| Nimbari | |
|---|---|
| Niam-Niam | |
| Region | northernCameroon |
| Ethnicity | 130 (2002)[1] |
| Extinct | 1930s[2] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nmr |
| Glottolog | nimb1256 |
| ELP | Nimbari |
TheNimbari language (alsoNiam-Niam), which is no longer spoken, was a member of theLeko–Nimbari group ofSavanna languages. It was spoken in northernCameroon.Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists Badjire, Gorimbari, and Padjara-Djabi villages as Nimbari locations in Bénoué and Mayo-Louti divisions.
Nimbari was labeled "G12" inJoseph Greenberg'sAdamawa language-family proposal.
Nimbari is located nearPitoa (Pitoa commune,Bénoué department) andMayo-Louti (Figuil commune), Northern Region. The so-calledNyam-Nyam ofMayo-Kébi should not be confused with the so-calledNyam-Nyam ofTignère andGalim (Adamawa Region), whose real name isNizaa (or Suga), ofMambiloid affiliation.[3]
Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) note that Nimbari cannot be classified with certainty due to limited data.[4] It is aFali name meaning 'people of Mbari'. People who identify as Nimbari currently speak Kangou (or Kaangu, Kaang), a variety ofSouthern Fali, and identify the ethnic nameNimbari with their village, Gorimbari.[5] Kastenholz and Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) report from a 2008 field trip that the nameMbaari refers to aninselberg (Fali language: ɡɔ́rì) central to the village of Gorimbari (Gorimbaara [ɡóːrímbáːrà]). Nimbari is derived from the Fali termníí mbáárì 'people/person (niru) of Mbaari'.
Strümpell (1922/23) reportedNimbari to be the autonym ofNiam-Niam language speakers.[6] Originally, Strümpell (1910) called the languageNiam-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 withDuru languages (Dii, Duupa, Dugun), and also withSamba Leko andKolbila to a lesser extent. However, many words have no clear parallels with otherAdamawa languages.
