Ndemli
Native toCameroon
Native speakers
10,000 (1999)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3nml
Glottologndem1249

Ndemli, or Bandem, is a language of Cameroon spoken primarily in the Nkam department of the Littoral Region; between Yabassi, Yingui and Nkondjock. Recent classifications such as Nurse (2003)[2] place it in with the Narrow Grassfields languages, though Ethnologue does not reflect this. Ethnologue states that it is "related to Tikar" and that "the Bandobo dialect of Tikar is very similar to Ndemli", though it is not clear if Bandobo actually is Tikar.

Phonology

Ndemli Consonant Phonemes[3]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Stop voiceless p t c k ʔ
voiced b d ɟ g
prenasalized

voiceless

 ⁿt ᶮc ᵑk
prenasalized

voiced

 ᵐb ⁿd ᶮɟ ᵑg
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Affricate voiceless ts t̠ʃ
voiced d̠ʒ
Trill r
Fricative f s ɣ h
Approximant w l j
Ndemli Vowel Phonemes[3]
Front Central Back
Unrounded Rounded
Close i(ː) ʉ(ː) u(ː)
Close-mid e(ː) ø(ː) o(ː)
Open-mid ɛ(ː) ɔ(ː)
Open a(ː)

There are five tones; high, mid, low, rising, and falling.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Ndemli at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Derek Nurse & Gérard Philippson, 2003, The Bantu Languages, p 227
  3. 1 2 3 Ngoran, Lenaka Loveline. 1999. A Sketch Outline of the Phonology of Ndemli. (MA thesis, University of Yaounde I).


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