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; the C ...
is home to at least 250 languages. However, some accounts report around 600 languages. These include 55
Afro-Asiatic languages
The Afroasiatic languages (or Afro-Asiatic), also known as Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic, and sometimes also as Afrasian, Erythraean or Lisramic, are a language family of about 300 languages that are spoken predominantly in the geographic su ...
, two
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50–60 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari River, Chari and Nile rivers, including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of the ...
, four
Ubangian languages
The Ubangian languages form a diverse linkage of some seventy languages centered on the Central African Republic. They are the predominant languages of the CAR, spoken by 2–3 million people, and include the national language, Sango. They are ...
, and 169
Niger–Congo languages. This latter group comprises one
Senegambian language
The Senegambian languages, traditionally known as the Northern West Atlantic, or in more recent literature sometimes confusingly as the Atlantic languages, are a branch of Atlantic–Congo languages centered on Senegal, with most languages spoke ...
(
Fulfulde
Fula ,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani or Fulah (, , ; Adlam: , , ), is a Senegambian language spoken by around 30 million people as a set of various dialects in a continuum that stre ...
), 28
Adamawa languages
The Adamawa languages are a putative family of 80–90 languages scattered across the Adamawa Plateau in central Africa, in Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Chad, spoken altogether by only one and a half million people (as of 19 ...
, and 142
Benue–Congo languages
Benue–Congo (sometimes called East Benue–Congo) is a major branch of the Volta-Congo languages which covers most of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Subdivisions
Central Nigerian (or Platoid) contains the Plateau, Jukunoid and Kainji families, and Banto ...
(130 of which are
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 t ...
).
French and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
are official languages, a heritage of Cameroon's
colonial
Colonial or The Colonial may refer to:
* Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology)
Architecture
* American colonial architecture
* French Colonial
* Spanish Colonial architecture
Automobiles
* Colonial (1920 au ...
past as a colony of both
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
from 1916 to 1961. Eight out of the ten
regions of Cameroon
The Republic of Cameroon is divided into ten regions.
In 2008, the President of the Republic of Cameroon, President Paul Biya signed decrees abolishing "provinces" and replacing them with "regions". Hence, all of the country's ten provinces ar ...
are primarily
francophone
French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
, representing 83% of the country's population, and two are
anglophone
Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...
, representing 17%. The anglophone proportion of the country is in constant regression, having decreased from 21% in 1976 to 20% in 1987 and to 17% in 2005, and is estimated at 16% in 2015 (whose fourth census should take place in 2015).
The nation strives toward
bilingualism, but in reality very few (11.6%) Cameroonians are literate in both French and English, and 28.8% are literate in neither.
The government has established several bilingual schools in an effort to teach both languages more evenly; however, in reality most of these schools separate the anglophone and francophone sections and therefore do not provide a true bilingual experience. Cameroon is a member of both the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
and La
Francophonie
Francophonie is the quality of speaking French. The term designates the ensemble of people, organisations and governments that share the use of French on a daily basis and as administrative language, teaching language or chosen language. The ...
.
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
, the country's official language during the German colonial period until World War I, has nowadays almost entirely yielded to its two successors. However, as a foreign language subject German still enjoys huge popularity among pupils and students, with 300,000 people learning or speaking German in Cameroon in 2010. Today, Cameroon is one of the African countries with the highest number of people with knowledge of German.
Most people in the English-speaking
Northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
and
Southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
provinces speak
Cameroonian Pidgin English
Cameroonian Pidgin English, or Cameroonian Creole ( wes, Wes Cos, from West Coast), is a language variety of Cameroon. It is also known as Kamtok (from 'Cameroon-talk'). It is primarily spoken in the North West and South West English speaking re ...
, also called Kamtok, as a lingua franca.
Fulfulde
Fula ,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh also known as Fulani or Fulah (, , ; Adlam: , , ), is a Senegambian language spoken by around 30 million people as a set of various dialects in a continuum that stre ...
serves the same function in the north, and
Ewondo in much of the
Center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
,
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
, and
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
provinces.
[DeLancey and DeLancey 192.]
Camfranglais
Camfranglais, Francanglais, or Francamglais (portmanteau of the French adjectives ''camerounais'', ''français'', and ''anglais'') is a vernacular of Cameroon, containing grammatical and lexical elements from Cameroonian French, Cameroonian Engli ...
(or Frananglais) is a relatively new pidgin communication form emerging in urban areas and other locations where Anglophone and Francophone Cameroonians meet and interact. Popular singers have used the hybrid language and added to its popularity.
Education for the deaf in Cameroon uses
American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is a natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of Deaf communities in the United States of America and most of Anglophone Canadians, Anglophone Canada. ASL is a complete and organized visual lang ...
, introduced by the deaf American missionary
Andrew Foster.
There is little literature, radio, or television programming in native Cameroonian languages. Nevertheless, many Cameroonian languages have alphabets or other writing systems, many developed by the Christian missionary group
SIL International
SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics) is an evangelical Christian non-profit organization whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to ex ...
, who have translated the Bible, Christian hymns, and other materials. The
General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages The General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages is an orthographic system created in the late 1970s for all Cameroonian languages. Consonant and vowel letters are not to contain diacritics, though is a temporary exception. The alphabet is not used suf ...
was developed in the late 1970s as an orthographic system for all Cameroonian languages.
In the late 19th century, the
Bamum script
The Bamum scripts are an evolutionary series of six scripts created for the Bamum language by Ibrahim Njoya, King of Bamum (now western Cameroon) at the turn of the 19th century. They are notable for evolving from a pictographic system to a s ...
was developed by Sultan
Ibrahim Njoya
King Ibrahim Mbouombouo Njoya ( Bamum: , ''Iparəim Nʃuɔiya'', formerly spelled in Bamum as , and Germanicized as ''Njoja'') in Yaoundé, was seventeenth in a long dynasty of kings that ruled over Bamum and its people in western Cameroon dati ...
to write the
Bamum (Shüpamom) language.
Official languages
Literacy in French for individuals of age 12 and above rose from 41.3% to 57.6% between 1987 and 2005 while that of English rose from 13.4% to 25.3%. The global proportion of individuals literate in official languages has thus markedly increased between 1987 and 2005, rising from 53.3% to 71.2%.
In 2005, the probability to be literate in French while being anglophone was 0.46 while that of being literate in English while being francophone was 0.20, resulting from the predominant status of the French language in Cameroon as a whole.
Indigenous languages
Most of the 260 languages spoken in Cameroon are indigenous languages. With a population estimated in 25 million people, UNESCO classified the country as a distinctive cultural density. The
National Institute of Statistics of Cameroon reported that four percent of the indigenous languages have disappeared since 1950. Currently, ten percent of them are neglected, and seven percent of them are considered as threatened.
''Ethnologue''
The following list of languages in Cameroon is mostly based from ''
Ethnologue
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...
''.
ALCAM (2012)
The ''Atlas linguistique du Cameroun'' (''ALCAM'', or "Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon") lists about 250 languages in Cameroon. The list is provided below.
Classification
The 2012 edition of the ''Atlas linguistique du Cameroun'' (''ALCAM'') provides the following classification of the
Niger–Congo languages of Cameroon.
;Adamawa
*Samba
*Daka
*Kobo-Dii (Vere-Duru)
**North: Doyayo, Longto
**South: Peere
*Mumuye
*Mbum
**North: Tupuri, Mundang, Mambay
**South: Mbum, Pana, Kali-Dek, Kuo, Gbete, Pam, Ndai
*Fali: North, South
*Nimbari
;Ubangian
*Gbaya; Bangando
*Baka
;Benue-Congo
*Jukunoid: Mbembe, Njukun, Kutep, Uuhum-Gigi, Busua, Bishuo, Bikya, Kum, Beezen Nsaa
*Cross River: Korop; Efik
*Bendi: Boki
*Bantoid (see below)
;Bantoid
*Mambiloid: Njoyame, Nizaa, Mambila, Kwanja, Bung, Kamkam, Vute
*Tivoid: Njwande, Tiv, Iyive, Iceve, Evand, Ugare, Esimbi, Batomo, Assumbo, Eman, Caka, Ihatum, Amasi
*Ekoid: Ejagham
*Nyang: Denya, Kendem, Kenyang
*Beboid
**Western: Naki, Bu, Misong, Koshin, Muŋgɔŋ, Cuŋ
**Eastern: Bebe, Kemezuŋ, Ncane, Nsari, Noone, Busuu, Bishuo, Bikya
*Grassfield (see below)
*Bantu (see below)
;Grassfield
*Western
**Momo
***Ngwɔ, Widikum
**Menchum
***Modele, Befang
**Ring
***''West'': Aghem
***''Central'': Mmen
***''East'': Lamnso'
***''South'': Kənswei Nsei, Niemeng, Vəŋo, Wushi
*Eastern
**Ngemba: Bafut, Mundum, Mankon, Bambili, Nkwen, Pinyin
**Bamileke-Central: Ngomable, New; Kwa', Ghomala', Fe'fe', Nda'nda'
**Noun: Mamenyan, Shüpamem, Bangolan, Cirambo, Bamali, Bafanji, Mungaka, Medumba
**Northern: Limbum, Dzodinka, Yamba, Mbe', Central Mfumte, Southern Mfumte
;Bantu
*Jarawan: Ngoŋ-Nagumi, Mboŋa
*Mbam (see below)
*Equatorial: A, B, C, D (partial) (see below)
*Zambeze: D (partial), E, F, G, H ,I, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S
;Mbam
*ex-A40b
**Ndemli, Tikari
**Ninyoo, Tunan, Nomande, Atomp
**Nigi
**Bati
*ex-A60
**Yambasa: Nugunu, Nuasua, Nubaca, Dumbula
**Sanaga: Tuki
;Equatorial Bantu
*North
**A
***Bafia (A50): Təbɛya, Lefa', Dimboŋ, Ripɛy, Rikpa
**B
***Coastal
****A10: Oroko (West, East dialects), Lifɔ'-Balɔŋ, Nsose, Akoose
****A20: Bakɔlɛ, Wumbuko, Mokpwe, Isu, Bubia; Duala
****A30: Yasa, Batanga
***Basaa-Beti (A40, A70): Bankon, Basaa, Bakoko; Bəti-Faŋ, Bəmbələ, Bəbil
***Meka (A80): Məkaa, Sɔ, Bikele, Kwasio, Bagyɛli, Kɔɔzime, Mpo
***Kakɔ (A90): Polri, Kwakum, Kakɔ
*South: B, C, D (partial)
See also
*
Demographics of Cameroon
The demographic profile of Cameroon is complex for a country of its population. Cameroon comprises an estimated 250 distinct ethnic groups, which may be formed into five large regional-cultural divisions:
* western highlanders (Semi-Bantu or gras ...
*
General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages The General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages is an orthographic system created in the late 1970s for all Cameroonian languages. Consonant and vowel letters are not to contain diacritics, though is a temporary exception. The alphabet is not used suf ...
*
Francophone Africa
*
Cameroonian Pidgin English
Cameroonian Pidgin English, or Cameroonian Creole ( wes, Wes Cos, from West Coast), is a language variety of Cameroon. It is also known as Kamtok (from 'Cameroon-talk'). It is primarily spoken in the North West and South West English speaking re ...
References
Sources
* DeLancey, Mark W., and DeLancey, Mark Dike (2000): ''Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon'' (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press.
* Neba, Aaron, Ph.D. (1999). ''Modern Geography of the Republic of Cameroon,'' 3rd ed. Bamenda: Neba Publishers.
External links
''Ethnologue'' page on Languages of CameroonPanAfriL10n page on Cameroon(article focuses on Cameroon)
Rosendal, Tove. 2008. "Multilingual Cameroon: Policy, Practice, Problems and Solutions." University of Gothenburg, Africana Informal Series, No. 7
{{Niger-Congo branches