Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/-bùmba

This Proto-Bantu entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Potential cognates outside of Narrow Bantu: Tiv ùmbè (“bake in ashes”), Obolo ɾǔŋ (“bake in ashes”), Anaang bùm (“bake in ashes; roast on coals”), Ukpet-Ehom bûŋ (“bake in ashes”), Bafut fɯ̀mə́ (“bake in ashes”), Lamnso' fə̀ḿ-kì-bvə̀ (“bake in ashes”), Mendankwe-Nkwen fɔ̀ɔ̀mə̂ (“bake in ashes”), Limbum fə́-ǹ-dʒíb-ʼbvə́ (“bake in ashes”), Eggon ovom-otuŋ (“bake in ashes; roast on coals”), Idun ù-vúm (“roast on coals”), and Yeskwa vum (“roast on coals”).

The impositive form *-bùmbɪka "to put in the ashes to bake" appears mainly in Eastern Bantu, and may not be reconstructable to the level of Proto-Bantu. It often loses its impositive sense and replaces the original *-bùmba, except when the underived form gains a more specialized meaning. The meaning sometimes generalizes away from cooking to mean burying or covering an object. Forms with the separative extensions *-ʊk-/-ʊd- can shift from "remove from ashes" to more general meanings such as "uncover; discover; reveal". A sense of bringing an animal out of hiding results in even more divergent meanings such as "rouse the game", "wake up", "dash out", or "stampede".

*-bùmba (infinitive *kʊ̀ )^[1]

1. to bake in ashes

From *-bùmba:

• Koyo (C24): bùmbù (“fireplace”)
• Bafaw (A141): -bǔm (“roast (over fire)”)
• Duala (A24): -bùmbà (“bake in ash; roast; grill”)
• Basaa (A43a): -ɓòm (“roast; grill; ruin”)
• Beti:
  • Eton (Cameroon) (A71): -bùm (“braise”)
  • Ewondo (A72): -bùm (“cook over coals”)
  • Bulu (Cameroon) (A74): -bùm (“bake in ashes”)
  • Fang (Bantu) (A75): -bùm (“roast in ashes or coals”), -bmum
• Teke-Fuumu (B77b): -vuma (“bake in ashes”)
• Nsong (B85d): -fúmb (“bake in ashes”)
• Ngombe (Congo) (C41): -bùmbà (“roast; grill”)
• Tetela (C71): -fumbá (“roast; grill; bake in ashes”)
• Lega-Mwenga (D25): -gùmba (“roast (wrapped in leaves on hot coals)”)
• Chimwiini (G412): -vuumba (“bury a fire in ashes”)
• Kongo (H16): -vùmba (“burn, scorch; cook in leaves or earth”)
• Yaka (H31): -vúúmbá (“bake in ash”)
• Kitembo (J531): -fúmba (“grill without peeling (banana, manioc, etc.)”)
• Luvale (K14): -vùmba (“become covered, overgrown, littered”)
• Phende (L11): -vumba (“grill in leaves”)
• Sanga (Congo) (L35): -vúmba (“put into hot ashes”)
• Ruwund (L53): -vúúmb (“darken with ashes”)
• Bemba (M42): -fumba (“put in, near, under; be well cooked”)
• Tumbuka (N21): -vumba (“cover over”)
• Tswana (S31): -bupa (“cover”)

From *-bùmb-ɪk-a (impositive, "put into ashes to bake"):

• Kikuyu (E51): -umbĩka (“put in hot ashes to bake; hide by sticking into ground, heap, grass, etc.”)
• Digo (E73): -vumbika (“roast under hot ashes”)
• Sumbwa (F23): -vumbika (“flip over; put in embers”)
• Swahili (G42): -vumbika (“bury in sand, earth, straw, etc.”)
• Kongo (H16): -vùmbika (“bend, lean, lower something; calm someone/something”)
• Great Lakes Bantu:
  • Nyoro (J11): -jumbika (“bank up a fire; bake in ashes”)
  • Nyankole (J13): -jùmbika (“cook in ashes; keep embers in ashes”)
  • Rukiga (J14): -jùmbika (“bake in ashes”)
  • Luganda (J15): -vúmbika (“put under ashes or embers; hide”)
  • Nyambo (J21): -jùmbika (“bake in ashes”)
  • Haya (J22): -jùmbika (“bake in ashes”)
  • Kerewe (J24): -zùùmbika (“prepare a wort; bake in ashes”)
  • Jita (J25): -fùmbika (“bake in ashes; turn over”)
  • Nande (J42): -humbika (“cook in leaves over embers”)
  • Hunde (J51): -pfùmbika (“stew in a leaf”)
  • Havu (J52): -vúmbika (“bake in ashes”)
  • Shi (J53): -vúúmbika (“bake in ashes”)
  • Kitembo (J531): -fúmbíká (“stew in leaves”)
  • Rwanda-Rundi (J61/62): -vūmbika (“cover the fire with ash”)
• Nyemba (K12b): -vumbíka (“bury”)
• Luvale (K14): -vùmbika (“cover with earth”)
• Luchazi (K13): -vumbika (“bury rubbish”)
• Phende (L11): -vumbiga (“bury, cover with earth”)
• Luba-Katanga (L33): -vumbika (“stuff, hide in something”)
• Nkoya (L60): -vùmbika (“bake in ashes; bury something”)
• Mambwe-Lungu (M14/15): -vùmbika (“bake in ashes”)
• Nyamwanga (M22): -vumbika (“bake in ashes”)
• Nyakyusa (M31): -fumbika (“roast”)
• Bemba (M42): -fumbika (“place or hide in or under; bake in embers”)
• Lenje (M61): -fumbika (“bake in ashes”)
• Matengo (N13): -hùmbika (“bake in ashes”)
• Tumbuka (N21): -vumbika (“turn over; cover over (in fire); roast”)
• Makonde (P23): -humbika (“bake in ashes”)
• Ndonga (R22): -fumbika (“bury”)
• Kalanga (S16A): -vumbika (“bury in soil”)
• Northern Sotho (S32): -bùpega (“cover with soil in order to ripen”)
• Xhosa (S41): -vumbeka (“slip an object into or under something in order to hide it”)

From *-bùmb-ʊd-a (separative, tr.):

• Ngombe (Congo) (C41): -bùmboa (“remove from fire”)
• Tetela (C71): -fumbólá (“remove; take off”)
• Kikuyu (E51): -umbũra (“confess; announce; divulge”)
• Sukuma (F31): -fu̧mbula (“disclose; expose a secret”) (loanword?)
• Sumbwa (F23): -vumbʊla (“flush out; rouse game; discover something hidden”)
• Swahili (G42): -vumbua (“discover a roof, house; find something hidden”)
• Kongo (H16): -vùmbula (“straighten or erect something; lift a part of the body”), (Eastern Kikongo) -vuumbula (“remove ashes”)
• Yaka (H31): -vúúmbúlá (“straighten, lift, wake up, revive”)
• Mbala (H41): -vúumbula (“tear off, dig up, wake up”)
• Nyoro (J11): -jumbura (“start prey from its lair; remove from ashes; take out quickly, forcibly”)
• Nyankole (J13): -jùmbura (“discover, invent”)
• Rukiga (J14): -jùmbura (“discover”)
• Luganda (J15): -vúmbula (“discover, find; remove from ashes or embers”)
• Jita (J25): -fùmbura (“guess a riddle; undo; uncover”)
• Rwanda-Rundi (J61/62): -vūmbura (“remove from fire; rouse game; discover”)
• Nyemba (K12b): -vumbula (“dig up; buy in large quantities”)
• Luvale (K14): -vùmbula (“unearth”)
• Phende (L11): -vumbula (“dig up; uproot; unearth”)
• Ruwund (L53): -vúmbúl (“dig something up; clear the ground; renew, resurrect”)
• Nkoya (L60): -vùmbula (“dig out”)
• Bemba (M42): -fumbula (“remove from embers”)
• Matengo (N13): -hùmbula (“pick up; get what someone has lost”)
• Chichewa (N31): -vumbula (“take out of”)
• Tumbuka (N21): -vumbula (“uncover; reveal”)
• Ndonga (R22): -fumvula (“dig something up”)
• Northern Sotho (S32): -bùpula (“reap monkey-nuts or jugo-beans”)
• Zulu (S42): -vumbula (“obtain easily; pick up; stampede; cause to rush into crowd; unearth”)

From *-bùmb-ʊk-a (separative, intr.):

• Kikuyu (E51): -umbũka (“become known; emerge, come to surface of water”)
• Sukuma (F31): -βumbuka (“come suddenly out of hiding”)
• Sumbwa (F23): -vumbʊka (“leave in a hurry; attack suddenly”)
• Kongo (H16): -vùmbuka (“get up, stand up, wake up”)
• Yaka (H31): -vúúmbúká (“get up, stand up, wake up”)
• Mbala (H41): -vúumbuga (“be torn off, unearthed; wake up”)
• Nyoro (J11): -jumbuka (“dash out, rush out”)
• Rukiga (J14): -jùmbuka (“dash out”)
• Luganda (J15): -vúmbuka (“turn up, be clear; be found; rise, get up”)
• Rwanda-Rundi (J61/62): -vūmbuka (“rush out, be roused (of game); grow up fast”)
• Nyemba (K12b): -vumbuka (“erupt, break out (disease); come out from under cover; come loose”)
• Luvale (K14): -vùmbuka (“become unearthed”)
• Phende (L11): -vumbuga (“become unearthed, uprooted”)
• Ruwund (L53): -vúmbúk (“come out of the ground; arise; be resurrected”)
• Ndonga (R22): -fumvuka-mo (“come out of the ground”)
• Zulu (S42): -vumbuka (“spring open; spring up; appear suddenly”)

From *-bùmb-ʊd-ʊk-a:

• Digo (E73): -vumbuluka (“wake up”)
• Chichewa (N31): -vumbuluka (“appear suddenly”)
• Northern Sotho (S32): -bùpuloga (“get revealed”)

From *-bùmb-ʊd-ʊk-i-a:

• Digo (E73): -vumbulusa (“disturb a resting animal”)

From *-bùmb-ʊd-ʊd-a:

• Chichewa (N31): -vumbulula (“reveal, show”)
• Northern Sotho (S32): -bùpulla (“remove from soil; reveal a secret”)
• Xhosa (S41): -vumbulula (“unearth; search vigorously; dig; bring a person or animal out of hiding”)
• Zulu (S42): -vumbulula (“stampede; cause to rush or rise up in a cloud; unearth, uncover”)

• Ricquier, B. and K. Bostoen (2008). Resolving phonological variability in Bantu lexical reconstructions: the case of 'to bake in ashes'. Africana Linguistica XIV: Pp. 109-149.