Cameroon Languages: Difference between revisions
m (→Description: creating language pages) |
m (→Alphabet and Pronunciation: creating language pages) |
||
| Line 38: | Line 38: | ||
*[[French Genealogical Word List]] | *[[French Genealogical Word List]] | ||
==Alphabet and Pronunciation== | ==Alphabet and Pronunciation== | ||
'''French''' | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_orthography French Alphabet and Pronunciation] | |||
*[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/french.htm French Alphabet and Pronunciation] | |||
==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | ==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | ||
==Additional Resources== | ==Additional Resources== | ||
Revision as of 16:09, 31 March 2021
| Cameroon Wiki Topics | |
 | |
| Beginning Research | |
| Record Types | |
| Cameroon Background | |
| Local Research Resources | |
Description[edit | edit source]
Both English and French are official languages, although French is by far the most understood language (more than 80%). German, the language of the original colonizers, has long since been displaced by French and English. Cameroonian Pidgin English is the lingua franca in the formerly British-administered territories. A mixture of English, French, and Pidgin called Camfranglais has been gaining popularity in urban centers since the mid-1970s. The government encourages bilingualism in English and French, and as such, official government documents, new legislation, ballots, among others, are written and provided in both languages. As part of the initiative to encourage bilingualism in Cameroon, six of the eight universities in the country are entirely bilingual.
In addition to the colonial languages, there are approximately 250 other languages spoken by nearly 20 million Cameroonians. It is because of this that Cameroon is considered one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world. [1]
Literacy in official languages according to the 2005 census (population of age 12 and above)[2]
| Rank | Language | Percentage | # of population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French (Total) | 57.6 | 6,405,981 |
| 2 | English (Total) | 25.2 | 2,802,794 |
| - | French only | 46.0 | 5,112,479 |
| - | English only | 13.6 | 1,509,292 |
| - | French and English | 11.6 | 1,293,502 |
| - | Neither French nor English | 28.8 | 3,199,221 |
| Total | 100.00 | 11,114,495 |
Word List(s)[edit | edit source]
For word list and help researching in Cameroonian records, see:
Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
French
Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Cameroon," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameroon#Languages, accessed 31 March 2021.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Cameroon," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Cameroon#Offical_languages, accessed 31 March 2021.