Kabiye

1. Classification / Classification

Ethnologue classes it as: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, North, Gur, Central, Southern, Grusi, Eastern

Alternate names and spellings according to Ethnologue: Kabre, Cabrai, Kabure, Kabye, Cabrais

2. Where Spoken / Localisation géographique

Spoken mainly in northern Togo and border areas of Benin and Ghana.

3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs

700,000 in Togo (1998 SIL). Population total all countries: 730,000 (Ethnologue)

4. Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte

According to Ethnologue, dialects are: Kewe, Kijang, Lama-Tissi, Boufale

"Lexical similarity 60% between Kabiye, Lama, Tem and Lukpa." (Ethnologue)

5. Usage / Utilisation

Kabiye is one of two national languages in Togo.

Literacy rate in first language: 1% to 30%. Used in magazines, newspapers, radio programs and TV. (Ethnologue)

6. Orthography / Orthographe

6.1 Status / Statut

Kabiye uses a Latin-based including some extended characters.

6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple

• Text sample on the Language Museum site http://www.language-museum.com/k/kabye.php
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Kabiye (with extended characters): http://unicode.org/udhr/d/udhr_kbp.html

7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC

7.1 Fonts / Polices

A Unicode font with extended Latin ranges.

7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier

7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet

• Kedeŋga Kpeekpe Yɔɔ Ɛyʊ Wala Tɔm (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/kbp.htm
• Study Guides http://www.studygs.net/kabiye/ (headings and at bottom of page)

7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localisés

None known of

7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue

• ISO 639-1: -
• ISO 639-2: -
• ISO 639-3: kbp

7.6 Locales / Paramètres régionaux

7.7 Other / Autre

8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation

8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)

8.2 Institutions / Institutions

8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile

9. Comments / Remarques

10. References / Références

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Kabiyé," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=kbp

SIL International, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp

U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php

Wikipedia, "Kabiyé language," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabiy%C3%A9_language

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