bnm ISO 639
Batanga Autonyms
Batanga
Visualizations
A language of Cameroon
- ISO 639
- bnm
- Alternate Names
- Batanga-Banda, Noho, Noku
- Autonym
- Batanga
- Population
- 5,750 in Cameroon (2015 SIL), decreasing. Very few monolinguals. Ethnic population: 11,500 (2015 SIL). Total users in all countries: 13,750.
- Location
- South region: Océan division, Kribi area, Bight of Biafra coast.
- Language Maps
- Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and São Tomé e Príncipe, Southern Cameroon
- Language Status
- 6b* (Threatened).
- Classification
- Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Northwest, A, Bubi-Benga (A.32)
- Dialects
- Banoho (Banɔhɔ, Banaka, Bano’o, Banoko, Banoo, Nohu, Noko), Bapuku (Bapoko, Bapuu, Naka, Poko, Puku), Batanga (Batanga-Banda).
- Language Use
- Most parents of young children now transmit French as L1 rather than Batanga. Children above age 6 speak French [fra] better than Batanga. Most also use French [fra]. Some also use Bulu [bum]. Some also use Kwasio [nmg]. Used as L2 by Kwasio [nmg].
- Language Development
- Radio. Bible: 2010.
- Writing
- Latin script [Latn].
- Other Comments
- Different from Batanga [bdu] of South West Region (Oroko).
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Batanga
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Litoral province: Bapuku along central coast, south of Mbini to Cabo San Juan.
- Dialects
- None known. The Puku are an Ndowe coastal people.
- Language Status
- 6b (Threatened)
- Language Use
- Most also use Spanish [spa]. Some also use Benga [bng]. Some also use French [fra], mainly as a trade language with merchants from francophone African countries. Some also use Kombe [nui].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L2: Most are literate in Spanish [spa].
- Other Comments
- Different from Batanga [bdu] of South West Region in Cameroon (Balundu-Bima), and the Batanga dialect of Caka [ckx]. Traditionally coastal fishermen. All the Benga and Batanga consider themselves ‘Boumba’ (those who use ‘mba’ to refer to ourselves), and together with additional groups are ‘Ndowe’ (the beach peoples). Christian, traditional religion. View other languages of Equatorial Guinea
Language Name
Bapuku
User Population
8,000 in Equatorial Guinea (2017 SIL), decreasing. Very few monolinguals. Ethnic population: 9,000 (2017).
