Sherbro language

For other uses of "Sherbro", see Sherbro (disambiguation).

The Sherbro language (also known as Southern Bullom, Shiba, Amampa, Mampa, and Mampwa) is an endangered language of Sierra Leone. It belongs to the Mel branch of the Niger–Congo language family. While Sherbro has more speakers than the other Bullom languages, its use is declining among the Sherbro people, in favor of Krio and English.

Sherbro
Southern Bullom
Native to	Sierra Leone
Region	coast of Sierra Leone and Sherbro Island
Ethnicity	Sherbro people
Native speakers	210,000 (2019)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Mel Bullom–Kissi Bullom Southern Sherbro
Language codes
ISO 639-3	bun
Glottolog	sher1258
Map of ethnic and linguistic groups in Sierra Leone

The first recorded publication in Sherbro is a selection of seven parables from Matthew and Luke in the New Testament. This was translated by James Schön of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) and published in 1839.