Fanji language

Grassfields language spoken in Cameroon

Fanji
Bafanji
Chuufieʼ
Region	Cameroon
Ethnicity	Bafanji
Native speakers	17,000 (2008)^[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Grassfields Eastern Grassfields Mbam-Nkam Nun Fanji
Language codes
ISO 639-3	`bfj`
Glottolog	`bafa1249`

The Fanji language, Chuufiè (chufieʼ), is a Grassfields Bantu language and the language of the Bafanji people in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.^[1]^[2] There are approximately 17,000 speakers. The language has a rich system of tonal morphology, including reduplication involving adjectives.

Bafanji speakers, who number 8,500, call their language Chuufi. It is spoken south of Ndop in Ngoketunjia Department, Northwest Region. It is closely related to Bamali, Mengambo, and Bambalang.^[3]

Phonology

Consonants

^[4]
		Labial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Nasal		m	n		ɲ	ŋ
Plosive	Plain	p	t	t͡ʃ	c͡ç	k
	Aspirated	pʰ	tʰ	t͡ʃʰ	c͡çʰ	kʰ
	Prenasalised^[1]	ᵐb	ⁿd	ⁿd͡ʒ	ᶮɟ	ᵑɡ
Fricative	Voiceless	f	s	ʃ	ç
Fricative	Voiced		z			ɣ
Approximant	Central				j	w
Approximant	Lateral		l		ʎ

^ The prenasalised stops may also be considered voiced with redundant prenasalisation.

References

^ ^a ^b Fanji at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ Silverman (1995:57)
^ Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069.
^ Silverman (1995:58)