Bissa language

Bissa
Region	Burkina Faso, Ghana, togo
Ethnicity	Bissa people
Native speakers	590,000 (1999–2003)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Mande Eastern Bisa–Busa Bissa
Language codes
ISO 639-3	bib
Glottolog	biss1248
Majority areas of northern dialects of Bissa, in dark blue, on a map of Burkina Faso.

Bissa

Total Speakers
1.7 million
Regions with significant populations
Burkina Faso	0.5 million
Ghana	1.1 million
Benin	54,702
Togo	3,356
Languages
Bissa, French
Religion
Islam
Related ethnic groups
other Mandé peoples

Bissa (or Bisa (singular), Bisan, Bissanno (plural)), is the language spoken by the Bissa people, a Mande ethnic group of south-central Burkina Faso, northeastern Ghana, the northernmost tip of Togo and northern Benin. Alternate names for this language include Busansi which is used by the Mossi people.

Its dialects are Barka, Zeba and Lere. Some Bissa speakers are in Ivory Coast.

Writing System

Bissa alphabet (Burkina-Faso)

A

B

C

D

E

Ǝ

Ɛ

F

G

H

I

Ɩ

J

K

L

M

N

Ny

Ŋ

O

Ɔ

P

R

S

T

U

Ʋ

V

W

Y

Z

a

b

c

d

e

ǝ

ɛ

f

g

h

i

ɩ

j

k

l

m

n

ny

ŋ

o

ɔ

p

r

s

t

u

ʋ

v

w

y

z

Bissa-Barka Alphabet (Burkina-Faso)

A

B

D

E

Ɛ

Ǝ

F

G

H

I

Ɩ

K

L

M

N

Ɲ

Ŋ

O

Ɔ

P

R

S

T

U

Ʋ

W

Y

Z

a

b

d

e

ɛ

ə

f

g

h

i

ɩ

k

l

m

n

ɲ

ŋ

o

ɔ

p

r

s

t

u

ʋ

w

y

z

Comparison of dialects

Phrase	Lere	Barka	Zeba
Good morning	Domireh ki	Idomleki
come	bur	iahh	Eyaham
water	pi	hi
food	forbile	hobile

Lere phrases

• Good morning: Domireh ki (Response: Domireh zain)
• Good afternoon: Sundareh ki (Response: Sundareh zain)
• Good evening/night: Yirbaa ki (Response: Yirbaa zain)
• Thank you: Barka
• Good: Minga
• Come: Bur
• Go: Ta
• You're welcome: An barka boi
• I love you: Moi wam

References

Sources

• "Dictionnaire Bissa-Barka". SIL International. 25 April 2016., the SIL entry direct towards "Dictionnaire Bissa-Barka". Sous-Commission de la langue Bisa.