| Moloko | |
|---|---|
| Məlokwo | |
| Native to | Cameroon |
| Region | Far North Province |
Native speakers | (8,500 cited 1992)[1] |
Afro-Asiatic
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | mlw |
| Glottolog | molo1266 |
| ELP | Baka (Far North Region, Cameroon) |
.svg)
Moloko (Məlokwo) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in northern Cameroon.[1]
The highly endangered Baka is either a dialect or a closely related language.[2]
The Melokwo (8,500 speakers)[1] traditionally inhabit the Moloko massif, an inselberg isolated in the plain, east of the Mandara Mountains, between the Mayo-Mangafé River and Mayo-Ranéo River. They live in the village of Mokyo and the surrounding areas of Makalingay canton, Tokombéré arrondissement, Mayo-Sava department.[3]
According to local oral history, the Moloko communities are made up of three distinct ethnic groups, rather than a singular one. During the Fulani invasions of the 19th century, these groups sought refuge near the Moloko mountain, where they would eventually come to speak the same language.[2]
- ^ a b c Moloko at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Baka: a highly endangered language or northern Cameroon" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ Binam Bikoi, Charles, ed. (2012). Atlas linguistique du Cameroun (ALCAM) [Linguistic Atlas of Cameroon]. Atlas linguistique de l'Afrique centrale (ALAC) (in French). Vol. 1: Inventaire des langues. Yaoundé: CERDOTOLA. ISBN 9789956796069.