Ethnicity Yasa and Pygmies Glottolog yasa1242 | ISO 639-3 yko | |
Native to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon Native speakers 2,400 in Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea (2000–2011)
unknown number in Gabon Language family Niger–Congo
Atlantic–Congo
Benue–Congo
Bantoid
Bantu (Zone A)
Sawabantu (A.30)
Kombe?
Yasa | ||
Yasa (Iyasa, Yassa) is a Bantu language of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea by Ndowe coastal fishing people. It is also spoken by Pygmies, perhaps Babongo, in Gabon.
Contents
Yasa also goes by the names Bongwe, Lyaasa, and Maasa. Dialects are Bweko, Vendo, Bodele, Marry, One, Asonga, Bomui, Mogana, Mooma, Mapanga. It may in turn be a dialect of Kombe. Speakers report that Kombe and Yasa are almost perfectly mutually intelligible.
Classification
Dieu and Renaud (1993) classify Iyasa as a Sawabantu language (A.30 in Guthrie classification).
Geographic Distribution
Iyasa is spoken along the coast of Cameroon south of Kribi, including in the city of Campo. It is also spoken across the Ntem River in Equatorial Guinea. The northernmost Iyasa village is Lolabe, 31 km south of Kribi.
Sounds/Phonology
Iyasa has a seven-vowel system:
It also has 22 phonemic consonants:
Noun classes
Iyasa has 12 noun classes, as outlined in the table below (adapted from Bôt 2011 and Bouh Ma Sitna 2004):