Kam
Kam is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Nigeria, by about 5,000 people.
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The Nyingwom or Kam language is a Niger-Congo language spoken in eastern Nigeria. Blench (2019) lists speakers residing in the main villages of Mayo Kam and Kamajim in Bali LGA, Taraba State. Lesage reports that Kam is spoken in 27 villages of Bali LGA.
Nyingwom was labeled as branch "G8" in Joseph Greenberg's Adamawa language family proposal. The precise classification of Kam is a matter of current research.
Speakers refer to themselves and their language as Nyí ŋwɔ̀m. Kamajim (Kam: àngwɔ́g ɲí 'house of the people') is the traditional capital of the Kam at the western foothills of a mountain range situated to the north of the Kam River. The Kam have historically been in extensive contact with the Kororofa Jukun.
From Wikipedia · Nyingwom language · CC BY-SA 4.0
Words in Kam
| Meaning | Word | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| person | aNa* | |
| name | gan* | |
| eye | anuN* | |
| ear | akat* | |
| nose | am3rEg* | |
| tooth | Sag* | |
| tongue | alimine* | |
| hand | aNe* | |
| blood | wo* | |
| bone | akub* | |
| skin | la* | |
| knee | Nkwatori* | |
| breast | avi* | |
| liver | pupwap* | |
| water | miNkaNa* | |
| fire | ale* | |
| sun | alEN* | |
| star | nCa* | |
| stone | atat* | |
| mountain | ntoN* | |
| tree | bEr* | |
| leaf | abirag* | |
| night | abogo* | |
| dog | wo* | |
| fish | atabi* | |
| louse | NkoN* | |
| one | bi* | |
| two | yirag* | |
| I | 5im* | |
| you | 5a* |
* in the simplified ASJP transcription
Most similar languages
Vocabulary
- SunamSino-Tibetan12% alike
- TarokAtlantic-Congo11% alike
- Southern DongTai-Kadai10% alike
- Mak (Nigeria)Atlantic-Congo9% alike
- AnambéTupian9% alike
- Pennsylvania GermanIndo-European9% alike
Grammar
- AsoaCentral Sudanic87% alike
- KimAtlantic-Congo87% alike
- BolgoAtlantic-Congo86% alike
- GbayaAtlantic-Congo85% alike
- Kare (Central African Republic)Atlantic-Congo85% alike
- Cakfem-MushereAfro-Asiatic84% alike
Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.
Nearby languages
Elsewhere
Glottolog · kamm1249 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · kdx