La'bi is the esoteric ritual language of male initiation among the Gbaya Kara, the Mbum, and some Sara Laka, in the area of Touboro near where the CAR, Chad, and Cameroon meet. It has no native speakers, but is used by 4,400 people. It is related to Mbum, with substantial loans from one or more Sara languages.[1][2]
| La'bi | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Kamerun |
| Speakers | 4,400 L2 speakers (2006)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lbi |
| Glottolog | labi1244 |
A word list of is given in Periquet (1915).[3]
References
edit- ^ a b La'bi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Yves Moñino, 1977. "Conceptions du monde et langue d'initiation la'bi de Gbaya-Kara", Langages et cultures africaines, Paris, Maspero.
- ^ Periquet, Louis. 1915. Rapport général sur la mission de délimitation Afrique Équatoriale Française-Cameroun (1912-1913-1914). Tome III, Vocabulaires. Paris: Ministère de colonies.