Kenyang (Kɛ́nyāŋ)

Kenyang is a member of the Memfe branch of the Southern Bantoid language family. It is spoken by about 65,000 people in the Manyu and Meme departments in the Southwest Region in the west of Cameroon.

Kenyang is also known as Nyan, Banyang or Manyang. Kenyang speakers are known as Bayangi or Bayangui. There are three main dialects: Lower Kenyang, which is spoken in the Eyumojock and Mamfe Central subdivisions of the Manyu Division in the north of the Southwest Region; Upper Kenyang, which is spoken in the Upper Bayang subdivision of the Manyu Division, and Kitwii, which is spoken in the Meme Division in the south of the Southwest Region.

Kenyang was first document in the 1930s. Several ways to write it with the Latin alphabet have been divised. An standard orthography was proposed in 1990 by the Linguistics Department of SIL, Yaoundé. This was approved by the Society for Kenyang Literature, who started published material using the orthography. Kenyang has been taught in schools since 1991.

Kenyang alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Kenyang (Excel)

Notes

Vowels are nasalized when precede or followed by a nasal consonant (m, n, ny, ŋ), e,g. ŋá [ŋá̰] (to chew).
ɛ is pronounced [ə] in syllables ending with a consonant, e.g. tɛ̀t [tə̀t̚] (to wipe).
k, p and t are unreleased at the end of the words, e.g. kɔ̀k [kɔ̀k̚] (to grind).
t and d become dental or interdental before e, ɛ and i, e.g. ndɛ́ [ǹd̪ɛ́] (coat).
m is pronounced [ɱ] before f, e.g. mfóŋ [ɱ̀fó̰ŋ] (buffalo).

Sample text

Yesu aghati baghɔkɔ́ bhi bɛ, “Yɛ̌ntɨkɨ mpok anɛ mǎnɨkmʉɛt, dɛm ka bɛ́: ‘Ɛta, kʉ bo mánchyɛ́ nnyɛ́n ɛnɛ kɛnókó. Kʉ bo mándɔ́ wɔ ɔmbak Mfɔ wap.
Chiɛ́ bhɛsɛ yɛ̌ntɨkɨ nywɔp, ɛnǐ nɛnyíɛ́.
Foŋorí bɛbʉ́ bhɛsɛ́, mbɔ ɛnyu sɛ́fòŋori yɛ̌ntɨkɨ mmu anɛ ákʉ́ bhɛsɛ bɛbʉ́. Nɛ kɛ́ka sɛ́nchwe ndǔ nɛmɔ ɛnɛn nɛ́kʉ sɛ́nkwɛ́n ndǔ bɛbʉ́.’”

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/388/LUK.11.KEN

Translation

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos in Kenyang

Information about Kenyang | Numbers

Links

Information about Kenyang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenyang_language
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/ken
http://www.language-archives.org/language/ken
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-smikIo3xBvsMx-QSB-BJw

Bantoid languages

Abon, Bafanji, Bebe, Bekwarra, Daka, Ipulo, Isu, Jagham, Jarawa, Kemezung, Kenyang, Ki, Medumba, Pinyin, Tiv, Yambeta

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 03.03.26. Last modified: 03.03.26

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