Esimbi

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A language of Cameroon

ISO 639-3
ags
Alternate Names
Aage, Age, Bogen, Bogue, Eshimbi, Essimbi, Isimbi, Mburugam, Simpi
Autonym
Esimbi
Population

20,000 in Cameroon (1982 SIL), increasing.

Location

North West region: Menchum division, Menchum Valley subdivision, from Benakuma into Nigeria.

Language Maps
Language Status

6a (Vigorous).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Tivoid
Dialects

Upper Esimbi, Lower Esimbi. 100% mutual intelligibility between Upper and Lower Esimbi. Lexical similarity: 35% with Balo [bqo], Ipulo [ass], Iceve-Maci [bec], Caka [ckx], Eman [emn], and Osatu [ost].

Typology

SVO; prepositions; noun head initial; 14 noun classes; content question word in sentence-final position; up to 3 prefixes; up to 1 suffix; no passives; 30 consonant phonemes; 8 vowel phonemes; 5 tones.

Language Use

Vigorous, but children growing up in English- or French-speaking areas do not learn L1 well. Home, neighborhood, market, work, church. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Used as L2 by Mesaka [iyo].

Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 10%. Literature. Radio. Bible portions: 2007.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Esimbi
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Traditional religion, Christian.

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