THE NUN LANGUAGES OF THE GRASSFIELDS OF CAMEROUN

Transcription

1 THE NUN LANGUAGES OF THE GRASSFIELDS OF CAMEROUN Roger Blench & Cameron Hamm DRAFT ONLY: VARIOUS SECTIONS NOT WRITTEN NOT TO BE QUOTED WITHOUT PERMISSION Roger Blench Kay Williamson Educational Foundation 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/Ans 0044-(0) Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0) Cameron Hamm SIL

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction Sources Membership of the Nun group Nun as a genetic group Ndzerem Mankong (Bamukumbit) Other proposals Revised classification Background to the region and individual languages The Ndop Plain Baba Bamenyan Bamun Shu Paməm Bapi Bangolan Chopechop Chrambo Chufie Mankong Mungaka Bali Nyonga Ti Nusi (1986) Ndeng Ndzerem Phonology Morphology Syntax Reconstructing proto-nun Conclusions... 8 Appendices Orthographies of Nun languages Comparative wordlist... 8 References... 8 TABLES Table 1. The Nun languages... 2 Table 2. Nun languages in Koelle (1854)... 2 Table 3. Data sources for the Nun languages... 3 Table 4. Isoglosses illustrative of the common origin of the Nun languages... 3 Table 5. Isoglosses illustrating the place of Ndzerem in the Nun group... 4 Table 6. Ndzerem cognates with Nso'... 4 Table 7. Common glosses for an MCNB subgroup... 5 Table 8. Evidence for Ndzerem-Chopechop links... 5 Table 9. Isoglosses distinguishing Mankong from Ngemba languages... 5 FIGURES Figure 1.Grassfields languages... 1

3 1. Introduction The languages of the Grassfields of Cameroun form a major subset of the Bantoid languages. The languages classified as Grassfields constitute a major subgroup and cover most of the region geographically. Although manifestly close to Bantu languages in the context of Niger-Congo, they are nonetheless very different in terms of phonology, morphology (especially noun-class systems) and lexicon. Given their numbers and diversity, they remain little-known compared with other language groupings in the region, such as Bantu and Cross River. The name Grassfields first appears in Richardson (1957:61) without a clear genetic definition as part of the survey of languages of the Northern Bantu borderland. This first era of research was followed by the establishment of a Grassfields Working Group in the 1970s. Grassfields was probably first used in its linguistic sense simultaneously in Hyman (1980) and Stallcup (1978, 1980). An important synthesis that picked up much of this work was the Linguistic Atlas of Cameroun (Dieu & Renaud 1983). Other outlines of Grassfields appear in Watters & Leroy (1989), Piron (1995), Anderson (2001) and Watters (2003). However, an unfortunate characteristic of much recent work on Grassfields is that it has not been published. Despite the recent enthusiasm for language documentation and description, extended phonologies and lexical lists find no natural home in the competitive world of seminar linguistics. Even more worrying is the publication of class exercises conducted with a single non-resident speaker (e.g. Koopman & Kural 1994) and the non-publication of material based on extended fieldwork. There are two major sources of this grey literature; descriptions prepared in the context of literacy and bible translation and theses undertaken in Camerounian universities. As a consequence it may be the right time to pull together such materials to provide a more nuanced account of the subgroups of Grassfields. With these reservations, Figure 1 shows a tentative classification of the Grassfields languages. Figure 1.Grassfields languages Proto-Narrow Grassfields Ambele Western Momo Menchum Ring Momo Ndemli? Eastern = Mbam-Nkam South East Centre West Bamileke Ngemba Nkambe Nun A significant subgroup of Grassfields is the Nun language group, one of the four divisions of Eastern or Mbam-Nkam languages. The Nun [Noun] group was probably first characterised by Hombert (1980a) on the basis of two languages. ALCAM significantly extended this list and this is the basis for the current Ethnologue classification. Table 1 shows the Nun lects listed by the vernacular name for the language, with the sometimes more familiar name given in the second column. This list includes the newly-reported Ndzerem language spoken in Mbokam village in Jakiri subdivision among the Lamnso people but not languages such as Mankong whose membership is controversial and whose status is discussed in 3.3 and

4 Table 1. The Nun languages Language Alternative Population Baba Papia, Bapa, Bapakum 13,000 Ndzerem < 1000 Bapi? Chufie Bafanji, Bafangi, Nchufie 8,500 Chopechop Bamali, [Ngoobechop?] 5,300 Chrambo Bambalang, Mboyakum, Cirambo 14,500 Bamenyan Mamenyan, Pamenyan, Mengambo 4,000 Shu Paməm Bamoun, Bamoum, Bamum 215,000? Bangolan 13,500 Mungaka Bali, Li, Ngaaka, Nga'ka, Munga'ka 50,000 Dialects Bali Nyonga (Bali), Ti (Bati), Nde (Bandeng) Note: All these languages are assigned the ISO code The Nun languages in the Ethnologue are grouped under a single ISO code. It is hard to see the information value of this, given the uncertainties about classification outlined in this paper and the clear linguistic and ethnic divisions between the peoples speaking these languages. 2. Sources The earliest records of Nun languages are the wordlist in Koelle s (1854) Polyglotta Africana, compiled from interviews with freed slaves resident in Sierra Leone in the 1850s. For some reason 1, the Nun languages were particularly well-represented among these peoples and Koelle has lists of Bati, Baba, Shu Paməm, Bangolan, Bamenyam and Məngaka (Table 2). Table 2. Nun languages in Koelle (1854) Koelle s name Dalby Current Bantoid subgroup Ba:gba? Bati? Nun, Grassfields Ba:lu Bali/Ngaaka 2 Baba Nun, Grassfields Bamom/Mom Bamum Shu Paməm Nun, Grassfields Ŋgoa:la Bangongola Bangolan 3 Nun, Grassfields Mo:menya/Ba:menya? Bamenyam Nun, Grassfields Pa:pi:ax/Moba Baba Baba Nun, Grassfields Pa:gham Bagam Məngaka Bamileke, Grassfields Bagam is included because of its possible member ship in the Nun group ( 3.4). Compared with many other languages in this area, the Nun languages have been comparatively well-served by research. Vielhauer s study of Bali (1915) is one the earliest attempts to undertake a grammatical description of a Grassfields language. Table 3 presents a compilation of the major published or otherwise available resources for Nun languages. 1 Possibly the presence of the Balikumbat, who were unreconstructed slavers, in the midst of the Nun-speaking peoples was responsible for this. 2 Despite Dalby s identification this language is clearly not Bali Mungaka 3 A key lexeme is the word for eye, ndí in Koelle and ndihi in the available wordlist. This shift from the more usual li appears to be quite distinctive. 2

5 The Nun languages Circulation draft Table 3. Data sources for the Nun languages Language References General Hombert (1980), Dieu & Renaud (1983), Nashipuh (1989), Watters (2003) Baba Nashipu (2005), Njeck & Hedinger (2006) Bali Vielhauer (1915), Kähler-Meyer (1941/42a,b; 1954/5) Bamenyan Forku (2000) Bangolan Griffin (1994), Njeck (2003a,b), Njeck & Anderson (2003) Bapi Ngueffo (1979) Chopechop Wanki (1990), Achotia (2005a,b), Grant (2007 [1993]) Chrambo Ayafor (2002), Grove (2007), Wright (2009), Luider (2009) Chufie Nkweti (1987), Jun (1994) Koopman & Kural (1994), Seguin & Mbongue (1994), Grant (2007), Hamm & Hamm (2007a,b) Mankong Seguin (1994), Simpson (2006a,b), Devisser (2006) Mungaka Sema (1988), Stöckle & Tischhauser (1993), Stöckle (1994), Awah (1997), Kiessling (2007) Ndzerem Hamm (ined.) Shu Paməm Ward (1937/39), Djenou (1981), Matateyou (2002), Nchare (2005) Ti Nusi (1986) Note: All these languages are assigned the ISO code Regrettably, the only extended modern publication on a Nun language, Parlons Bamoun (Matateyou 2002) devotes some of its pages to demonstrating the affinity of Bamun with Ancient Egyptian. However, it does contain an extended lexical list of Bamun, which is valuable for comparative purposes. Data on Mungaka collected in the 1930s have been edited into a dictionary (Stöckle & Tischhauser 1993) and a text collection (Stöckle 1994). 3. Membership of the Nun group 3.1 Nun as a genetic group The unity of the Nun languages has not been taken as self-evident. Hombert (1980a: 144) discusses the various ways the individual languages have been subdivided. However, his publication has generally been taken as a convincing demonstration of the unity of the group. He also refers to some common oral traditions which recount the migration of Nchare, formerly a Tikar chief at the beginning of the 18 th century (see Tardits 1980 for greater detail). This has virtually no linguistic relevance, since Tikar is very remote from the Nun languages and has virtually no common vocabulary. Table 4 shows some common lexical items whose form suggests that the Nun languages constitute a genetic grouping; Table 4. Isoglosses illustrative of the common origin of the Nun languages Gloss sky smoke knife Baba' pu ndɾəndɾə məɲi Bali Nyonga (Mungaka) nídə ŋ ndʒíndʒí méni Ndeng (Mungaka) tɛʔɛpo nɖənɖə moɲi Ti (Mungaka) tãfə ntsɨnzɨmuʔ mõɲi Bambalang pò \ tɔtʰɨ ndindʰi minɥi Bamenyam nəpot ndindi məɲi Bamun pùt nʒínʒì mənjıı Bapi (Bamun) faŋb ndʑɨmoʔ m ŋĩ Bangolan pwat ndi mɛɲwi Chopechop nəpɔt ndindiʔ məniː Chufie pɔ ndindi munwĩ Mankong nɨboɾ ndindi mɨnʷi Ndzerem ndə ndə məɾə moʃjɑʔ The claim is not that these roots are unique to Nun languages; indeed, given millennia of mutual influence in the Grassfields it is unlikely that any lexical items would have such a status. However, the forms that they 3

6 take are dominant in the Nun group. For example, the root for smoke #ndindiʔ is reduplicated whereas external cognates tend to be a single syllable, often with the fə- prefix conserved. Yamba languages have nd nd, but these are exceptional in their subgroup. For sky, Pinyin nəpúrə and Legang lèbú are almost certainly cognate, but only in Nun is this form predominant with the nə- prefix. For knife Ngemba languages have #məŋgi or similar but Nun languages seem to have developed the palatal nasal throughout. Unfortunately, Table 4 appears to make the case for placing the Ndzerem language within Nun rather weak. However, other lexical evidence does support this classification. 3.2 Ndzerem A Nun language that has so far gone unreported is Ndzerem, still spoken in the village of Mbokam, among the Nso people. Nkwi and Warnier (19xx: 128) say Bamun attacks forced Ndzerem and others (Nzen and Tsenkop) to migrate from a location south of the Nun river into Nso. A short wordlist taken by Cameron Hamm in xx appears to confirm the membership of Ndzerem in the Nun group. Table 5 shows a sample of words where Ndzerem shares a characteristic gloss with the Nun languages, which is only sporadically attested in other groups of Grassfields. Table 5. Isoglosses illustrating the place of Ndzerem in the Nun group Gloss rain wind leave give Baba' mbɨŋ səsuʔ pjaɣa \ ɣə fa Bali Nyonga (Mungaka) bʉ ŋ fə fuə t ɣʉʉ fɑ Bambalang mbɨ fəfɾə lɔːlɔ fɛ Bamenyam mbʉ fəfɔ ɣə ŋa Bamun mbʉʉ fʉ fwɛ t ɡwɔ fá Bandeng (Mungaka) mbəŋ fɨfwət ŋɡənə fa Bangolan mbəŋ fɨfələ tsɔʔnə hɛ Bapi (Bamun) mbəŋ fʉfwɛt ɣa fa Bati (Mungaka) mbĩ fufu ɣə fa Chopechop mumbɨː fufut ɣø haʔa Chufie mbɯɡɯ fɯfɑ ɣəɯ fə Mankong mbɨ ɑfufɨɾ ɣɨː nɑʔ Ndzerem (Mbokam) mbəŋ fəfjɛt ɣʉə fɑ Ndzerem has quite a few lexical items that do not agree with Nun languages but which are not borrowings from Nso. The wordlist was recorded under less than ideal conditions, so it is possible some are elicitation errors. Alternatively, the Ndzerem may have been in contact with other unidentified groups during the course of their migrations. Table 6 shows the one word so far identified, to count which Ndzerem shares with Nso and a sample of the numerous items where Ndzerem has an idiosyncratic item not shared with either language group. Table 6. Ndzerem cognates with Nso' Gloss Nso Mankong Chopechop Ndzerem count tɑ ŋ ʃi ʃɛː tɑɑ be afraid fɑ n ɑbɔʔ pʷənəɣu ləm push dôm tʃə nuhə nɛt give birth dzə ʔ bi pi məŋɡi ɹɑmon Within Nun, it seems that Mankong, Chopechop, Ndzerem and Bamenyam form a subgroup, provisionally named MCNB. Table 7 shows a series of glosses where these languages share a common lexical item and have also retained a prefix which is lost in the other Nun languages. 4

7 The Nun languages Circulation draft Table 7. Common glosses for an MCNB subgroup Gloss Mankong Chopechop Ndzerem Bamenyam breast nɨbə nəpʰɨn nəpuɣə nɛpə belly nɨbum nəpũ nəvʉə nəpo navel nɨtɔ nətɔ nətuə nəntoʔo feather ɑfuɾ nəfut nəfut nəpfʉə sky nɨboɾ nəpɔt ndə ndə nəpot night nɨtuʔ nətuʔ nə kuʔɾə nətuʔ eight nɨfɔ nəfɔː jɛnɛfə nəvu Evidence that Ndzerem is closer to Chopechop than the other languages in the cluster is slight. Table 8 presents a few potential items showing what may be common retentions shared by Ndzerem-Chopechop in distinction to Mankong and Chopechop. Table 8. Evidence for Ndzerem-Chopechop links Gloss Mankong Chopechop Ndzerem Bamenyam cultivate lɨʔ faʔa fɑʔfɑ dʒusjɛ two bɨbɛ pɛt jɛpɑt ipɛ give nɑʔ haʔa fɑ ŋa 3.3 Mankong (Bamukumbit) The Mankong [Maŋkɔ ] 4 language, also known as Bamukumbit, is spoken by around 10, 000 people in the village of Bamukumbit south of the Ndop Plain. Bamukumbit is situated in Balikumbat Sub-Division, Ngoketunjia Division of North West Province of Cameroon (Simpson 2006a). LeRoy (1980) and ALCAM (Dieu & Renaud 1993) listed Bamukumbit as a dialect of Awing, the Ngemba language group bordering it. However, as a result of Seguin (1994), it is now treated as a separate language, although there are strong similarities with Awing. This paper will argue that Mankong has been mis-classified and that is would be better treated as a Nun language, albeit with some lexical flow from Awing. Table 9 shows a sample of isoglosses distinguishing Mankong from Ngemba languages where it shares a common lexeme with the MCNB group (cf. Table 7); Table 9. Isoglosses distinguishing Mankong from Ngemba languages Gloss Mankong Chopechop Bamenyam Common Ngemba blood mɨtʃi ŋkimbaŋ mətse àlɛ mə come ni ni tɔa yínə dog mɨmbo məŋɡukajø məmbo ŋɡuə / mbvô egg mbɔm nəpo mbɔ nəbo mə elephant tɛŋkɑʔ taŋkaʔ tæ ŋkɔʔ èsɛ give nɑʔ haʔa ŋa fə ɣá name liʔ li li kə mə smoke ndindi ndindiʔ ndindi fəndıʔə The Common Ngemba cited here is an unsatisfactory construct but shows the maximal form of the most common root among Ngemba languages. In some cases, the difference with Nun is a matter of morphology; for example, the word for dog appears to have a distinctive reduplicated prefix in Nun and not in Ngemba, which retains a version of the classic Niger-Congo root. 3.4 Other proposals 4 Mankong is the name given to the language, village and the people. In recent years, village leaders have moved away from the name Bamukumbit and use Mankong where possible. Mankong should not be confused with the better-known Mankon. 5

8 3.5 Revised classification 4. Background to the region and individual languages 4.1 The Ndop Plain Other languages which play a role in the Ndop Plain are Cameroonian Pidgin and English. Pidgin is the language of wider communication and English is the language used in schools and in churches. French is also used as a vehicular language but is only spoken by a minority. 4.2 Baba Baba is spoken by about 15,000 people in the village of that name, situated between Ndop and Kumbo on the Ndop Plain (Nashipu 2005). Its immediate neighbours are Ring languages such as Babessi, Bamunka and Babungo. Apart from the study of morphosyntax by Nashipu (2005), there is an orthographic statement (Njeck & Hedinger 2006). 4.3 Bamenyan Forku (2000) 4.4 Bamun Shu Paməm Ward (1937/39), Djenou (1981), Matateyou (2002), Nchare (2005) Bapi Ngueffo (1979) 4.5 Bangolan Griffin (1994), Njeck (2003a,b), Njeck & Anderson (2003) 4.6 Chopechop This language is widely referred to in the literature as Bamali, but is known to speakers a cɔpɛcɔp [Chopechop]. In 1993, Grant (2007) estimated there were some 4500 speakers in a single settlement some 10 km. southwest of Ndop, at the foot of the Sabga and Balikumbat hills. Somewhat surprisingly, ALCAM (Dieu & Renaud 1983) classified this as a dialect of Shu Pamən, but all subsequent work has indicated this is an independent language. As Grant suggests, intelligibility with neighbouring languages is learnt by speakers as part of a context of multilingualism throughout the region. Academic work on Chopechop is limited; an MA thesis by Wanki (1990) is difficult to obtain. Achotia (2005a,b) undertook a phonology and orthography of Chopechop and began a dictionary based on the SIL 1800-wordlist, but neither were published. 6

9 4.7 Chrambo Ayafor (2002), Grove (2007), Wright (2009), Luider (2009) 4.8 Chufie Nkweti (1987), Jun (1994) Koopman & Kural (1994), Seguin & Mbongue (1994), Grant (2007), Hamm & Hamm (2007a,b) 4.9 Mankong Seguin (1994), Simpson (2006a,b) 4.10 Mungaka Bali Nyonga Vielhauer (1915), Kähler-Meyer (1941/42a,b; 1954/5), Sema (1988), Stöckle & Tischhauser (1993), Stöckle (1994), Awah (1997), Kiessling (2007) Ti Nusi (1986) Ndeng 4.11 Ndzerem Hamm (ined.) 5. Phonology 6. Morphology The Nun group has an extremely reduced nominal class system. Table I in Hombert (1980a:145) makes the system look more complex than it really is. In Bamun, there are just four singular prefixes, ø-, N-, m- and p- and four plural prefixes, ø-, ʃ-, m- and p-. 7

10 7. Syntax 8. Reconstructing proto-nun 9. Conclusions Appendices 1. Orthographies of Nun languages 2. Comparative wordlist References Achotia, Bridget Ibietie 2005a. Bamali Orthography Statement. Yaoundé: NACALCO. Achotia, Bridget Ibietie 2005b. Bamali-English Dictionary. Yaoundé: NACALCO. [ined.] Anderson, Stephen Phonological Characteristics of Eastern Grassfields Languages. In Mutaka and Chumbow (eds) Research Mate in African Linguistics: Focus on Cameroon Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. Awah, V.N WH-Movement in Mungaka: a generative approach. MA Linguistics, University of Yaoundé I. Ayafor, Vera The structural phonology of Cirambo. Yaoundé: University of Yaoundé. Devisser, Christine A sketch of the Bamukumbit (Mankong) Noun Class System. Yaoundé: SIL. Devries, Aaron 2008a. Kenswey Nsey (Bamessing): A phonological sketch. Yaoundé: SIL. Devries, Aaron 2008b. Kenswey Nsey (Bamessing): Orthography guide. Yaoundé: SIL. Dieu, Michel and Patrick Renaud Atlas linguistique de l Afrique centrale. Inventaire préliminaire: le Cameroun (ALCAM). Yaoundé: ACCT / CERDOTOLA / DGRST. Djenou, Daniel Le verbe en Bamun. Mémoire de Maîtrise, Université de Yaoundé I. Forku, Doris Tsafack A sketch of the phonology of Mamənyan and standardization perspectives. Maitrise Linguistics, University of Yaoundé I. Grant, Caroline A A Rapid Appraisal Survey of Bambalang. Yaoundé: SIL. Grant, Caroline A [1993]. A Rapid Appraisal Survey of Bamali. Yaoundé: SIL. Griffin, Margaret A A rapid appraisal survey of Bangolan. Yaoundé: SIL. Grove, Dan Bambalang (Chrambo) Orthography Guide (provisional). Yaoundé: SIL. Hamm, Cameron and Valerie Hamm. 2007a. A phonological sketch of Bafanji (Chufie ). Yaoundé: SIL. Hamm, Cameron and Valerie Hamm. 2007b. Bafanji (Chufie ) Orthography Guide (provisional). Yaoundé: SIL. Hombert, Jean-Marie Le groupe noun. In Larry M. Hyman and Jan Voorhoeve, eds. (1980) Les classes nominales dans le bantou des Grassfields. L expansion bantoue 1, Numéro spécial 9: Paris: SELAF. Hyman, Larry and Maurice Tadadjeu Floating Tones in Mbam-Nkam. Southern California occasional papers in Linguistics 3. Los Angeles: University of Southern California. Jeffreys, M.D.W The Bali of Bamenda. African Studies 16,2: Jeffreys, M.D.W Traditional sources prior to 1890 for the Grassfield Bali of Northwestern Cameroons. Afrika & Übersee 46: , Jun, Jongho An Analysis of Bafanji Prenasalized Consonants. Linguistics in the Morning Calm 3. Seoul: Hanshin. Kähler-Meyer, Emmi 1941/42a. Stand und Aufgaben der Sprachforschung in Kamerun. Zeitschrift für Eingeborenensprachen 32:

11 Kähler-Meyer, Emmi 1941/42b. Märchen in der Balisprache aus dem Grasland von Kamerun. Zeitschrift für Eingeborenensprachen 32: , Kähler-Meyer, Emmi 1954/55. Spiele bei den Bali in Kamerun. Afrika & Übersee 39: Kenmogne, Michel Curiosities in the phonology of Bantou A languages. In: Mutaka and Chumbow (eds) Research Mate in African Linguistics: Focus on Cameroon. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. Kiessling, Roland The non-genetic origin of the Mungaka language of Bali: searching for a superstrate. ms. Hamburg Koopman, Hilda and Murat Kural eds Aspects of Nchufie grammar. UCLA Occasional Papers in Linguistics 14. Los Angeles: UCLA. LeRoy, J The Ngemba Group: Mankon, Bangangu, Mundum I, Bafut, Nkwen, Banbui, Pinyin, Awing. in Hyman, L. & J. Voorhoeve (eds.). L Expansion Bantoue: Les Classes Nominales dans le Bantou des Grassfields. Paris: CNRS. Lewis, P. (ed) Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Dallas: SIL International. Web version: Luider, Jennifer A Phonological Sketch of the Bambalang (Chrambo) Language. Yaoundé: SIL. Matateyou, Emmanuel Parlons Bamoun. Paris: L'Harmattan. Mfonyam, Joseph Tone in Orthography: The Case of Bafut and Related Languages. PhD Thesis. University of Yaoundé 1. Nashipuh, J Dialectometrical study of languages of the Ndop Plain. Maîtrise dissertation, University of Yaoundé I. Nashipu, J.P The morpho-syntax of Baba 1. Ph.D. Linguistics, University of Yaoundé I. Nchare, A.L Une analyse minimaliste et dérivationnelle de la morphosyntaxe de Shupamem. DEA Linguistics, University of Yaoundé I. Ngueffo, Noe Essai du description phonologique de Bapi. DES Linguistics, University of Yaoundé I. Njeck, Mathaus Mbah 2003a. Bangolan Orthography Statement. Yaoundé: NACALCO. Njeck, Mathaus Mbah 2003b. A phonology of Bangulaŋ and a proposed orthography. Maitrise Linguistics, University of Yaoundé I. Njeck, Mathaus & Steve Anderson Bangolan-English lexicon: Ngo-ketunjia Division, North West Province. CALED, 12. Yaoundé, Cameroon: NACALCO. 63 p. Njeck, Mathaus Mbah and Robert Hedinger Baba 1 Orthography Guide. Yaoundé: SIL. Njeck, Mathaus Mbah and Robert Hedinger Wushi Orthography Statement. Yaoundé: SIL. Nkweti, P. Peter The culture of Bafanji (Fie-Lunglwe-Mangie): a Tikari chiefdom of the Ndop Plain. No publisher/place. Nusi, Jean Phonologie du Parler de Ti. Mémoire de Maîtrise, Université de Yaoundé I. Seguin, L Première Evaluation Globale de la Situation Sociolinguistique à Bamukumbit. Yaoundé: SIL. Seguin, Lawrence & Jospeh Mbongue Premier évaluation globale de la situation sociolinguistique à Bafanji. Yaoundé: SIL. Sema, Lima Adolf The Mungaka language its development, spread and use. In: Titanji & al. 1988: Simpson, Hazel 2006a. A phonological sketch of the Bamukumbit (Mankong) language. Yaoundé: SIL. Simpson, Hazel 2006b. Bamukumbit (Mankong) Orthography Guide. Yaoundé: SIL. Sorsamo, Hannu 2006a. An Introduction to the phonology of Bamunka. Yaoundé: SIL. Sorsamo, Hannu 2006b. Bamunka Orthography Guide (provisional). Yaoundé: SIL. Stöckle, Johannes Traditions, tales and proverbs of the Bali-Nyonga. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. Stöckle, Johannes & Georg Tischhauser Mungaka (Bali) dictionary. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. Tamanji, Pius Issues in the Syntax of Grassfields Bantu languages. In Mutaka and Chumbow (eds), Research Mate in African Linguistics: Focus on Cameroon Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. Titanji, Vincent, Mathew Gwanfogbe, Elias Nwana Gwanua Ndangam & Adolf Lima Sema eds An introduction to the study of Bali-Nyonga: a tribute to His Royal Highness Galega II, traditional ruler of Bali-Nyonga from Yaoundé: Stardust. Vielhauer, A Grundzüge einer Grammatik der Balisprache. Basel: Basler Missionsdruckerei. Wanki, Mbondap Mathias Mwa nə cɔppəcɔpə Yahnɔ. MA Thesis. Yaoundé: University of Yaoundé. 9

12 Ward, Ida C The phonetic structure of Bamun. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, 9: Watters, John R. and Jacqueline Leroy Southern Bantoid. In John Bendor-Samuel (ed.), The Niger- Congo Languages, New York: University Press of America. Watters, John Grassfields Bantu. In D. Nurse and G. Philippson (eds.), The Bantu Languages London: Routledge. Wright, J Noun and Verb Phrase in Chrambo, Yaoundé, Cameroon: SIL. 10