Swo is a

Bantu language The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. T ...

of the

Akonolinga Akonolinga is a town and commune situated in Cameroon's Centre Province, with a population of roughly 21,300. It lies on the Nyong River, due east of the capital Yaoundé. The town is home to FS d'Akonolinga football club, of the Cameroon Premi ...

area,Bryan, Margaret Arminel, compiler, ''The Bantu Languages of Africa'', Oxford University Press, 1959. Cameroon. Spellings of the name are quite variable, including ''So, Sso, Shwo,'' and ''Fo.'' One dialect has been influenced by

Beti Beti may refer to: People * Mongo Beti (1932–2001), Cameroonian writer * Beti George (born 1939), Welsh television and radio broadcaster * Beti Jones (1919–2006), Scottish social worker * Beti Kamya-Turwomwe (born 1955), Ugandan business ...

Demographics

Swo or Só is spoken east of Akonolinga town in the entire eastern part of

commune (in Melan-et-Emvane canton,

Nyong-et-Mfoumou Nyong-et-Mfoumou is a department of Centre Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 6,172 km and as of 2001 had a total population of 130,321. The capital of the department lies at Akonolinga. Subdivisions The department is divid ...

department, Central Region). There are also some speakers in

Messamena Messamena (also spelled Messaména) is a town and commune in Cameroon. Location The town of Messamena is the capital of the ''arrondissement'' (commune) of the same name. They are located in the Haut-Nyong Department, East Region.

commune. Swo speakers are surrounded by the Beti-Fang (Mvele, Omvang, Ewondo). Swo is transitional between

Fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fan ...

and

Meka Meka is a village near Roing Roing is the district headquarter of Lower Dibang Valley district in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. It is the last major township at the north-eastern frontier of India. Demographics As of 2011 India ...

. There were 9,000 speakers in 1992 (SIL 1992).

References

Languages of Cameroon Makaa-Njem languages {{Bantu-lang-stub