Ewondo language

Ewondo also known as Beti or Cameroonian is a Bantu language spoken by the Beti people (more precisely Beti be Nanga, the people of the forest, or simply Beti) of Cameroon. 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. 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.^[1]

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).^[2]

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: á é ə́ ɛ́ í ó ɔ́ ú;
• the mid-high tone is indicated with a grave accent: à è ə̀ ɛ̀ ì ò ɔ̀ ù;
• the mid tone is indicated with a macron: ā ē ə̄ ɛ̄ ī ō ɔ̄ ū;
• the low tone the most frequent tone, is indicated by the absence of diacritics: a e ə ɛ i o ɔ u;
• the mid-low tone, is also indicated by the absence of diacritics: a e ə ɛ i o ɔ u;
• the rising tone is indicated with a caron: ǎ ě ə̌ ɛ̌ ǐ ǒ ɔ̌ ǔ;
• the falling tone is indicated with a circumflex: â ê ə̂ ɛ̂ î ô ɔ̂ û.^[4]

See also

• Ewondo Populaire

References

1. ^ http://quotidien.mutations-multimedia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2962:patrimoine-la-langue-ewondo-a-son-dictionnaire&catid=58:news&Itemid=415^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Binam Bikoi, Charles (ed.) (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon] (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC). Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069.
3. ^ Owona, Antoine (2004). L'orthographe harmonisée de l'ewondo (Diplôme d'Etudes Approfondies) (in French). Université de Yaoundé. hdl:11858/00-001M-0000-0012-7F52-D
4. ^ AMUGU, Casimir (ed.) (1977). M' AKAD NÂ [Langues et Littératures Nationales] (in French). Langues du Cameroun. Douala.

External links

• Ewondo alphabet and pronunciation
• Database of audio recordings in Ewondo - basic Catholic prayers^{[dead link]}