Kemezung (Kɨmədzuŋ)

Kemezung is a member of the Eastern Beboid branch of the Southern Bantoid language family. It is spoken by about 3,450 people in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. In particular, it is spoken villages of Dumbu and Kwei in the Misaje Subdivision of the Donga-Mantung Division in the north of the Northwest Region.

Kemezung is also known as Kemedzung, Dumbo, Dumbu, Dzumbo or Kumaju. Kemezung speakers call themselves bədzumbu (Dumbu people), their language Diɛ yi Bədzumbu lə (“words of the Dumbu people”) or Kɨmədzuŋ, and the area where they live Kɨmədzuŋ. It is closely related to Bebe, which is also spoken in Cameroon.

The Kemezung Language Committee developed a way to write Kemezung with the Latin alphabet based on the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages in 2007, and revised is in 2022. Other spelling systems are available.

Kemezung alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Kemezung (Excel)
Details of the Kemezung alphabet provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)

Notes

Vowels are nasalized when followed by ŋ
Consonants are labialised when followed by w, and palatalised when followed by y
Kemezung has tones, however they are not usually marked in writing

Sample text

Kpansɨ wudɔ wu yɨ wuhu nə ji lə Buni. Nə nɨŋ lə gɨntəhə kɨŋwatɨ. Kɨ ji tsa yidɔ wene faŋ yo kɨŋwatɨ lə yo ləkə kpə wu bidiəŋə nə Kawu lɨ. Tsa bɨŋ yaŋ fuwɔki. Gəŋ bə kɨŋwatɨ tsa sə chɛ lə bə tanchɛ, kɨ ji Kawu sə dza. Ji kə ləkə kpə wa. Miɨ chi kə lə kɨŋwatɨ ndzeŋelɨ.

Source: Mbɔndu bə Ntanchɛ Kɨŋwatɨ Diɛ yi Bədzumbu lə Ntɨŋ (Reading and Writing the Kemedzung Language).

Sample videos in Kemezung

Information about Kumezung | Numbers

Links

Information about Kemezung
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemezung_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kemedzung
https://www.webonary.org/kemedzung/overview/introduction/
http://olac.ldc.upenn.edu/language/dmo
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/dmo
https://kemedzung.com/en

Bantoid languages

Abon, Bafanji, Bebe, Bekwarra, Daka, Ipulo, Isu, Jagham, Jarawa, Kemezung, Kenyang, Ki, Koshin, Kung, Mambila, Mbe, Mbuʼ, Medumba, Metaʼ, Pinyin, Tiv, Yambeta

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 25.02.26. Last modified: 25.02.26

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