Sherbro

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A language of Sierra Leone

ISO 639-3
bun
Alternate Names
Amampa, Mampa, Mampwa, Shiba, Southern Bullom
User Population

208,000 (2019).

Location

Southern province: Bonthe and Mayamba districts; Western Area: Rural district, Benducha, Ima, Nongoba, Ribbi, Shenge, Sicie, and Timdel; southwest coastal areas.

Language Maps
Language Status

6a* (Vigorous).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Atlantic, Southern, Mel, Bullom-Kissi, Bullom, Southern
Dialects

Shenge Sherbro, Sitia Sherbro, Ndema Sherbro, Peninsula Sherbro. Not intelligible with Bom-Kim [bmf] or Bullom So [buy]. Shenge is the prestige dialect. Lexical similarity: 66%–69% with Bullom So [buy], 44%–45% with Bom-Kim [bmf], 83%–89% among dialects.

Language Development

Dictionary. Grammar. Texts.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Sherbro
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Traditional religion, Christian, Muslim.