Talk:Languages of Cameroon
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[edit] German
Any speakers still? Brutannica 22:35, 18 July 2007 (UTC)
- That's a good question. A young child at the time of Germany's loss of the colony in 1919 would be in their 90s today. Life expectancy in Cameroon is shorter than that of citizens of industrialized nations, so it's unlikely that there are that many such individuals left, if any, sadly. — Brian (talk) 23:34, 18 July 2007 (UTC)
- Was it much spoken before, or did the British & French work hard to stamp it out? Brutannica 00:12, 19 July 2007 (UTC)
- It was the language of formal education during the German regime, so anyone who attended school before 1919 would know it to some extent. And, yes, the post-WWI colonizers did try to replace it with their own languages (France moreso than Britain). That said, anyone who had learned it wouldn't have forgotten it, I'd guess. Similarly, English was the European language of choice prior to Germany's colonization, and there were many English speakers during the German period. — Brian (talk) 01:23, 19 July 2007 (UTC)
- Should this go in the article? Brutannica 01:47, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
- If a source were to be found for it. Everything I've said has been from my own knowledge, so it doesn't pass our standards for reliable sources. :) — Brian (talk) 02:19, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
- Should this go in the article? Brutannica 01:47, 20 July 2007 (UTC)
- It was the language of formal education during the German regime, so anyone who attended school before 1919 would know it to some extent. And, yes, the post-WWI colonizers did try to replace it with their own languages (France moreso than Britain). That said, anyone who had learned it wouldn't have forgotten it, I'd guess. Similarly, English was the European language of choice prior to Germany's colonization, and there were many English speakers during the German period. — Brian (talk) 01:23, 19 July 2007 (UTC)
- Was it much spoken before, or did the British & French work hard to stamp it out? Brutannica 00:12, 19 July 2007 (UTC)
[edit] French (and English)
Just how deep are the penetration of French and English among Cameroonians today? Are we talking about a situation like in Algeria (where practically everybody can at least manage some French) or do only a select few know the language? Likewise with English in the anglophone areas. Q·L·1968 ☿ 15:06, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
- Good question. I tried to find some hard facts for you, but Google Books let me down on a quick search. From personal experience (I've visited Cameroon), the situation is like what you describe for Algeria. This is the case at least in the southern two-thirds of the country, which includes the Anglophone area and most of the Francophone area. The north may be he area with the least penetration of French, because Fulfulde serves as a lingua franca there and probably takes away some of the need for French to serve the same purpose. Ethnologue reports a literacy rate of 63.4% nationwide, and that would almost certainly be fluency in English or French, as literature in African languages is still in its infancy there. Hope this helps! — Dulcem (talk) 22:13, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
- Yes, it does! Thanks. (Pity there's nothing we can cite and include in the article... I'll keep sniffing around too.) Q·L·1968 ☿ 21:53, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
- Here's a good source for information about Cameroon's linguistic situation: http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/cameroun.htm Aaker (talk) 20:43, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
- Yes, it does! Thanks. (Pity there's nothing we can cite and include in the article... I'll keep sniffing around too.) Q·L·1968 ☿ 21:53, 30 January 2008 (UTC)
