Ewondo or Beti is a
Bantu language
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern, East Africa, Eastern and Southeast Africa, South ...
spoken by the
Beti people (more precisely Beti be Nanga, the people of the forest, or simply Beti) of
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...
. The language had 577,700 native speakers in 1982. Ewondo is a
trade language. Dialects include Badjia (Bakjo), Bafeuk, Bemvele (Mvele, Yezum, Yesoum), Bane, Beti, Enoah, Evouzom, Mbida-Bani, Mvete, Mvog-Niengue, Omvang, Yabekolo (Yebekolo), Yabeka, and Yabekanga. Ewondo speakers live primarily in Cameroon's
Centre Region and the northern part of the Océan division in the
South Region.
Ewondo is a
Bantu language
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern, East Africa, Eastern and Southeast Africa, South ...
. It is a language of the
Beti people, and is intelligible with
Eton.
In 2011 there was a concern among Cameroonian linguists that the language was being displaced in the country by French.
Distribution
Ewondo (Beti) covers the whole of the departments of
Mfoundi,
Mefou-et-Afamba,
Mefou-et-Akono,
Nyong-et-So'o,
Nyong-et-Mfoumou (Central Region), and part of
Océan Department (Southern Region).
History
The Ewondo language originated in the forests south of the Sanaga river.
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
Alphabet system
The tones are indicated with diacritics on the vowels:
* the high tone is indicated with an acute accent: ;
* the high tone is indicated with a grave accent: ;
* the mid tone is indicated with a macron: ;
* the low tone, the most frequent tone, is indicated by the absence of diacritics: ;
* the rising tone is indicated with a caron: ;
* the falling tone is indicated with a circumflex: .
See also
*
Ewondo Populaire
References
External links
Ewondo alphabet and pronunciationDatabase of audio recordings in Ewondo - basic Catholic prayers
{{Authority control
Beti languages
Languages of Cameroon