Nyong language

Nyong (Daganyonga), also known as Mubako and Bali-Kumbat,^[3] is a Leko language spoken in two well-separated enclaves in Cameroon and Nigeria. Cameroonian speakers consider themselves to be ethnically Chamba.

Nyong
Mumbake
Nyɔŋ Nyanga
Native to	Nigeria, Cameroon
Region	Adamawa State
Native speakers	30,000 in Cameroon (2008 census)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Leko–Nimbari Leko Nyong
Language codes
ISO 639-3	muo
Glottolog	nyon1241

Person	Nyɔŋvena[2]
People	Nyɔŋnepa (Nyongnepa)
Language	Nyɔŋ Nyanga

Nyong is linguistically distinct from nearby languages. It is instead more similar to the Chamba language which is spoken to the north. Nyong and Chamba have 85% lexical similarity.^[4]

Distribution

Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists the following Nyong villages and locations.

• Cameroon
  • Mezam division, Santa subdivision: Baligham village
  • Ngo-Ketunjia division, Balikumbat subdivision: Baligashu, Baligansin, and Balikumbat villages on Ndop plain
• Nigeria
  • Adamawa State: Mayo Belwa LGA
  • Taraba State: Zing LGA. 6 villages.

Phonology

The vowels of Nyong are /i/, /u/, /e/, /o/, /ə/ /ɛ/, /ɔ/, and /a/. Length contrast exists in all vowels except /ə/ and /o/, which are always short. There are five tones: high, mid, low, rising, and falling.^[5]

Consonant Phonemes^[5]

	Labial	Dental/Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labiovelar	Glottal
Nasal	m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Stop	p, b	t, d		k, g
Affricate		nd		ŋɡ	kp, gb
Approximant		l	j		w
Fricative	f, v	s, z				h

References

1. Nyong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
3. "Mubako". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
4. Griffin, Margaret A. (1994). A rapid appraisal survey of Mubako (ALCAM 300 Samba leekɔ).
5. Kouonang, Alice (1983). Esquisse phonologique du parler bali-kumbat.