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8/24/2010

The Nzime Language Academy


Anzyom Brigitte (shown second from the right) is the president of the "Nzime Academy" that is working on keeping their language from becoming relegated to a future as limited as its past, one in which there is an inability to write or read and so to impact their environment and future generations. In the past, minute-taking and reporting on meetings would only be in French ("pulasi"). Now, however, their confidence as writers and pride in their language has lead them to write their minutes in Nzime.
The following is a part of the minutes that they took in Nzime:
"Anziom Brigitte a nʉa lwib lɨ egʉa paʼla bʉr sa bɨh bé sa mya pihe yɨ. Syɛɛla yaa, yé a si mvol buobuo bʉr lɨ egʉa mpʉ gwɨhla Academie di etye, ndu e sa yé di epʉgʉ gwɨm esa yɨ. Tɨ', yé si nyin ó, Academie, yé ó gwɨhla di egwɨm mepwaʼ me kul bʉr o nzime. Yé lɨ esaa menzɨ me di ó, bʉr o nzime bé pɔʼa lɨ egʉʼla ndu e l'ekamle e lwib nzime. Academie, yé lɨ esaa menzɨ di ó, lwib nzime, yé bwaʼaa ndu e l'etiʼe mpʉ lwib pulasi ndu e lwib ngɨlis. Ebe no ó, bʉr o bʉm yaa di esaa mekan medwan di edumo le bisa bidwan di epyal tʉŋlʉ bitwiʼ ndu e metum me nzime lɨ esu e mepwaʼ me bʉr o nzime yɨ."
One of their concerns is to develop the Nzime language as a more adequate language for expressing new ideas of importance to the life and changing customs of the Nzime people. As they desire greater progress and development, they look to ways of making their language a resource. In the above text, they use the word " mepwa' " to express "progress/development". This is a nominalization of the verb " bwa' "meaning "to be big."

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