Bissa (Bɩsa)

Bissa is an Eastern Mande language spoken by about 6.8 million people in south-cental Burkina Faso, 1.1 million people in northeastern Ghana, and about 3,300 people in northern Togo. There are also some speakers of Bissa in Ivory Coast. Im Burkina Faso, it is spoken in particular in the Boulgou, Koulpélogo and Kouritenga provinces in the Centre-Est Region, in the provinces of Bazaga and Zoundwéogo in the Centre-Sud Region, and in Ganzargou Province in the Plateau-Central Region. In Ghana, Bissa speakers can be found in the Bawku Municipal District of the Upper East Region, and in Togo, they are in Tône Prefecture in the Savanes Region.

Other names for Bissa include Bisa, Bisan, Bissanno, and Busansi. Bissa speakers call their language Bɩsa and themselves Bɩsanno. There are three dialects of Bissa: Barka (Easter Bissa), Lebir (Western Bissa) and Lere (Northern Bissa). The Barka and Lebir dialects are most widely spoken.

Bissa is written with the Latin alphabet, and there are is one spelling system for the Lere and Lebir dialects, and another for the Barka dialect. There is a Bissa version of the New Testament of the Bible.

Bissa alphabets and pronunciation

Bissa alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Bissa (Excel)

Sample text

  1. A n a hɩ ŋ nɩ, a ʊ: «K'a ɩ yaa dam, k'a hɩ, a ʊ: Zɩ, a ka kʊ n n'ɩbɩɩ mɩŋŋa dɔ Woso a deem, k'ɩ cirbəə n bʊr.
  2. Wɔɔ dɔmɩm biyəə hɔbɩrɛ ka wɔɔ ʊ,
  3. k'ɩ wɔɔ mimbʊnyaarɔ sugur ka wɔɔ ʊ, amba wɔɔ mɩŋŋɔɔ y'a sugur kam bɔɔ ɩ kʊrɔma kan wɔɔ kɩ rɔ wɔɔ ʊ bɩ m. Ɩ b'a ka, ʊ ʊ do makra nɔ ʊ y.»

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1751/LUK.11.BIB

Translation

  1. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
  2. Give us day by day our daily bread.
  3. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
    The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos

Information about Bislama | Numbers

Links

Information about Bissa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bissa_language
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/bib
https://www.webonary.org/bissa-barka/overview/introduction/
http://www.language-archives.org/language/bib
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/bissa.html

Mande languages

Bambara, Boko, Busa, Dan, Dioula, Guro, Kpelle, Loma, Mandinka, Maninka, Mano, Mende, Soninke, Susu, Vai

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 04.06.25. Last modified: 04.06.25

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