Dialects: Bakopi (kunBuko), Bwazza (Bare, Bere, Bwaza, Bwa’za, kunBwazza), Gwamba (Nkono), Mbula, Tambo (Begel, kunBegel, Taumbo). Mbula 73% intelligible of Tambo, over 80% of other dialects. Mbula-Bwazza ,, Kulung ,, and Bile , mutually unintelligible (less than 25%). Lexical similarity: Mbula 75% with Bwazza and Gwamba, 70% with Bakopi, 64% with Tambo; Mbula-Bwazza , 37% with Kulung ,, 48% with Bile ,.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 100,000 (2012 M. Rueck, Z. Yoder, and K. Hannelová).
Language Use: Hausa [hau] also used at home, English [eng] used in schools and by the young. Mbula Pastors’ Forum promoting the use of Mbula in the churches. Home, church. All ages. Positive attitudes. 90,000 also use Hausa [hau]. Also use Bacama [bcy], Bata [bta], Dera [kna], English [eng], Kaan [ldl], Longuda [lnu], Nigerian Fulfulde [fuv]. Used as L2 by Kaan [ldl].
Language Development: Bible portions: 2008.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Nigeria
Other Comments: Primary schools in major villages; a few secondary schools. Christian, traditional religion.