Mbam languages

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The Mbam languages (often called Mbam for short ) form a subgroup of the southern bantoid languages , a branch of the Benue-Congo languages , which in turn belong to the Niger-Congo language family.

The approximately 15 Mbam languages ​​are spoken by around 120,000 people in western Cameroon ( Central Province , Mbam Division). The two most important Mbam languages ​​are Nugunu (or Yambasa) with 35,000 speakers and Tuki (or Sanaga) with 25,000 speakers.

classification

Position of the Mbam within the Niger-Congo:

Subdivision of the Mbam languages:

  • Mbam
    • Sanaga
      • Tuki (Sanaga) (25k)
      • Leti ( ritual language of the Mangisa )
    • Nomaande-Yambeta
      • Nomaande (6 thousand), Yambeta (4 thousand), Bati (1 thousand), Tuotomb (1 thousand)
      • Tunes (bamen)
    • Yambasa
      • Nugunu (Yambasa) (35 thousand), Elip (6 thousand), Mmaala (5 thousand)
      • Yangben (2 thousand), Nubaca (1 thousand), Mbule (1.5 thousand)

literature

  • Joseph Greenberg: The Languages ​​of Africa. Mouton, The Hague and Indiana University Center, Bloomington 1963.
  • Bernd Heine and others (ed.): The languages ​​of Africa. Buske, Hamburg 1981.
  • Bernd Heine and Derek Nurse (eds.): African Languages. An Introduction. Cambridge University Press 2000.
    In it: Kay Williamson and Roger Blench: Niger-Congo.
  • John Bendor-Samuel (Ed.): The Niger-Congo Languages: A Classification and Description of Africa's Largest Language Family. University Press of America, Lanham, New York, London 1989.
    Therein: John R. Watters and Jacqueline Leroy: Southern Bantoid.
  • Patrick Bennett and Jan Sterk: South Central Niger-Congo: A Reclassification. Studies in African Linguistics. 1977.

Web links