Koshin (Kɔshin)

Koshin is possibly a member of the Western Beboid branch of the Southern Bantoid language family. It is spoken by about 3,000 people mainly in the village of Koshin in the Fungom subdivion in the south of the Menchum Department in the northwest of the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

Koshin is also known as Kaw, Kosin, Kusheen or Benubcouh. The name Koshin comes from the village in which it is spoken. The language is rarely written, however there is a way to write it with the Latin alphabet.

Koshin alphabet and pronunciation

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

Notes

Vowels are nasalised when followed by ny
Consonants are labialised when following by w and palatalised when followed by y

Sample text

Tanyə̀ mo mwə̀n bany bə̀ shaŋ fi. Manyə̀ mo nyə́ bany bə̀ shaŋ fi. A wə̀ kanə̀ bayn bə̀ shaŋ fi ə́ Ko. Wə̀ ge bə́ bò gbuyà wunyày. Bə̀ fyənə̀ bany bə̀. Wə̀ kwēsə́ dí gbɨ̄yà wā mə̄. Wə̀ fwɛ̀ shì. Wə̀ tɛtə̄ bany bə bə́ shì yə̀.

Translation

Tanyə is a person with twins. Manyə is a mother of twins. When you get twins amongst Koshin people, you are called Manyə. You go with them to the twin house. They make the children wallow. You come back to your house. You kill a fowl. You feed the children with fowl.

Source: How to Disclose the Environment through Linguistic Description: A Basic Linguistic Analysis of Koshin ["Beboid" Bantu, Cameroon], by Ousmanou. 2014.

Sample video

Links

Information about Koshin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koshin_language
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koshin_(langue)
http://language-archives.org/language/kid
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/kid
https://docs.verbix.com/EndangeredLanguages/Koshin
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kosh1246

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: 16.03.26. Last modified: 18.03.26

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