2" | {{small|plain}}
! {{small|voiceless}}
| {{IPAlink|p}}
| {{IPAlink|t}}
| {{IPAlink|c}}
| {{IPAlink|k}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPAlink|ʔ}}
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPAlink|b}}
| {{IPAlink|d}}
| {{IPAlink|ɟ}}
| {{IPAlink|ɡ}}
|-
! rowspan="2" | {{small|[[Prenasalized consonant|prenasal]]}}
! {{small|voiceless}}
| {{IPAlink|ᵐp}}
| {{IPAlink|ⁿt}}
| {{IPAlink|ᶮc}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPAlink|ᵐb}}
| {{IPAlink|ⁿd}}
| {{IPAlink|ᶮɟ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" colspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
! {{small|voiceless}}
| {{IPAlink|f}}
| {{IPAlink|s}}
|
|
| {{IPAlink|h}}
|-
! {{small|voiced}}
| {{IPAlink|v}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! {{small|prenasal}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ⁿs}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="3" | [[Approximant]]
|
| {{IPAlink|l}}
| {{IPAlink|j}}
| {{IPAlink|w}}
|
|-
! colspan="3" | [[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
|
| {{IPAlink|r}}
|
|
|
|}

== Numbers==
The numbers one through ten in Bube are as follows:<ref>C. Junyent, ''Las lenguas del mundo'', p. 66</ref>
:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! <small>Number</small>
! Northern Bube
! Northwestern Bube
! Southern Bube
|-
| 1 || colspan="2" | buule || muule
|-
| 2 || colspan="2" | eppa || memba
|-
| 3 || colspan="2" | betta || metta
|-
| 4 || colspan="2" | yeele || myeeme
|-
| 5 || colspan="2" | betto || metto
|-
| 6 || colspan="2" | ra'a<br>6 || metto na muule<br>5+1
|-
| 7 || colspan="2" | ra'a la buule<br>6+1 || metto na memba<br>5+2
|-
| 8 || yeele ketoppa<br>4x2 || ra'a la eppa<br>6+2 || metto na metta<br>5+3
|-
| 9 || yeele ketoppa la buule<br>4x2+1 || baa buule ka yo<br>10-1 || metto na myeene<br>5+4
|-
| 10 || colspan="2" | yo || myo
|}

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Bibliography==
* Biddulph, Joseph, Fernandian (1988). ''The Bubi Bantu language of Bioco/Fernando Po''. Pontypridd, Wales: Languages Information Centre, WorldCat no. 17838738.
*Bolekia, Justo Bolekia (1991). Curso de lengua bubi. (Coleccion ensayos, 8.) Malabo: Centro Cultural Hispano-Guineano.
*Bolekia, Justo (2009). Diccionario español-bubi. Madrid: Ediciones AKAL. 544pp.
* Clarke, John (1846). [https://books.google.com/books?id=JI_ftwAACAAJ ''Sentences in the Fernandian Tongue'']. Dunfermline Press, Bimbia.
* Clarke, John (1848). [https://books.google.com/books?id=7zIEAAAAQAAJ ''Introduction To The Fernandian Tongue'', Part 1.] Berwick-on-Tweed.

==External links==

{{Languages of Equatorial Guinea}}
{{Languages of Gabon}}
{{Languages of Cameroon}}
{{Mbam languages}}
{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B)}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bube language}}
[[Category:Bubi| ]]<!-- ethnic group category -->
[[Category:Mbam languages]]<!-- language family category -->
[[Category:Languages of Equatorial Guinea]]<!-- country category -->
[[Category:Languages of Gabon]]
[[Category:Languages of Cameroon]]