Bissa 2000 Edition (BIBWBT)

Overview

Bisa: Wosoci Gʊaasɩbabaa Daa New Testament of Burkina Faso.

The Bissa 2000 Edition — titled Wosoci Gʊaasɩbabaa Daa — is the New Testament in the Bissa (Lébir) language of Burkina Faso, published by Wycliffe Bible Translators and the local Comité de Traduction de la Bible en Bissa (COTBB) based in Niaogho. [1][2] Bissa is an Eastern Mande language of the Niger-Congo family spoken primarily in south-central Burkina Faso; it comprises three main dialects — Lébir (western), Barka (eastern), and Lere (northern) — and this translation serves the Lébir dialect community centred around Niaogho in southeastern Burkina Faso. [3][4] Orthography development for Bissa began in 1979 when SIL linguists Ruud and Connie Hidden initiated work in the Lébir dialect; the first orthography guide was published in 1987, and the Comité de Traduction de la Bible en Bissa (COTBB) was established that same year to coordinate translation and literacy work across dialects. [3] Josias Amidou Djenie served as one of the primary translators of the Bissa Lébir New Testament, describing it as "a really big achievement" after 36 years of community effort; in the nine years following the New Testament's launch, the number of churches in the Bissa Lébir region grew by 50 per cent. [5] The successful Lébir translation also inspired a subsequent project to translate the New Testament into the neighboring Bissa Barka dialect.

Language and People

Bissa (ISO 639-3: bib) is spoken by approximately 781,000 people in Burkina Faso. [Glottolog: biss1248]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Comité de Traduction de la Bible en Bissa, Niaogho and WBT. Translation type: First.

References