Mbum languages

Mbum
Geographic distribution:	southern Chad, northwestern CAR, northern Cameroon, eastern Nigeria
Linguistic classification:	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Savannas Mbum–Day Mbum
Subdivisions:	Central Northern Mbum
Glottolog:	mbum1257[1]

The Mbum languages are a small group of the Mbum–Day branch of the erstwhile Adamawa languages, spoken in southern Chad, northwestern Central African Republic, northern Cameroon, and eastern Nigeria. Their best-known member is Mbum; other languages in the group include Tupuri and Kare.

They were labeled "G6" in Joseph Greenberg's Adamawa language-family proposal.

Languages

• Southern Mbum: Mbum proper, Mbere, Gbete
• Central Mbum
  • Karang: Karang (Mbum, Laka), Nzakambay (Njak Mbai), Pana, Ngumi, Kare (Kãrɛ̃)
  • Koh: Kuo (Koh), Sakpu
• Northern Mbum
  • Dama–Galke: Dama, Ndai (Galke, Pormi), Mono, Kali
  • Tupuri–Mambai: Mangbai, Mundang, Tupuri

In addition, Pondo, Gonge, Tale, Laka, Pam, and To are unclassified within Mbum. To is a secret male initiation language of the Gbaya. Dek is purported in some sources but apparently unattested.

Footnotes

1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Mbumic". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

References

• Roger Blench, 2004. List of Adamawa languages (ms)

External links

• A sociolinguistic survey of the Mambay language of Chad and Cameroon (PDF) by Cameron Hamm, 2002. SIL Electronic Survey Reports SILESR 2002-039.