The Makaa–Njem languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. They are coded Zone A.80 in Guthrie's classification.
| Makaa–Njem | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Southern Cameroon and neighbouring areas |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo? |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | maka1323 |
 The Makaa–Njem languages (excluding Kako) | |
According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), adding the Kako languages (Guthrie's A.90) forms a valid node, called Pomo–Bomwali (Kairn Klieman 1997).
Languages edit
Kako edit
The Guthrie Kako (A.90) languages are:
- Kwakum
- Pol
- Pomo-Kweso (Pomo, Kweso)
- Kako.
Makaa–Njem edit
The Guthrie Makaa–Njem (A.80) languages are:
| Language name | Primary location | Secondary location(s) | Ethnic group(s) | No. speakers[1] | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bekwel | Congo | Cameroon, Gabon | Bekwel | 12,060 | Close to Nkonabeeb and Koonzime. Cameroonian speakers also use Mpongmpong.[2] |
| Bomwali | Congo | Cameroon | Bomwali | 39,280 | |
| Byep | Cameroon | None | Maka | 9,500 | Also called North Makaa, though not intelligible with Makaa.[3] |
| Kol | Cameroon | Gabon | Bekol | 12,000 | Speakers use Makaa or Koonzime as well.[4] |
| Koonzime | Cameroon | None | Badwe'e, Nzime | 30,000 | Badwe'e speak Koozime dialect; Nzime speak Koonzime dialect. Used as a second language by many Baka.[5] |
| Makaa | Cameroon | None | Maka | 80,000 | Related to Byep (North Makaa) and Kol, although unintelligible with them.[6] |
| Mpiemo | Central African Republic | Cameroon, Congo | Mbimu | 29,000 | |
| Mpumpong | Cameroon | None | Nkonabeeb | 45,000 | |
| Ngumba (Kwasio) | Cameroon | Equatorial Guinea | Mabi, Ngumba, Bujeba, Gyele (Koya, Kola) | 22,000 | The Gyele are Pygmies |
| Njyem | Cameroon | Congo | Njyem | 7,000 | Spoken by many Baka as a second language.[7] |
| Swo | Cameroon | None | Swo | 9,000 | High level of influence from Beti.[8] |
| Ukhwejo | Central African Republic | None | Benkonjo | 2,000 |
Maho (2009) adds Shiwe (Oshieba) of central Gabon.
Glottolog classifies the languages as follows:[9]
- Makaa–Kako (A.80-90) languages:
- Kako (or Mkako, Nkoxo, Dikaka, Yaka)
- Kwakum (or Kpakum, Pakum, Bakum, Abakum, Abakoum, Akpwakum)
- Pol (or Pol, Pori, Pul) (Azom, Polri Kinda)
- Pomo-Kweso (Pomo, Kweso)
- Makaa–Njem (A.80) languages
- Bomwali (or Bomali, Boumoali, Bumali, Lino, Sangasanga)
- Yambe
- Mpoic languages:
- Mpongmpong (or Mpumpong, Pongpong, Mpompo, Mpopo, Mbombo, Bombo)
- Bekwil (or Bekwie, Bekwel, Bakwil, Bakwele, Okpele)
- Njemic languages:
- Mpiemo–Ukhwejo languages:
- Western A80 languages:
- Mvumboic languages:
- Gyele (or Guiele, Giele, Gieli, Gyeli, Bogyeli, Bondjiel, Bajeli, Babinga, Bakola, Bakuele, Bekoe, Likoya)
- Kwasio (or Kwassio, Bisio, Bissio, Bisiwo, Bujeba, Mabi, Mabea, Ngumba, Mgoumba, Ngoumba, Mvumbo)
- Shiwe (or Shiwa, Chiwa, Oshieba, Ossyeba)
- Makaaic languages:
- Mvumboic languages:
Notes edit
- ^ All totals are based on the relevant Ethnologue pages.
- ^ "Bekwel", Ethnologue.
- ^ "Byep", Ethnologue.
- ^ "Kol", Ethnologue.
- ^ "Koonzime", Ethnologue.
- ^ "Kol", Ethnologue.
- ^ "Njyem", Ethnologue.
- ^ "So", Ethnologue.
- ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forke, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2020). "Makaa-Njem (A.80)". Glottolog 4.3.
References edit
- Nurse, Derek; Philippson, Gérard, eds. (2003). The Bantu languages. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780700711345.
- Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.) (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th ed. Dallas: SIL International. Retrieved 7 June 2006.