Asa language

The Asa (Aasá) language, commonly rendered Aasax, was spoken by the Asa people of Tanzania. The language is nearly extinct; ethnic Assa in northern Tanzania remember only a few words they overheard their elders use, and none ever used it themselves. Little is known of the language; what is recorded was probably Aasa lexical words used in a register of Maasai like the mixed language Mbugu.

Classification

Asa is usually classified as Cushitic, most closely related to Kw'adza. However, it might have retained a non-Cushitic layer from an earlier language shift, and might be best left unclassified.

The Aramanik (Laramanik) people once spoke Asa, but shifted to Nandi (as opposed to Maasai).

Vocabulary

Notes

External links

Basaa language

Basaa (also spelled Bassa, Basa, Bissa), or Mbene, is a Bantu language spoken in Cameroon. It is spoken by about 300,000 people in Centre and Littoral provinces.

Maho (2009) lists North and South Kogo as dialects.

Phonology

Vowels

Consonants

Tone

Basaa contrasts four tones: high, low, high-to-low (falling) and low-to-high (rising).

References