Basaa Excursion Tonight

Elizabeth and I went with a friend from the Cameroonian translation organization across the street from us, to a literacy seminar on the Basaa language.  Our friend was one of the two teachers, both native speakers of the language.  They already have the Bible translated in their language but in an out-dated writing system (which had been restricted to the French alphabet).

Some Basaa Facts:

• Spoken by about 230,000 people 
• Bantu language family
• One of the scholars we met at B4NTU Conference (Larry Hyman) has done work on the language

About tonight's seminar:

• 3 different levels met (beginner, intermediate, and advanced)
• Attended by all generations - some of the French-speaking younger generation are learning it because it has not used in the academic domain (writing and reading)
• Learned a portion of the alphabet
• Practiced some total physical response with the commands 'sit', 'stand', 'give it to me', etc.
• Interacted some with the writing system, e.g. the tone markings

For more info, visit our post on Bantu languages.