Bamum (Shü Pamom "language of the Bamum", or ''Shümom'' "Mum language"), also spelled Bamun or in its
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
spelling Bamoun, is an
Eastern Grassfields language
The Eastern Grassfields languages, spoken in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon, are a branch of the Grassfields languages including Bamun, Yamba and Bamileke.
There are four or five branches to the family:
* Nkambe languages (north)
* ...
of
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 and north; Chad to the northeast; th ...
, with approximately 420,000 speakers.
The language is well known for its
original script developed by
King Njoya and his palace circle in the
Kingdom of Bamum around 1895. Cameroonian musician
Claude Ndam
Claude Ndam (27 May 1955 – 12 June 2020) was a Cameroonian singer-songwriter.
Biography
Ndam was born in Foumban in the west of the country. He became famous in the 1980s for his discography.
Claude Ndam died in Yaoundé at the age of 65 on ...
was a native speaker of the language and sang it in his music.
Phonology
Bamum has
tone, vowel length, diphthongs and
coda consonants.
Vowels
The simple vowels are:
Bamum vowels can be normal or half-long /ˑ/.
Consonants
The consonants are:
Tones
Bamum has five tones
[Nchare (2012).]
References
Languages of Cameroon
Languages of Nigeria
Nun languages
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