translateBamum language

Shüpamom

Learn the language of our parents, lesson by lesson: the words, the sounds, the tones and King Njoya's script.

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wb_sunnyWord of the day

lɯ̀m

dry season, age

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94

words in the dictionary

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waving_hand
Unit 1 · Beginner

First words Mə shà'shə̀

Greet, introduce yourself, say yes, no and thank you in Shüpamom.

  1. waving_hand Greeting Me sha'ashe: the first thing to know how to say. +20 XP
  2. badge Introducing yourself Asking and giving your name, saying where you come from. +20 XP
  3. thumb_up Yes, no, thank you Politeness words and basic answers. +20 XP
  4. quiz Review — First words Everything you learnt in unit 1. +35 XP
record_voice_over
Unit 2 · Beginner

The sounds of Bamum

The 10 vowels, the prenasalised consonants and the two tones of the language.

  1. graphic_eq The 10 vowels Bamum distinguishes ten vowel qualities, including ɯ and ʉ, unknown in English. +25 XP
  2. hearing The consonants Six places of articulation and the famous prenasalised m͡b, n͡d, n͡ʒ. +25 XP
  3. music_note The two tones High, low, contours and downstep: the melody changes the meaning. +30 XP
  4. quiz Review — The sounds Test your ear and your notation. +35 XP
history_edu
Unit 3 · Beginner

King Njoya's script A-ka-u-ku

The syllabary invented in Foumban in 1896: history and first letters.

  1. auto_stories The story of the syllabary Njoya, 1896: a script born in the Bamum kingdom. +25 XP
  2. abc A, ka, u, ku… The first sixteen letters of the syllabary. +30 XP
  3. translate Reading the syllabary Sixteen more letters, and you begin to decipher. +30 XP
  4. quiz Review — A-ka-u-ku Recognise King Njoya's letters. +35 XP
pin
Unit 4 · Beginner

Counting in Bamum Ghóm

The numbers 1 to 10, the tens, the hundred and the thousand.

  1. looks_one From 1 to 10 The first ten numbers — and a surprise hidden in the syllabary. +25 XP
  2. exposure_plus_2 The tens Ghóm, the ten, and how 20, 30, 40… are built. +25 XP
  3. calculate Hundred, thousand and beyond ŋkʉrì, ŋkàmì: the large numbers. +25 XP
  4. quiz Review — Counting A numerical challenge. +35 XP
diversity_3
Unit 5 · Intermediate

Everyday life

Objects, animals, family, useful phrases and emergencies.

  1. yard Around you Tree, rain, money: the words of everyday life. +25 XP
  2. pets Living beings Human being, husband, goat, kid… +25 XP
  3. chat Useful phrases Understanding, not understanding, asking to repeat. +25 XP
  4. emergency Emergencies The phrases that may one day matter. +25 XP
account_tree
Unit 6 · Intermediate

The grammar of the noun

Noun classes, mə-/pə- prefixes, tonal plural and diminutive.

  1. category Noun classes Bamum is a noun-class language: the noun carries a prefix. +30 XP
  2. graphic_eq The plural is a tone In the plural it is often the melody that changes, not the consonants. +30 XP
  3. zoom_out_map The diminutive mə-: "a small…" — the prefix that shrinks things. +30 XP

verifiedWhere this content comes from

No word in this module is made up. Every entry is traced back to its source:

The dictionary is still small: a living language lives in its speakers. Add the words that are missing.