Iyive, also referred to as Uive, Yiive, Ndir, Asumbos, is a severely endangered
Bantoid
Bantoid is a major branch of the Benue–Congo language family. It consists of the Northern Bantoid languages and the Southern Bantoid languages, a division which also includes the Bantu languages that constitute the overwhelming majority and to ...
language spoken in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and
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 ...
. The ethnic group defined by use of this language is the Ndir.
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General information
Iyive is an indigenous Tivoid language of the Cameroons
British Cameroon or the British Cameroons was a British mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states of N ...
close to Tiv proper. It is spoken in the Southwest Region in the Manyu division, northeast of Akwaya town on the Nigeria border, Yive village.[ Although they live in Cameroon, the majority of Iyive’s linguistic population has been forced to relocate to Nigeria due to conflict.
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Official status
Iyive is severely endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...
and has been classified as moribund as the language is only spoken by the older generation of Ndir and not passed down to younger generations. Iyive is not supported by any government bodies or institutions.[ uge, V. J. & Hardinge, O. (1967). Language, Schools, and Government in Cameroon. New York, NY: Teachers College Press./ref>
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Writing system
Iyive is written using Latin script
The Latin script, also known as Roman script, is an alphabetic writing system based on the letters of the classical Latin alphabet, derived from a form of the Greek alphabet which was in use in the ancient Greek city of Cumae, in southern I ...
.[
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See also
* Endangered language
An endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a "dead langu ...
* 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 ...
* Cameroons
British Cameroon or the British Cameroons was a British mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states of N ...
* Language death
In linguistics, language death occurs when a language loses its last native speaker. By extension, language extinction is when the language is no longer known, including by second-language speakers. Other similar terms include linguicide, the de ...
* Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
References
External links
Blench, R. M.
‘’Language: Iyive’’
‘’Glottolog’’, 2010
‘’Iyive’’
The Endangered language Project’’
Articles in class projects/Rutgers
Languages of Cameroon
Languages of Nigeria
Tivoid languages
Endangered Niger–Congo languages
Endangered languages of Africa
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