Languages ​​of Cameroon

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Distribution of languages ​​in Cameroon (right)

Cameroon is home to over 230 national languages .

These are 55 Afro-Asiatic languages , two Nilo-Saharan languages and 173 Niger-Congo languages . The Niger-Congo languages ​​are divided into a West Atlantic language , 32 Adamaua-Ubangi languages, and 142 Benue-Congo languages . Within the Benue-Congo languages, on the other hand, there are 130 Bantu languages (around 40% of the total population). The main languages ​​in the north are the West Atlantic language Fulfulde , the Saharan language Kanuri , the Kotoko languages ​​and Shuwa , in the south mainly Bantu languages ​​( Duala , Basaa , Kpe - Mboko , Malimba - Yasa , Makaa , Njem , Ndsimu , Ngoumba , Kounabémbé and various Beti - Fang dialects , including Ewondo , Bulu and Fang ). Over 20% speak Sudanese and Az-Sande languages . The rest of the population, in the grasslands of West Cameroon, speak the Semibantu languages such as B. Ngemba .

Official languages

Distribution of the official languages ​​in Cameroon.

French and English are the country's only official languages, a legacy of the history of Cameroon as a mandated territory of both the United Kingdom and France , from 1916 to 1960. From 1884 to 1916, Cameroon was a German colony, with the number of German speakers increasing by the English and French Rule was steadily reduced from 1916 onwards. At times there were fewer than 25,000 speakers of the German language . In Cameroon, at least 300,000 people (as of 2010) speak German as a foreign language. German is offered as a subject at universities. German has a high priority as a foreign language and is taught at almost every secondary school. There are hardly any native speakers of German left. In addition, Spanish is spoken more and more in the border area with Equatorial Guinea .

The government of the new nation of Cameroon has been striving for bilingualism since independence : A small proportion of the population speaks both English and French, but many still speak only their African mother tongue. Several bilingual schools have been established to encourage the teaching of both languages. Cameroon is a member of the Francophonie as well as the Commonwealth of Nations .

Common language

Most of the residents of the former British mandate area of South Cameroon , i.e. the north-west and south- west provinces, speak Cameroonian Pidgin English as a lingua franca . Fulfulde has the same function in the north , and the Bantu language Ewondo has influence in many areas of the central , southern and eastern provinces . Camfranglais (or Frananglais ) is a relatively new pidgin language that has developed in large cities and other contexts where Anglophones and Francophones meet and interact. Well-known singers have used this hybrid language and made it popular. European influences can be demonstrated in different languages. "Break" means z. B. in Ngemba bread, Fara in Ewondo the pastor, "Karl" in Bassa the French first name Charles.

Situation of the national languages

There is hardly any literature, radio broadcasts or television programs in the native Cameroonian languages. However, a large number of Cameroonian languages ​​have scripts, alphabets, or other writing systems - many developed by the SIL International group , which translated the Bible, Christian hymns, and other materials into the indigenous languages. The General Alphabet of the Cameroonian Languages was developed in the 1970s as an orthographic system for all Cameroonian languages.

Sultan Ibrahim Njoya developed the Bamun script for the Bamun language .

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Neba , 65.
  2. ↑ http://www.dw.de/wenn-deutsch-gleich-zukunft-hei%C3%9Ft/a-5070255
  3. ^ DeLancey and DeLancey , page 51.
  4. ^ DeLancey and DeLancey , page 220.
  5. ↑ a b DeLancey and DeLancey , page 192.
  6. ^ DeLancey and DeLancey , page 131.

literature

  • Mark W. DeLancey and Mark Dike DeLancey: Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Cameroon (3rd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, 2000
  • Aaron Neba: Modern Geography of the Republic of Cameroon, 3rd Ed. Bamenda: Neba Publishers, 1999

Web links