Bamileke languages
Bamileke is a group of languages and dialects spoken by the Bamileke people in the western grasslands of Cameroon . They are Semi-Bantu , so bantoid languages that are not on the Bantu languages include.
The Bamileke languages belong to the Niger-Congo language family . Here they are part of the Eastern Congo branch of the Atlantic Congo languages . Within the bantoid languages , they are among the eastern grassland languages .
The individual languages are Fe'fe ' , Ghɔmálá' , Kwa ' , Mədʉmba , Məgaka , Nda'nda' , Ngomba , Ngombale and the Bamboutos' dialect clusters of Yɛmba , Ngyɛmbɔɔŋ and Ngwe . The main Bamileke languages are (with the numerous alternative names, the ISO language code and the number of speakers according to SIL International ):
- Fe'fe ' (Fotuni, Bafang, Nufi) [fmp] (125,000)
- Ghomálá ' (Banjun-Baham, Balum, Mahum) [bbj] (250,000)
- Kwa ' (Bakwa) [bko] (under 10,000)
- Medumba (Bagangte, Batongtu, Ndzubuga) [byv] (210,000)
- Mengaka (Megaka, Ghap, Benzing) [xmg] (20,000)
- Nda'nda ' [nnz] (10,000)
- Ngiemboon (Nguemba) [nnh] (100,000)
- Ngomba (Ndaa) [jgo] (65,000)
- Ngombale [nla] (65,000)
- Ngwe (Nwe, photo, Fontem, Fongondeng, Fomopea) [nwe] (50,000)
- Yemba (Dschang, Bafu, Atsang-Bangwa) [ybb] (300,000)
For genetic classification see the article Grassland Languages, the ISO code of the language group is BAI.
Some of the Bamileke languages have been written down since Cameroon gained independence. However, the common national colloquial languages are - as in all of Cameroon - French and English .