Reconstruction:Proto-Bantu/-bùmba

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.