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Grassfields Bantu Languages
The Grassfields languages (or Wide Grassfields languages) are a branch of the Southern Bantoid languages spoken in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon and some parts of Taraba state, Nigeria. Better known Grassfields languages include the Eastern Grassfields languages Bamun, Yamba and the Ring language, Kom, Nso, Oku, Bali, Bafut. Almost all of these languages are closely related, sharing approximately half of their vocabulary. Classifications The Grassfields languages were previously known as ''Grassfields Bantu'' and ''Semi-Bantu.'' They are sometimes classified on two levels, ''Wide Grassfields,'' which includes all the languages, and ''Narrow Grassfields,'' which excludes Menchum, Ambele and sometimes the Southwest Grassfields languages. These may form a group of their own, which Nurse (2003) calls Peripheral Grassfields but rejects. Blench (2010) notes there is little evidence for the traditional assumption that the non-Western Momo languages belong in Grassfield ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western High Plateau
The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands or Bamenda Grassfields is a region of Cameroon characterised by high relief, cool temperatures, heavy rainfall and savanna vegetation. The region lies along the Cameroon line and consists of mountain ranges and volcanoes made of crystalline and igneous rock. The region borders the South Cameroon Plateau to the southeast, the Adamawa Plateau to the northeast and the Cameroon coastal plain to the south. Topography and geology The Western High Plateau lies along the Cameroon line, a series of volcanic swells running from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the plateau to the Adamawa Plateau in the northeast. The region is characterised by accidented relief of massifs and mountains. The Western High Plateau features several dormant volcanoes, including the Bamboutos Mountains, Mount Oku and Mount Kupe. The plateau rises in steps from the west. To the east, it terminates in mountains that range from 1,000 metres to 2,500 met ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nso Language
Nso (''Lamnso'', ''Lamnsɔ’'') is the Grassfields language of the Nso people of western Cameroon. A few may remain in Nigeria. It has ten major noun classes. The ISO 639-3 code is lns. Nso is spoken by over 100,000 people. Writing System Nso uses an orthography based on the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages (AGLC). An orthography had initially been created before being modified to follow the recommendations of the AGLC. Nso uses 23 digraphs et 7 trigraphs . Long vowels are indicating by doubling the vowel . Diphthongs are noted . The high tone is indicated with the acute accent and the low tone with the grave accent on the vowel. Phrases * Thank you. * You are welcome. * What news? (Greeting). * No news (Reply) or I am fine. * Good morning. * How did you sleep? * Good afternoon. * Good evening. * Sleep well. * Good bye until tomorrow. * Sweet dreams. * And to you. * God bless you (Greeting). * Good luck. * Safe journey. * Give me. * Where are you ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Languages Of Nigeria
There are over 525 native languages spoken in Nigeria. The Nigerian official language is English, the language of former colonial British Nigeria. As reported in 2003, Nigerian Pidgin was spoken as a second language by 60 million people in Nigeria. The major native languages, in terms of population, are Hausa (over 80 million when including second-language, or L2, speakers), Yoruba (over 50 million including L2 speakers), Igbo (over 30 million, including L2 speakers), Efik-Ibibio cluster (over 15 million), Fulfulde (13 million), Kanuri (8 million), Tiv (5 million), Nupe (3 million) and approx. 2 to 3 million each of Karai-Karai Kupa, Kakanda, Edo, Igala, Idoma and Izon. Nigeria's linguistic diversity is a microcosm of much of Africa as a whole, and the country contains languages from the three major African language families: Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan and Niger–Congo. Nigeria also has several as-yet unclassified languages, such as Centúúm, which may represent a r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bantu Languages
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The total number of Bantu languages ranges in the hundreds, depending on the definition of "language" versus "dialect", and is estimated at between 440 and 680 distinct languages."Guthrie (1967-71) names some 440 Bantu 'varieties', Grimes (2000) has 501 (minus a few 'extinct' or 'almost extinct'), Bastin ''et al.'' (1999) have 542, Maho (this volume) has some 660, and Mann ''et al.'' (1987) have ''c.'' 680." Derek Nurse, 2006, "Bantu Languages", in the ''Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics'', p. 2:Ethnologue report for Southern Bantoid" lists a total of 535 languages. The count includes 13 Mbam languages, which are not always included under "Narrow Bantu". For Bantuic, Linguasphere has 260 outer languages (which are equivalent to languages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noun Class
In linguistics, a noun class is a particular category of nouns. A noun may belong to a given class because of the characteristic features of its referent, such as gender, animacy, shape, but such designations are often clearly conventional. Some authors use the term "grammatical gender" as a synonym of "noun class", but others consider these different concepts. Noun classes should not be confused with noun classifiers. Notion There are three main ways by which natural languages categorize nouns into noun classes: * according to similarities in their meaning (semantic criterion); * by grouping them with other nouns that have similar form (morphology); * through an arbitrary convention. Usually, a combination of the three types of criteria is used, though one is more prevalent. Noun classes form a system of grammatical agreement. A noun in a given class may require: * agreement affixes on adjectives, pronouns, numerals, etc. in the same noun phrase, * agreement affixes on the ve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viti Language
Viti (Biti) or Vötö (Bötö), also known as Nde-Gbite, is a Narrow Grassfields language of Nigeria, spoken in the village of Antere in Taraba State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Taraba.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Taraba State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = , ..., half a kilometre from the Cameroonian border. It is not clear how close or distinct it is from other Grassfields varieties. References Grassfields Bantu languages Languages of Nigeria {{gras-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ndemli Language
Ndemli, or Bandem, is a language of Cameroon spoken primarily in the Nkam department of the Littoral Region; between Yabassi, Yingui and Nkondjock. Recent classifications such as Nurse (2003)Derek Nurse & Gérard Philippson, 2003, ''The Bantu Languages,'' p 227 place it in with the Narrow Grassfields languages, though ''Ethnologue'' does not reflect this. ''Ethnologue'' states that it is "related to Tikar The Tikar (also Tikari, Tige, Tigar, Tigre, Tikali) are a central African people who inhabit the Western High Plateau in Cameroon. They are known as great artisans and storytellers. Once a nomadic people, some oral traditions trace the origin of ..." and that "the Bandobo dialect of Tikar is very similar to Ndemli", though it is not clear if Bandobo actually is Tikar. Phonology There are five tones; high, mid, low, rising, and falling. References Grassfields Bantu languages Languages of Cameroon {{SBantoid-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ring Languages
The Ring or Ring Road languages, spoken in the Western Grassfields of Cameroon, form a branch of the Narrow Grassfields languages. The best-known Ring language is Kom. The family is named after the old Ring Road of central Cameroon. Languages *Centre: Babanki, Mmen, Kom, Mbessa, Bum, Kung, Kuk, Oku *East: Nso (Lamnso') *South: Vengo, Wushi, Bamunka, Kenswei Nsei *West: Aghem, Isu, Laimbue, Weh, Zhoa Zhoa is a town and commune in Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west ... See also * List of Proto-Ring reconstructions (Wiktionary) References External links *Ethnographic information on the Bum peopl Ring languages, Grassfields Bantu languages {{Cameroon-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Beboid
The Beboid languages are any of several groups of languages spoken principally in southwest Cameroon, although two languages (Bukwen and Mashi) are spoken over the border in Nigeria. They are probably not most closely related to each other. The Eastern Beboid languages may be most closely related to the Tivoid and Momo groups, though some of the geographical Western Beboid grouping may be closer to Ekoid and Bantu. Previous research includes a study of noun classes in Beboid languages by Jean-Marie Hombert (1980), Larry Hyman (1980, 1981), a dissertation by Richards (1991) concerning the phonology of three eastern Beboid languages (Noni, Ncane and Nsari), Lux (2003) a Noni lexicon and Cox (2005) a phonology of Kemezung. Languages SIL International survey reports have provided more detail on Eastern and Western Beboid (Brye & Brye 2002, 2004; Hamm et al. 2002) and Hamm (2002) is a brief overview of the group as a whole. Eastern Beboid is clearly valid; speakers recognise the rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tivoid Languages
The Tivoid languages are a branch of the Southern Bantoid languages spoken in parts of Nigeria and Cameroon. The subfamily takes its name after Tiv, the most spoken language in the group. The majority are threatened with extinction. The largest of these languages by far is the Tiv language for which the group is named; it had 2 million speakers in 1991. The second largest is the Bitare language; it had 110,000 speakers in 2000. Most apart from Tiv are extremely poorly known, and the next best, Esimbi, has not even been demonstrated to be Tivoid. Languages Following Blench (2010), Tivoid languages fall into three branches, though North Tivoid languages are almost unattested. The names in parentheses are dialects per ''Ethnologue'', separate languages per Blench: ;Central Tivoid: A: Tiv– Iyive– Otank, Evant; Ceve (Oliti) : B: Caka (Batanga, Asaka), Ipulo (Olulu), Eman (Amanavil) ; Mesaka (Ugarə) ;North Tivoid: Batu (Afi, Kamino), Abon, Bitare, ? Ambo Esimbi is well ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Momo Languages
The Momo languages are a group of Grassfields languages spoken in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. The languages are: : Meta' (Moghamo)– Ngamambo, Mundani, Ngie (Mengum), Ngoshie, Ngwo (Basa, Konda), Njen, Amasi ''Ethnologue'' 16 adds Menka, but that is a Southwest Grassfields (West Momo) language. Blench (2010) notes there is little evidence that Momo belongs among the Grassfields languages as it has been traditionally classified. (The erstwhile West Momo languages are clearly in the Grassfields family.) Momo may actually be closer to the poorly established Tivoid The Tivoid languages are a branch of the Southern Bantoid languages spoken in parts of Nigeria and Cameroon. The subfamily takes its name after Tiv, the most spoken language in the group. The majority are threatened with extinction. The largest ... group, though that may be an effect of contact. See also * Momo word lists (Wiktionary) References *Blench, Roger. 2010. The Momo and 'Western Momo' la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southwest Grassfields Languages
The Southwest Grassfields, traditionally called Western Momo when considered part of the Momo group or when Momo is included in Grassfields, are a small branch of the Southern Bantoid languages spoken in the Western grassfields of Cameroon. The languages are Manta (Tanka, Batakpa), Balo (Alunfa), Osatu, Busam, Menka– Atoŋ. Several of these have been classified as Tivoid, a position reflected in ''Ethnologue''. Classification Blench (2010) recognises five coordinate subgroups within Southwest Grassfields. ;Southwest Grassfields * Busam * Menka, Atong *Tanka, Bantakpa, Manta Manta or mantas may refer to: * Manta ray, large fish belonging to the genus ''Manta'' Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Manta (comics), a character in American Marvel Comics publications * Manta (''Uridium''), a spaceship in the Br ... * Osatu *Alunfa, Balo Footnotes References *Blench, Roger (2010Classification of Momo and West Momo*Roger Blench (2010The Tivoid Languages Gra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
