Yemba language

Yemba
Ashuŋne yémba
Dschang
RegionCameroon
EthnicityBamileke
Native speakers
~500,000 (2023)
Dialects
  • various, including Foreke Dschang and Mmuock
Language codes
ISO 639-3ybb
Glottologyemb1246

Yɛmba or Yemba, also Yémba or Bamiléké Dschang, is a major Bamileke language in West Region of Cameroon. It was approximately spoken by 500,000 or so people in the country in 2023.

Despite originally being exclusively a spoken language, Yemba writing was developed by Maurice Tadadjeu (co-creator of the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages) and Steven Bird. Their team developed a small Yemba–French Dictionary covering French translations of over 3,000 Yemba words and expressions. The Mmuock dialect also has a proposed orthography.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless (p) t k ʔ
voiced b d ɡ
Affricate p͡f t͡s t͡ʃ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ
voiced v z ʒ (ɣ)
Nasal m n ŋ
Rhotic (r)
Approximant lateral (l)
central w j

Vowels

Front Central Back
High i ʉ u
Mid e o
ɛ ɔ
Low a

Tone

Three tones are marked as high [á], mid [ā], or low [à]. Low tones are unmarked when written.

References

  1. 1 2 Yemba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ↑ Bird, Steven; Maurice, Tadadjeu (1997). Petit Dictionnaire Yémba - Français (PDF). ANACLAC (Association Nationale des Comités de langues du Cameroun). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  3. ↑ Harro, Gretchen; Haynes, Nancy (1991). Grammar Sketch of Yemba. Yaoundé: SIL.

Petit dictionnaire Yemba Francais[dead link]