The Bible Project
Reverse engineering Bamum grammar and vocabulary by using the Bamum Bible
The Bible Project is an endeavor by hobby linguist Tramel Woodard to decode the deeper levels of Bamum grammar and vocabulary for the English-speaking student and speaker of the Bamum language.
Bibel, Bamum language bible
"As a web developer with database experience, the Bible Project came to me very naturally," said Woodard. "My goal was to create a database of every verse in every chapter of the King James version of the Bible. This is the only English text that I know of that has been translated into a romanized version of the Bamum language."
"I started my reverse engineering process by storing every verse in the first chapter of Genesis from the bible. Afterwards, I purchased the Bibel, which is the romanized Bamum version of the Bible. After placing both versions of Genesis in my database, I was able to search these verses for one word, like God. With all the verses from the first chapter of Genesis, I was able to compare the word God 's frequency with the Bamum version. The only word that returned with the same frequency in the Bamum translation was the word Nyinyi. Through this process, I was able to deduce that the Bamum word for God was Nyinyi. This was only for one chapter in one book of the Bible. Once I have entered more English and Bamum verses into my database, the certainty of all translations will be strengthened. After I have inserted the entire Bible in both English and Bamum into my database, I will release its functionality to the general public to cross reference my linguistic findings."
Tramel Woodard is planning to preview the Bamum Bible Project on this website, allowing interested viewers to monitor the growth of the database in real time.
"This is one of the most exciting projects I've ever started," added Woodard. "It is a pleasure to support such a legacy as great as the one of King Njoya and the Bamum Kingdom."
Bibel, Bamum language bible
"I started my reverse engineering process by storing every verse in the first chapter of Genesis from the bible. Afterwards, I purchased the Bibel, which is the romanized Bamum version of the Bible. After placing both versions of Genesis in my database, I was able to search these verses for one word, like God. With all the verses from the first chapter of Genesis, I was able to compare the word God 's frequency with the Bamum version. The only word that returned with the same frequency in the Bamum translation was the word Nyinyi. Through this process, I was able to deduce that the Bamum word for God was Nyinyi. This was only for one chapter in one book of the Bible. Once I have entered more English and Bamum verses into my database, the certainty of all translations will be strengthened. After I have inserted the entire Bible in both English and Bamum into my database, I will release its functionality to the general public to cross reference my linguistic findings."
Tramel Woodard is planning to preview the Bamum Bible Project on this website, allowing interested viewers to monitor the growth of the database in real time.
"This is one of the most exciting projects I've ever started," added Woodard. "It is a pleasure to support such a legacy as great as the one of King Njoya and the Bamum Kingdom."
Bamum Projects
The Bible Project
Our premiere project, The Bible Project, digs deep into the grammar and vocabulary used for the Christian Bible and the translation produced. (read more)
The Learn Bamum Site
In conjunction with the Bible Project, a website is being prepared to teach eager students the basics of Bamum language in an easy to learn format. (read more)
Bamum Mobile Project
After completion of the Bible Project and website, work on cross-platform smartphone applications will be the major focus of the Bamum Project. (read more)