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Eastern Grassfields Languages
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) * Mbam–Nkam (south) ** Ngemba languages The Ngemba languages are a group of Eastern Grassfields languages of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. The languages are Awing language, Awing (Mbweʼwi), Bafut language, Bafut–Beba language, Beba, Mbili-Mbui language, Bambili Mbeligi, Mb ... ** Bamileke languages ** Nun languages Nurse (2003) reports that Bamileke might be two branches. References Languages of Cameroon Grassfields Bantu languages {{Cameroon-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon), Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese discoveries, Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area ''Rio dos Camarões'' (''Shrimp River''), which became ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic–Congo Languages
The Atlantic–Congo languages make up the largest demonstrated family of languages in Africa. They have characteristic noun class systems and form the core of the Niger–Congo family hypothesis. They comprise all of Niger–Congo apart from Mande, Dogon, Ijoid, Siamou, Kru, the Katla and Rashad languages (previously classified as Kordofanian), and perhaps some or all of the Ubangian languages. Hans Gunther Mukanovsky's "Western Nigritic" corresponded roughly to modern Atlantic–Congo. In the infobox, the languages which appear to be the most divergent are placed at the top. The Atlantic branch is defined in the narrow sense (as Senegambian), while the former Atlantic branches Mel and the isolates Sua, Gola and Limba are split out as primary branches; they are mentioned next to each other because there is no published evidence to move them; Volta–Congo is intact apart from Senufo and Kru. ''Glottolog'', based primarily on Güldemann (2018), has a more limi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volta–Congo Languages
Volta–Congo is a major branch of the Atlantic–Congo family. It includes all Atlantic-Congo except the families of the erstwhile Atlantic and Kordofanian branches and possibly Senufo. In the infobox at the right, the languages which appear to be the most divergent (including the dubious Senufo) are placed at the top, whereas those closer to the core (the similar "Benue–Kwa" branches of Kwa, Volta–Niger and Benue–Congo) are near the bottom.Roger BlenchNiger-Congo: an alternative view/ref> If the Kwa or Savannas branches prove to be invalid, the tree will be even more crowded. Classification Comparative linguistic research by John M. Stewart in the sixties and seventies helped establish the genetic unity of Volta–Congo and shed light on its internal structure, but the results remain tentative. Williamson and Blench (2000) note that in many cases it is difficult to draw clear lines between the branches of Volta–Congo and suggest that this might indicate the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 languages, Plateau, Jukunoid languages, Jukunoid and Kainji languages, Kainji families, and Bantoid–Cross combines the Bantoid languages, Bantoid and Cross River languages, Cross River groups. Bantoid is only a collective term for every subfamily of Bantoid–Cross except Cross River, and this is no longer seen as forming a valid branch, however one of the subfamilies, Southern Bantoid, is still considered valid. It is Southern Bantoid which contains the Bantu languages, which are spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. This makes Benue–Congo one of the largest subdivisions of the Niger–Congo language family, both in number of languages, of which ''Ethnologue'' counts 976 (2017), and in speakers, numbering perhaps 350 million. Benue–Congo also includes a few minor Languag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bantoid Languages
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 after which Bantoid is named. History The term "Bantoid" was first used by Krause in 1895 for languages that showed resemblances in vocabulary to Bantu. Joseph Greenberg, in his 1963 ''The Languages of Africa'', defined Bantoid as the group to which Bantu belongs together with its closest relatives; this is the sense in which the term is still used today. However, according to Roger Blench, the Bantoid languages probably do not actually form a coherent group. Internal classification A proposal that divided Bantoid into Northern Bantoid languages, North Bantoid and Southern Bantoid languages, South Bantoid was introduced by Williamson. In this proposal, the Mambiloid and Dakoid languages (and later Tikar language, Tikar) are grouped together ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Bantoid Languages
Southern Bantoid (or South Bantoid) is a branch of the Bantoid language family. It consists of the Bantu languages along with several small branches and isolates of eastern Nigeria and west-central Cameroon (though the affiliation of some branches is uncertain). Since the Bantu languages are spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Bantoid comprises 643 languages as counted by ''Ethnologue'', though many of these are mutually intelligible. History Southern Bantoid was first introduced by Williamson in a proposal that divided Bantoid into North and South branches. The unity of the North Bantoid group was subsequently called into question, and Bantoid itself may be polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ..., but the work did establish Southern Banto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grassfields 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, Bali, and Bafut and the Ring languages, Kom, Nso, and Oku. 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bamileke Languages
The Bamileke languages () are a group of Eastern Grassfields languages spoken by the Bamileke people in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R .... The languages, which might constitute two branches of Eastern Grassfields, are: *Western Bamileke: Mengaka (Məgaka), Ngombale, Ngomba (Goombay, N'giyahmbai, Jhambai) language, Ngomba (Nguemba or Ngemba)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine , the "Bamboutos" dialect cluster of Yɛmba language, Yɛmba, Ngiemboon language, Ngyɛmbɔɔŋ, Mmuock language, Mmuock and Ngwe language, Ŋwe *Eastern Bamileke: Feʼfeʼ language, Feʼfeʼ, Ghɔmáláʼ language, Ghɔmáláʼ, Kwaʼ, Ndaʼndaʼ, Mədʉmba. References External linksBamileke CulturePanAfriL10n page on Bamileke [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ngemba Languages
The Ngemba languages are a group of Eastern Grassfields languages of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon. The languages are Awing language, Awing (Mbweʼwi), Bafut language, Bafut–Beba language, Beba, Mbili-Mbui language, Bambili Mbeligi, Mbui Bambui, Mendankwe-Nkwen language, Mendankwe-Nkwen–Mankon language, Mankon–Mundum language, Mundum (Ngemba), Pinyin language, Pinyin, Alatening langue, Alatening, Chomba langue, Chomba, Mbatu langue, Mbetuʼu, Akum langue, Akum. Babadjou and Bamessingue in the west region are also Nguemba but mostly considered otherwise because they are not in the Northwest region of Cameroon. In the West and North West regions of Cameroon, languages are often referred to by the name of the village or town where they are spoken. For example, Ghɔmáláʼ language, Ghomáláʼ is a Bamileke languages, Bamileke language spoken in Batié, in the West Region (Cameroon), West Region of Cameroon, and is referred to as Batié. References Ngemba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nkambe Languages
The Nkambe languages are a group of Eastern Grassfields languages spoken by the Yamba and related peoples of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R .... The languages are Dzodinka, Kwaja, Limbum, Mbəʼ, Ndaktup, Mfumte, Yamba. References Languages of Cameroon Eastern Grassfields languages {{Cameroon-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nun Languages
The Nun languages are a group of Eastern Grassfields languages spoken by the Bamum (Mum) and related peoples of the Western High Plateau of Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R .... The languages are:Roger Blench & Cameron Hamm (n.d.) ''The Nun Languages of the Grassfields of Cameroon'' : Bamum (Mum, ''Shu Paməm''; Bapi dialect) : Baba (Bapa) : Bafanji (Fanji, ''Chufie'') : Bangolan (Ngolan) : Bambalang (Mbalang, ''Chrambo'') : Mungaʼka (Ngaaka) ::dialects: Li (Bali Nyonga), Ndeng (Bandeng), Ti (Bati) :core: Bamali (Mali, ''Chopechop''), Bamenyan (Mamenyan), Bamukumbit (Mankong), Ndzerem References Languages of Cameroon Eastern Grassfields languages {{Cameroon-lang-stub ... [...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 2,50 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
