| Makaa–Njem | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | SouthernCameroon and neighbouring areas |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo? |
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | maka1323 |
 The Makaa–Njem languages (excluding Kako) | |
TheMakaa–Njem languages are a group ofBantu languages spoken inCameroon, theCentral African Republic,Equatorial Guinea,Gabon and theRepublic of the Congo. They are codedZone A.80 inGuthrie's classification.
According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), adding theKako languages (Guthrie's A.90) forms a valid node, calledPomo–Bomwali (Kairn Klieman 1997).
The Guthrie Kako (A.90) languages are:
The Guthrie Makaa–Njem (A.80) languages are:
| Language name | Primary location | Secondary location(s) | Ethnic group(s) | No. speakers[1] | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bekwel | Congo | Cameroon, Gabon | Bekwel | 12,060 | Close to Nkonabeeb and Koonzime. Cameroonian speakers also use Mpongmpong.[2] |
| Bomwali | Congo | Cameroon | Bomwali | 39,280 | |
| Byep | Cameroon | None | Maka | 9,500 | Also called North Makaa, though not intelligible with Makaa.[3] |
| Kol | Cameroon | Gabon | Bekol | 12,000 | Speakers use Makaa or Koonzime as well.[4] |
| Koonzime | Cameroon | None | Badwe'e,Nzime | 30,000 | Badwe'e speak Koozime dialect; Nzime speak Koonzime dialect. Used as a second language by manyBaka.[5] |
| Makaa | Cameroon | None | Maka | 80,000 | Related to Byep (North Makaa) and Kol, although unintelligible with them.[6] |
| Mpiemo | Central African Republic | Cameroon, Congo | Mbimu | 29,000 | |
| Mpumpong | Cameroon | None | Nkonabeeb | 45,000 | |
| Ngumba (Kwasio) | Cameroon | Equatorial Guinea | Mabi,Ngumba,Bujeba,Gyele (Koya, Kola) | 22,000 | The Gyele arePygmies |
| Njyem | Cameroon | Congo | Njyem | 7,000 | Spoken by manyBaka as a second language.[7] |
| Swo | Cameroon | None | Swo | 9,000 | High level of influence fromBeti.[8] |
| Ukhwejo | Central African Republic | None | Benkonjo | 2,000 |
Maho (2009) addsShiwe (Oshieba) of central Gabon.
Glottolog classifies the languages as follows:[9]