In Gbaya, the notion of very thin gold leaf is emphasized in Exodus 39:3 with lɛfɛ-lɛfɛ, an ideophone that designates something that is very fine, very thin.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the notion of “pools” in Psalm 84:6 is emphasized with luŋgum, an ideophone used to describe the accumulation of water.
The previous aridity of the valley of Baca is emphasized with kútú-kútú, an ideophone that refers to a head covered with scabs, a crusty head, or something scaly.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the notion of the blessing avoiding him completely in Psalm 109:17 is emphasized with ŋgal-ŋgal, an ideophone that points to something exceptional.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the notion of the wax-like consistency of the heart in Psalm 22:14 is emphasized with the ideophone pútú-pútú, which refers to something very soft, fragile, like an invertebrate.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the notion of a person with a daze in Psalm 38:14 is emphasized with yekere, an ideophone that expresses a person’s state of stupor as a result of fatigue or intoxication or due to mental illness.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the notion of the loneliness of Jerusalem in Lamentations 1:1 with ɓoree, an ideophone that means to be tied or held very tightly.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the dried-out nature of the infant’s tongue sticking to the roof of its mouth is emphasized in Lamentations 4:4 with kpák-kpák, an ideophone that describes dried meat.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)
In Gbaya, the notion of the handsome tightness of his curls or hair in Song of Songs 5:11 is emphasized with síp-síp, an ideophone used to describe the state or quality of tightness together.
Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. Since the subject matter of Songs of Songs is particularly conducive to the use of ideophones, there are a total of 30 ideophones in the Gbaya Bible in that short biblical book alone. (Source: Philip Noss)