Bamum language

Bamum
Shüpamom
Region	Cameroon, Nigeria
Native speakers	420,000 (2005)
Language family	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Southern Bantoid Grassfields Eastern Grassfields (Mbam–Nkam) Nun Bamum
Writing system	Bamum syllabary
Language codes
ISO 639-3	bax
Glottolog	bamu1253
Page from a manuscript in the Bamum script

Bamum (Shüpamom [ʃŷpǎˑmə̀m] "Bamum language"), or in its French spelling Bamoun, is one of the Benue–Congo languages of Cameroon, with approximately 420,000 speakers. The language is well known for its original script developed by King Njoya and his palace circle around 1895. Cameroonian musician Claude Ndam is a native speaker of the language and uses it in his music.

Phonology

Bamum has tone, long vowels and diphthongs, and coda consonants. The simple vowels are,

Front	Central	Back
i   y	ɨ	ɯ   u
e	ə
ɛ		ɔ
	a

The consonants are,

Labial	Alveolar	Post- alveolar	Velar	Labialized velar	Labial- velar	Glottal
p	t		k	kʷ	kp	ʔ
b	d		ɡ	ɡʷ	ɡb
mp	nt		ŋk	ŋkʷ	?
mb	nd		ŋɡ	ŋɡʷ	?
f	s	ʃ	x	?
v	z	ʒ	ɣ	?
ɱf	?	ɲʃ
ɱv	?	ɲʒ
m	n	?	ŋ	ŋʷ	ŋm
	r   l	j		w