ABSTRACT
There are very considerable variations of dialect within the Bisa language, although all speakers feel themselves to be part of a single ethnic group, and can usually understand the dialects which differ from their own. The major cleavage is between eastern and western dialects, the dividing line running roughly along the White Volta
river, though the western dialect is spoken in some villages to the east of the river. The western form is called Lebir, but the eastern has no generally-accepted name-a possible term, used by some, is Baraka. The extent of the differences between the dialects may be illustrated by the sentence 'I will go to market tomorrow':-
'I fut. go-market tomorrow' nonpast
There are also some consistent pronunciation differences, most notably the correspondence of h-at the beginnings of words in Baraka where Lebir has p-or /-:
'water' 'thing'
Lb. Lb.
