| Mefele | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Cameroon |
| Region | Far North Province |
Native speakers | 11,000 (2002)[1] |
Afro-Asiatic
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mfj |
| Glottolog | mefe1242 |
Mefele is anAfro-Asiatic language spoken in northernCameroon. Dialects are Mefele, Muhura, Serak, and Shugule. Blench (2006) considers Shugule (Shügule) a separate language.[2]
The speakers of the Mefele language (more than 10,000 speakers) are often included with theMafa people by the Cameroonian government. However, they themselves do not call themselves Mafa, and the Mafa often refer to them asBélahay (hay is a plural marker), which is often mentioned in the literature asBoulahay.[3]
The Mefele area is divided into two areas separated by the town ofMokolo, which is dominated by the Mafa. The Mefele live in parts of the town of Mokolo (commune ofMokolo, department ofMayo-Tsanaga, Far North Region). The larger Mefele area is in the south and southeast and includes the villages of Sirak and Mouhour. The smaller Mefele area, 10 km to the northwest, includes the village of Sougoulé. Most of the Mefele (probably the children to a lesser extent) understand and speak Mafa, and so are generally bilingual in Mafa.[3]
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