Kwanja

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A language of Cameroon

ISO 639-3
knp
Alternate Names
Kondja, Konja
Autonym
Kwànjâ
User Population

10,000 (2011 LBT).

Location

Adamawa region: most south of Banyo between Mayo Darle and Bankim, west to Mbojdanga, east to Mbam river.

Language Maps
Language Status

5* (Developing).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Northern, Mambiloid, Mambila-Konja, Konja
Dialects

Ndung (Ndǔŋ, Ndungani), Sundani (Súndànɨ́, Sun), Njanga (Njang), Twendi. Njanga dialect has only 4 to 10 remaining speakers (Griffiths and Robson 2010). Two other Kwanja dialects are mutually intelligible for those who are in the Kwanja home area where they hear both dialects, more difficult for those who have not heard the other dialect: Sundani dialect is reportedly similar to Mambila [mcu]; Ndung dialect is similar to Vute [vut]. Twendi is the most divergent dialect, ethnically Kwanja, but linguistically more similar to Mambila [mcu].

Typology

SVO; prepositions; noun head initial in noun phrases; only remnants of noun classes; content-questions words phrase initial; no prefixes, up to 2 suffixes; clause constituents marked by word order; tense and aspect; 22 consonant and 9 vowel phonemes; 4 tones.

Language Use

Regular use in Kwanja area. Home, community. Positive attitudes, though in some places there is pressure to use Fulfulde [fub]. A few also use French [fra], especially those who work in cities outside the language area. Used as L2 by Tikar [tik], Twendi [twn].

Language Development

Literature. Newspapers. NT: 2006.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Kwanja
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.