Cameroonian English

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Cameroonian English
RegionCameroon
Early forms
Official status
Official language in
Cameroon
Language codes
ISO 639-1en
ISO 639-2eng
ISO 639-3eng
Glottologcame1256
IETFen-CM
Southern Cameroons in Cameroon
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Cameroonian English, also known as Cameroon English or sometimes Cameroon Anglophone English,[1] is an English dialect spoken predominantly in Cameroon. It shares some similarities with English varieties in neighbouring West Africa, as Cameroon lies at the west of Central Africa.[2] It is primarily spoken in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon.[3]

It is a postcolonial variety of English, long in use in the territory (Southern Cameroons, now split into Northwest and Southwest). Over the years, it has developed characteristic features, particularly in lexis but also in phonology and grammar. Those characteristics were once regarded as errors but are now increasingly accepted as distinctive Cameroonian contributions to the English language.

Varieties

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There are differences between the formal, "institutional" variety of Cameroonian English, which is based on British English and is taught in schools in Cameroon, and the indigenised "communal" variety, which is the more innovative form spoken in Anglophone communities.[4] Varietal differences also exist between speaker communities of various indigenous languages such as Nso and Akoose.[5]

Phonological features

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The phonemes /ɔː/, /ʌ/ and /ɒ/ tend to merge to /ɔː/, making "cot", "caught" and "cut" homophones.[6] Similarly, "lock" and "luck" are pronounced alike, and "white-collar worker" sometimes becomes "white-colour worker" in Cameroon.[7]

Expressions

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Characteristic turns of phrase in the country or local coinages:[7]

  • "detailly" = in detail
  • "to see with me" = to agree with me; to see my point of view
  • "installmentally" = by installments
  • "of recent" = recently; lately

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ngefac, Aloysius (11 March 2025). "Cameroon English". In Bolton, Kingsley (ed.). The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of World Englishes (eBook ed.). John Wiley & Sons. pp. 1–12. doi:10.1002/9781119518297.eowe00196. ISBN 9781119518297 – via Wiley Online Library. No access available via The Wikipedia Library.
  2. ^ Kouega, Jean-Paul (2007). Lê, Thao; Lê, Quynh (eds.). "Forenames in Cameroon English speech". International Journal of Language Society and Culture (23). University of Tasmania: 32–46. ISSN 1327-774X. Archived from the original on 30 July 2025. p. 32: Cameroon is a Central African country whose variety of English shares a number of features with West African Englishes.
  3. ^ Anchimbe, Eric A. (10 April 2005). "Multilingual Backgrounds and the Identity Issue in Cameroon". Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca "Julio de Urquijo". 39 (2). University of the Basque Country: 33–48. doi:10.1387/asju.4334 (inactive 1 August 2025). eISSN 2444-2992.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2025 (link)
  4. ^ Anchimbe, Eric A. (5 November 2012). "Varieties of English in Cameroon". In Chapelle, Carol A. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Blackwell Publishing. p. 1. doi:10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1256. ISBN 9781405198431. Full access available to users of The Wikipedia Library.
  5. ^ Anchimbe 2012, pp. 2–3.
  6. ^ Pearce, Michael (10 September 2012). The Routledge Dictionary of English Language Studies (eBook ed.). London and New York: Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group) (published 2007). p. 200. doi:10.4324/9780203698419. ISBN 978-1-134-26428-5. Full access available to users of The Wikipedia Library.
  7. ^ a b Todd, Loreto (1982). Cameroon. Varieties of English Around the World. Heidelberg: Julius Groos Verlag; John Benjamins Publishing. p. 83. doi:10.1075/veaw.t1. ISBN 90-272-8670-1. ISSN 0172-7362. Full access available to users of The Wikipedia Library.

Further reading

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