Nimbari language

The Nimbari language (also Niam-Niam), which is no longer spoken, was a member of the Leko–Nimbari group of Savanna languages. It was spoken in northern Cameroon. Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists Badjire, Gorimbari, and Padjara-Djabi villages as Nimbari locations in Bénoué and Mayo-Louti divisions.

Nimbari
Niam-Niam
Regionnorthern Cameroon
Ethnicity130 (2002)[1][2]
Extinct(date missing)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3nmr
Glottolognimb1256
ELPNimbari[3]

Nimbari was labeled "G12" in Joseph Greenberg's Adamawa language-family proposal.

History and classification

Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) note that Nimbari cannot be classified with certainty due to limited data.[4] It is a Fali name meaning 'people of Mbari'. People who identify as Nimbari currently speak Kangou (or Kaangu, Kaang), a variety of Southern Fali, and identify the ethnic name Nimbari with their village, Gorimbari.[5] Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) report from a 2008 field trip that the name Mbaari refers to an inselberg (Fali language: ɡɔ́rì) central to the village of Gorimbari (Gorimbaara [ɡóːrímbáːrà]). Nimbari is derived from the Fali term níí mbáárì 'people/person (niru) of Mbaari'.

Strümpell (1922/23) reported Nimbari to be the autonym of Niam-Niam language speakers.[6] Originally, Strümpell (1910) called the language Niam-Niam, and had documented some limited data of questionable quality from elderly rememberers; the language was already no longer in everyday use at the time of data collection.[7] Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) note that some items in Strümpell's word list share similarities with Duru languages (Dii, Duupa, Dugun), and also with Samba Leko and Kolbila to a lesser extent. However, many words have no clear parallels with other Adamawa languages.

References
  1. Date given in Nimbari language at Ethnologue (15th ed., 2005)
  2. Nimbari at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
  3. Endangered Languages Project data for Nimbari.
  4. Raimund Kastenholz, Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer. 2012. Nimbari as a language name. Adamawa Languages Project.
  5. Westermann, Scott, and Annette Westermann. 2001. Sociolinguistic language survey of Nimbari ALCAM [393]. Rapid Appraisal May-June 2001, Basheo and Guider Subdivisions, Benoué and Mayo-Louti Divisions, North Province, Cameroon. Ngaoundéré: LTB Cameroon.
  6. Strümpell, F. 1922/23. 'Wörterverzeichnis der Heidensprachen des Mandaragebirges', Zeitschrift für Eingeborenensprachen 13: 47-75, 109-149.
  7. Strümpell, F. 1910. 'Vergleichendes Wörterverzeichnis der Heidensprachen Adamauas , von Hauptmann Strümpell – Garua. Mit Vorbemerkungen von Bernhard Struck – Groß-Lichterfelde', Zeitschrift für Ethnologie 3/4: 444-488.
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