Yasa (Iyasa)

Yasa is a Bantu language spoken by about 2,400 people mainly along the coasts of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, and also in Gabon. Yasa speakers in Cameroon are found in the Campo Sub-Division of the Ocean Division of the South Region, as well as in cities such as Yaoundé, Douala and Kribi. In Equatorial Guinea there are Yasa speakers in the Rio Campo Department of the Litoral Province in the northwest of the country

In Cameroon Yasa is spoken by people of all ages, although children and young people are increasingly shifting to French, especially in the cities, and their parents are speaking mainly French at home. In Equatorial Guinea there is a shift to speaking Spanish among Yasa speakers.

Yasa is also known as Iyasa, Iyassa, Yasa, Yassa or Bongwe. Dialects include Bweko, Vendo, Bodele, Marry, One, Asonga, Bomui, Mogana, Mooma and Mapanga. It is closely related to Kombe.

There appear to be several ways to write Yasa with the Latin alphabet. An alphabet for Yasa based on the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages (L’Alphabet général des langues camerounaises) was officially adopted in Cameroon in 1979. A new orthography was introduced in 2015 and is being used by increasing numbers of Yasa speakers.

Yasa alphabet and pronunciation

Yasa alphabet and pronunciation

Note

In Equatorial Guinea [ɲ] is written ñ.

Download an alphabet chart for Yasa (Excel)

Sample text

Baduwe baduwe te na te. Baduewe evɔ́kɔ́ ebɛí ndi, mumu na mwadó wáyɛ é mbóka. É mbóka ményɛ, ebɛ́é na m’póló.

Source: Le guide d'orthographe iyasa

Sample videos in Yasa

Links

Information about Yasa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasa_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yassa_(langue)
https://www.peupleiyasa.com/
https://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/558 https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/yko
https://coryshain.github.io/iyasa_webonary/

Bantu languages

Bangi, Basaa, Bemba, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bukusu, Bulu, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mende, Mongo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nambya, Nande, Ngoni, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Safwa, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tanga, Tembo, Tonga, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Vwanji, Xhosa, Yao, Yasa, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 04.12.23. Last modified: 05.12.23

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