Surf Wiki
Save to docs
linguistics

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Nimbari language

Extinct Leko–Nimbari language of Cameroon

Extinct Leko–Nimbari language of Cameroon

FieldValue
nameNimbari
nativenameNiam-Niam
regionnorthern Cameroon
ethnicity130 (2002)
extinct1930s
refe25
familycolorNiger-Congo
fam2Atlantic–Congo
fam3Leko–Nimbari
iso3nmr
glottonimb1256
glottorefnameNimbari
map2Lang Status 01-EX.svg

The Nimbari language (also Niam-Niam), was a member of the Leko–Nimbari group of Savanna languages. It was spoken in northern Cameroon. Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists Badjire, Gorimbari, and Padjara-Djabi villages as Nimbari locations in Bénoué and Mayo-Louti divisions.

Nimbari was labeled "G12" in Joseph Greenberg's Adamawa language-family proposal.

Distribution

Nimbari is located near Pitoa (Pitoa commune, Bénoué department) and Mayo-Louti (Figuil commune), Northern Region. The so-called Nyam-Nyam of Mayo-Kébi should not be confused with the so-called Nyam-Nyam of Galim and Tignère, whose real name is Nizaa (or Suga), of Mambiloid affiliation.

History and classification

Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) note that Nimbari cannot be classified with certainty due to limited data. It is a Fali name meaning 'people of Mbari'. People who identify as Nimbari currently speak Kangou (or Kaangu, Kaang), a variety of Southern Fali, and identify the ethnic name Nimbari with their village, Gorimbari. Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) report from a 2008 field trip that the name Mbaari refers to an inselberg (Fali language: ɡɔ́rì) central to the village of Gorimbari (Gorimbaara [ɡóːrímbáːrà]). Nimbari is derived from the Fali term níí mbáárì 'people/person (niru) of Mbaari'.

Strümpell (1922/23) reported Nimbari to be the autonym of Niam-Niam language speakers. Originally, Strümpell (1910) called the language Niam-Niam, and had documented some limited data of questionable quality from elderly rememberers; the language was already no longer in everyday use at the time of data collection. Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) note that some items in Strümpell's word list share similarities with Duru languages (Dii, Duupa, Dugun), and also with Samba Leko and Kolbila to a lesser extent. However, many words have no clear parallels with other Adamawa languages.

References

References

  1. {{e15. nmr
  2. (2012). "Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM)". CERDOTOLA.
  3. Raimund Kastenholz, Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer. 2012. [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/files/2012/06/Nimbari.pdf Nimbari as a language name]. Adamawa Languages Project.
  4. Westermann, Scott, and Annette Westermann. 2001. ''Sociolinguistic language survey of Nimbari ALCAM [393]. Rapid Appraisal May–June 2001, Basheo and Guider Subdivisions, Benoué and Mayo-Louti Divisions, North Province, Cameroon''. Ngaoundéré: LTB Cameroon.
  5. Strümpell, F. 1922/23. 'Wörterverzeichnis der Heidensprachen des Mandaragebirges', ''Zeitschrift für Eingeborenensprachen'' 13: 47-75, 109-149.
  6. Strümpell, F. 1910. 'Vergleichendes Wörterverzeichnis der Heidensprachen Adamauas , von Hauptmann Strümpell – Garua. Mit Vorbemerkungen von Bernhard Struck – Groß-Lichterfelde', ''Zeitschrift für Ethnologie'' 3/4: 444-488.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

leko–nimbari-languages languages-of-cameroon
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Nimbari language — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report