Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/-bùmba

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

Proto-Bantu

Etymology

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”).

Reconstruction

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".

Verb

*-bùmba (infinitive *kʊ̀bùmba)[1]

to bake in ashes

Descendants

From *-bùmba:

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”)
Lingombe (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.):

Lingombe (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”)

References

Entry 377 at Bantu Lexical Reconstructions 3

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.

[1] Entry 377 at Bantu Lexical Reconstructions 3