Eastern Grassfields languages

Eastern Grassfields
Eastern Grassfields
Mbam–Nkam
Geographic; distribution	Cameroon
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantoid Grassfields Narrow Grassfields Eastern Grassfields; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Subdivisions	Bamileke; Ngemba; Nkambe; Nun;
Language codes
Glottolog	mbam1249

The Eastern Grassfields languages, spoken in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon, are a branch of the Grassfields languages including Bamun, Yamba and Bamileke.

The Eastern Grassfield languages have nasal prefixes, while Western Grassfield languages have only "remnants of nasal prefixes".^[1] These Grassfield Bantu (GB) languages share about a 41 to 60 percent lexical similarities.^[2]

There are four or five branches to the family:

Nkambe languages (north)
Mbam–Nkam (south)

Nurse (2003) reports that Bamileke might be two branches.

References

↑ Akumbu, Pius W.; Wills, Jeffrey (2022). "Remnants of nasal prefixes in Western Grassfields Bantu (abstract)" (pdf). University of Hamburg. p. 2. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
↑ Watters, John R. (2006). Grasslands Bantu, Chapter 14 of The Bantu Languages, Volume 4 of Routledge Language Family Series. Routledge. pp. 225, 227. ISBN 9781135796839. Retrieved April 28, 2026.

[1] Akumbu, Pius W.; Wills, Jeffrey (2022). "Remnants of nasal prefixes in Western Grassfields Bantu (abstract)" (pdf). University of Hamburg. p. 2. Retrieved April 28, 2026.

[Watters-2] Watters, John R. (2006). Grasslands Bantu, Chapter 14 of The Bantu Languages, Volume 4 of Routledge Language Family Series. Routledge. pp. 225, 227. ISBN 9781135796839. Retrieved April 28, 2026.

[1]

[2]