| Mambiloid | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Nigeria and Cameroon |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo? |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | mamb1309 |
 The Mambiloid languages shown within Nigeria and Cameroon | |
The twelve Mambiloid languages are languages spoken by the Mambila and related peoples mostly in eastern Nigeria and in Cameroon. In Nigeria the largest group is Mambila (there is also a small Mambila population in Cameroon). In Cameroon the largest group is Vute.
The following classification follows Blench (2011). Languages with (?) are not listed in that source, but close to other languages according to Ethnologue. Ndoro–Fam may be a separate branch of Benue–Congo.
Ethnologue also lists Njerep, which most likely lies somewhere in the Mambila–Kamkam branch. The extinct Yeni, Luo and Kasabe languages were apparently Mambiloid, the first two close to Njerep.
Fam is sometimes classified with Ndoro, but appears to be more divergent.
The unclassified language Bung shows its strongest resemblance to be with the Ndung dialect of Kwanja. It also has words in common with other Mambiloid languages such as Tep, Somyev and Vute, while a number of words' origins remain unclear (possibly Adamawan). [1]
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations (in Nigeria only) from Blench (2019). [2]
| Language | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mbɔŋnɔ | Bungnu | Mbọngnọ | Mbọngnọ | Kamkam | Kakaba, Bunu | 800 (1952 W&B); 3000 est. Blench and Connell (1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, Kakara town | ||
| Ndoola | At least 2 dialects | Ndoro | Ndoola | Ndoola | Njoyamɛ (in Cameroon) | 1169 (1952 W&B); 10,000 total, 1,300 in Cameroon (1982 SIL); estimated more than 15,000 (1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna and Gashaka LGAs; and in Cameroon (1 village only) | ||
| Vute | At least 6 dialects | Bute, Mbute, Wute, Voute | Mbutere | 1,000 or less in Nigeria; 30,000 in Cameroon (1985 EELC) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA; northeast Mambila Plateau, but mainly in Cameroon | ||||
| Tep | A single village and associated hamlets. <4000 | Taraba State. Mambila Plateau | |||||||
| Mambila | Almost every village has a separate dialect forming a dialect chain. Dialect centres are: Bang, Dorofi, Gembu, Hainari, Kabri, Mayo Ndaga, Mbamnga, Tamien, Warwar. At least 4 dialects in Cameroon. | Ju Nɔri | Nɔr | Mambila, Mambilla, Mambere | 18,000 (1952); 60,000 (1973 SIL); 10,000 in Cameroon | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA. Mambila Plateau. Cameroon. | |||
| Mvanɨp | Mvanɔ | Magu | 100 (Blench 1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA. A single quarter of Zongo Ajiya town in the northwest of the Mambila Plateau. | |||||
| Ndunda | 400 (Blench 1999) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA. In northwest Mambila Plateau. | |||||||
| Somyɛv | Kila, Zuzun | 4 speakers (2006) | Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, (Blacksmiths’ dialect). Kila Yang village, 10 km. west of Mayo Ndaga. Also formerly spoken in Cameroon | ||||||
| Fam | Fam | Fam | Kɔŋa, Konga | Fewer than 1,000 (1984); <500 (2016) | Taraba State, Bali LGA, 17km east of Kungana |
The Adamawa Region is a constituent region of the Republic of Cameroon. It borders the Centre and East regions to the south, the Northwest and West regions to the southwest, Nigeria to the west, the Central African Republic (CAR) to the east, and the North Region to the north.
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.
SardaunaLocal Government Area is located in the extreme southeast of Taraba State in Nigeria. It is synonymous with the Mambilla Plateau, which is dotted by many towns and villages. The capital of the LGA is Gembu, an ancient Mambilla settlement whose name is a corruption of "Gelmvu", the name of an ancient monarch of the area. Other ethnic groups from the mainstream Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon Republic such as Hausa, Kanuri, Banso, Kambu, Fulani, etc can be found in the commercial centres.
Cameroon is home to at least 250 languages, with some accounts reporting around 600. These include 55 Afro-Asiatic languages, two Nilo-Saharan languages, four Ubangian languages, and 169 Niger–Congo languages. This latter group comprises one Senegambian language (Fulfulde), 28 Adamawa languages, and 142 Benue–Congo languages . French and English are official languages, a heritage of Cameroon's colonial past as a colony of both France and the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1961. Eight out of the ten regions of Cameroon are primarily francophone, representing 83% of the country's population, and two are anglophone, representing 17%. The official percentage of French and English speakers by the Presidency of Cameroon is estimated to be 70% and 30% respectively.
The Mambilla or Mambila people of Nigeria live on the Mambilla Plateau. A small fraction of Mambilla migrants left the Mambilla Plateau for the Ndom Plain on the Cameroon side of the international border as well as in a couple of small villages, such as New Namba, on the Gashaka Plain in the north, and Jiini-Nyalang-Langa area close to the Kwanja. Today, the preferred ethnonym is spelt Mambila in Cameroon and Mambilla in Nigeria. "Norr" is also used.
The Ekoid languages are a dialect cluster of Southern Bantoid languages spoken principally in southeastern Nigeria and in adjacent regions of Cameroon. They have long been associated with the Bantu languages, without their status being precisely defined. Crabb (1969) remains the major monograph on these languages, although regrettably, Part II, which was to contain grammatical analyses, was never published. Crabb also reviews the literature on Ekoid up to the date of publication.
The 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.
Mambila is a dialect chain stretching across Nigeria and Cameroon. It is one of the Mambiloid languages, a branch of Benue–Congo.
Tikar is a Northern Bantoid, semi-Bantu language that is spoken in Cameroon by the Tikar people, as well as by the Bedzan Pygmies, who speak their own dialect of the language. A recent hypothesis by Roger Blench suggests that the Tikar language could be a divergent language in the Niger-Congo language family with an uncertain origin.
Daka is one of two languages spoken by the Chamba people in Nigeria, the other being Chamba Leko.
Vute is a Mambiloid language of Cameroon and Gabon, with a thousand speakers in Nigeria. The orthography was standardized on March 9, 1979. Noted dialect clusters are eastern, central, and Doume.
Ndoola (Ndoro) or Njoyamɛ in Cameroon is a Bantoid language of Nigeria, with several thousand speakers in Cameroon. It is either among or related to the Mambiloid languages.
Somyev (Somyewe), also known as Kila, is a nearly extinct Mambiloid language of two villages, one in Nigeria and one in Cameroon, that is spoken by a caste of blacksmiths that live among the Mambila. Although the language is still used for daily communication, the youngest generation of speakers were born in the 1950s. Transmission of the language ceased when the profession of blacksmithing lost its social status, partly due to imports of foreign tools.
Fam is a Bantoid language of Bali LGA in Taraba State, Nigeria. It is now usually left as unclassified within Bantoid, however Blench (2011) classifies it as a divergent Mambiloid language potentially related to Ndoola.
Tep is a Mambiloid language of Nigeria. Ethnologue considers it a dialect of Mambila, as speakers identify as Mambila, but it is a distinct language.
Mvanip (Mvano), or Magu, is a minor Mambiloid language of Nigeria. Despite the small number of speakers, language use is vigorous. Ethnologue classifies Mvanip as threatened.
Njerep (Njerup) is a Mambiloid language spoken in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. Njerep is essentially extinct, with only 4 people who speak it at home. Though word lists and grammatical information have been collected from these people, the information remains fragmented.
Twendi, or Cambap as it is also known, is a nearly extinct Mambiloid language of Cameroon. Speakers have largely shifted to the closely related language Kwanja, and Twendi has not been passed down to children for decades. The language is spoken in the villages of Cambap and Sanga on the Tikar Plain by no more than 30 people, the youngest of whom were born in the 1940s.
Ndola People are found in Taraba, Nigeria and located in Kurmi and Ngada. Few are also found in Cameroon.
Northern Bantoid is a branch of the Bantoid languages. It consists of the Mambiloid, Dakoid, and Tikar languages of eastern Nigeria and west-central Cameroon.
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