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Furu Languages
The Furu languages are a proposed group of poorly attested extinct or nearly extinct and otherwise unclassified Southern Bantoid languages of Cameroon. Suggested Furu languages are: :Bikya language, Bikya (Furu), Bishuo language, Bishuo, Busuu language, Busuu, ?Lubu Word lists for the first three languages were compiled by Michel Dieu, but after his death they were apparently lost. His lexicostatistical calculations were published in Breton (1993, 1995). Roland Kiessling revisited the remote area in 2007, and was able to show that they are normal Bantoid languages; they may perhaps be Beboid languages, Beboid (Blench 2011). Lubu is unattested, only recalled as the language of the grandparents of the village elders. Bibliography *Breton, Roland (1995) 'Les Furu et leur voisins', ''Cahier Sciences Humaines'', 31, 1, 17–48. *Breton, Roland (1993'Is there a Furu Language Group? An investigation on the Cameroon-Nigeria Border' ''The Journal of West African Languages'', 23, 2, 97& ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Republic of the Congo to the south. Its coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea, and the Atlantic Ocean. Due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West Africa and Central Africa, it has been categorized as being in both camps. Cameroon's population of nearly 31 million people speak 250 native languages, in addition to the national tongues of English and French, or both. Early inhabitants of the territory included the Sao civilisation around Lake Chad and the Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon), Baka hunter-gatherers in the southeastern rainforest. Portuguese discoveries, Portuguese explorers reached the coast in the 15th century and named the area ''Rio dos Camarões'' (''Shrimp River''), which became ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlantic–Congo Languages
The Atlantic–Congo languages make up the largest demonstrated family of languages in Africa. They have characteristic noun class systems and form the core of the Niger–Congo family hypothesis. They comprise all of Niger–Congo apart from Mande, Dogon, Ijoid, Siamou, Kru, the Katla and Rashad languages (previously classified as Kordofanian), and perhaps some or all of the Ubangian languages. Hans Gunther Mukanovsky's "Western Nigritic" corresponded roughly to modern Atlantic–Congo. In the infobox, the languages which appear to be the most divergent are placed at the top. The Atlantic branch is defined in the narrow sense (as Senegambian), while the former Atlantic branches Mel and the isolates Sua, Gola and Limba are split out as primary branches; they are mentioned next to each other because there is no published evidence to move them; Volta–Congo is intact apart from Senufo and Kru. ''Glottolog'', based primarily on Güldemann (2018), has a more limi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Volta–Congo Languages
Volta–Congo is a major branch of the Atlantic–Congo family. It includes all Atlantic-Congo except the families of the erstwhile Atlantic and Kordofanian branches and possibly Senufo. In the infobox at the right, the languages which appear to be the most divergent (including the dubious Senufo) are placed at the top, whereas those closer to the core (the similar "Benue–Kwa" branches of Kwa, Volta–Niger and Benue–Congo) are near the bottom.Roger BlenchNiger-Congo: an alternative view/ref> If the Kwa or Savannas branches prove to be invalid, the tree will be even more crowded. Classification Comparative linguistic research by John M. Stewart in the sixties and seventies helped establish the genetic unity of Volta–Congo and shed light on its internal structure, but the results remain tentative. Williamson and Blench (2000) note that in many cases it is difficult to draw clear lines between the branches of Volta–Congo and suggest that this might indicate the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benue–Congo Languages
Benue–Congo (sometimes called East Benue–Congo) is a major branch of the Volta-Congo languages which covers most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Subdivisions Central Nigerian (or Platoid) contains the Plateau languages, Plateau, Jukunoid languages, Jukunoid and Kainji languages, Kainji families, and Bantoid–Cross combines the Bantoid languages, Bantoid and Cross River languages, Cross River groups. Bantoid is only a collective term for every subfamily of Bantoid–Cross except Cross River, and this is no longer seen as forming a valid branch, however one of the subfamilies, Southern Bantoid, is still considered valid. It is Southern Bantoid which contains the Bantu languages, which are spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. This makes Benue–Congo one of the largest subdivisions of the Niger–Congo language family, both in number of languages, of which ''Ethnologue'' counts 976 (2017), and in speakers, numbering perhaps 350 million. Benue–Congo also includes a few minor Languag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bantoid Languages
Bantoid is a major branch of the Benue–Congo language family. It consists of the Northern Bantoid languages and the Southern Bantoid languages, a division which also includes the Bantu languages that constitute the overwhelming majority and after which Bantoid is named. History The term "Bantoid" was first used by Krause in 1895 for languages that showed resemblances in vocabulary to Bantu. Joseph Greenberg, in his 1963 ''The Languages of Africa'', defined Bantoid as the group to which Bantu belongs together with its closest relatives; this is the sense in which the term is still used today. However, according to Roger Blench, the Bantoid languages probably do not actually form a coherent group. Internal classification A proposal that divided Bantoid into Northern Bantoid languages, North Bantoid and Southern Bantoid languages, South Bantoid was introduced by Williamson. In this proposal, the Mambiloid and Dakoid languages (and later Tikar language, Tikar) are grouped together ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Southern Bantoid Languages
Southern Bantoid (or South Bantoid) is a branch of the Bantoid language family. It consists of the Bantu languages along with several small branches and isolates of eastern Nigeria and west-central Cameroon (though the affiliation of some branches is uncertain). Since the Bantu languages are spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Bantoid comprises 643 languages as counted by ''Ethnologue'', though many of these are mutually intelligible. History Southern Bantoid was first introduced by Williamson in a proposal that divided Bantoid into North and South branches. The unity of the North Bantoid group was subsequently called into question, and Bantoid itself may be polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ..., but the work did establish Southern Banto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beboid Languages
The Beboid languages are any of two families of Southern Bantoid languages spoken principally in southwest Cameroon, although two (Bukwen and Mashi) are spoken over the border in southeast Nigeria. The Eastern Beboid languages may be most closely related to the Tivoid languages, Tivoid and Momo languages, Momo groups. The Western Beboid languages may be closer to Ekoid languages, Ekoid and Bantu languages, Bantu. Previous research includes a study of noun classes in Beboid languages by Jean-Marie Hombert (1980), Larry Hyman (1980, 1981), a dissertation by Richards (1991) concerning the phonology of three eastern Beboid languages (Noni, Ncane and Nsari), Lux (2003) a Noni lexicon and Cox (2005) a phonology of Kemezung. The Largest Language is the Fang language (Cameroon), Fang Language of Cameroon Languages SIL International survey reports have provided more detail on Eastern and Western Beboid (Brye & Brye 2002, 2004; Hamm et al. 2002) and Hamm (2002) is a brief overview of the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bikya Language
Bikya (also known as Furu) is a potentially extinct Southern Bantoid language spoken in Cameroon. It is one of the three, or four, Furu languages The Furu languages are a proposed group of poorly attested extinct or nearly extinct and otherwise unclassified Southern Bantoid languages of Cameroon. Suggested Furu languages are: :Bikya language, Bikya (Furu), Bishuo language, Bishuo, Busuu la .... In 1986 four surviving speakers were identified, although only one (a man in his seventies) spoke the language fluently. English linguist Dr. David Dalby filmed an 87-year-old African woman who spoke Bikya as her native tongue. At the time, it was believed that she was the last Bikya speaker. It, and presumably all of Furu, is perhaps a Beboid language. Bibliography *Breton, Roland (1995) 'Les Furu et leur voisins', ''Cahier Sciences Humaines'', 31, 1, 17–48. *Breton, Roland (1993) "Is there a Furu Language Group? An investigation on the Cameroon-Nigeria Border", ''The Journal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bishuo Language
The Bishuo language is an extinct or nearly extinct southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. It was spoken in the North West Province North West ( ; ) is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre and province of Gauteng and south of Botswana. History North West was incorporated after the end of ..., Menchum Department, Furu-Awa Subdivision, Ntjieka, Furu-Turuwa and the Furu-Sambari villages. It was related to Bikya language. It was reported by Breton 1986 that the Bishuo people had shifted to Jukun, with apparently only one remaining person, over 60 years old, who knew any Bishuo. References Furu languages Endangered languages of Africa Languages of Cameroon {{Bantoid-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Busuu Language
Busuu is an unclassified Southern Bantoid languages, Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. According to ''Ethnologue'' it is extinct. As of 2005 there were 3 speakers of the language. Busuu is an endangered language. Classification In the Furu-Awa Subdivision in northern Cameroon bordering to Nigeria, three missions of ALCAM (Atlas Linguistique du Cameroun) between 1984 and 1986 investigated three non-Jukunoid languages, among which Bikya language, Bikya and Bishuo language, Bishuo are probably Beboid languages, Beboid, but Busuu has been unable to be classified. All of these languages were spoken only by a few older inhabitants of the five villages Furu-Awa, (Furu-)Nangwa (Busuu-speaking), (Furu-)Turuwa, (Furu-)Sambari (Bishuo-speaking) and Furubana (Bikya-speaking). Lexical analysis has shown that while Bishuo has 24% lexical similarity with neighbouring Beboid languages, Saari language, Nsaa and Noni language, Nooni and Bikya have 16% resp. 17% similarity with them, and Busuu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roland Kiessling
Roland Kiessling (German: Roland Kießling; born 25 July 1962 in Hamburg, West Germany) is a German linguist and Africanist. Kiessling's research interests include language documentation, phonetics, historical linguistics, Cushitic languages (particularly the South Cushitic languages), Nilotic languages (particularly the Southern Nilotic languages), Niger-Congo languages (particularly the Southern Bantoid languages), and !Xoon. Biography Kiessling studied African Studies and Phonetics at the University of Hamburg, where he obtained a PhD in 1993 and Habilitation in 2000. From 1990 to 1993, he was a research associate in a DFG project led by Ludwig Gerhardt, where he worked on Iraqw texts. Afterwards, he was a research assistant from 1993 to 1999 at the Institute for African Studies and Ethiopian Studies at the University of Hamburg. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Furu Languages
The Furu languages are a proposed group of poorly attested extinct or nearly extinct and otherwise unclassified Southern Bantoid languages of Cameroon. Suggested Furu languages are: :Bikya language, Bikya (Furu), Bishuo language, Bishuo, Busuu language, Busuu, ?Lubu Word lists for the first three languages were compiled by Michel Dieu, but after his death they were apparently lost. His lexicostatistical calculations were published in Breton (1993, 1995). Roland Kiessling revisited the remote area in 2007, and was able to show that they are normal Bantoid languages; they may perhaps be Beboid languages, Beboid (Blench 2011). Lubu is unattested, only recalled as the language of the grandparents of the village elders. Bibliography *Breton, Roland (1995) 'Les Furu et leur voisins', ''Cahier Sciences Humaines'', 31, 1, 17–48. *Breton, Roland (1993'Is there a Furu Language Group? An investigation on the Cameroon-Nigeria Border' ''The Journal of West African Languages'', 23, 2, 97& ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
