One of the most formidable problems of studies of linguistic variation in a multilingual setting has been the intractable problem of determining the difference between a dialect and a language, especially when faced with a multiplicity of genetically related speech forms. Some attempts have been made to distinguish language from dialect by saying that dialects of the same language are mutually intelligible. However, in a dialect continuum, the degree of intelligibility varies among many related or geographically proximate languages of the world. Dialects have been considered as varieties of a language, where such varieties may be social or regional. Many scholars are also of the opinion that the difference between regional varieties and the standard variety or language include among others that the latter has benefited from standardisation while the former have not. “A language is a collection of varieties, and a variety is a separately identifiable form of language, which together with other varieties makes up a language” (Lafon et al. 2008: 13). All these also are not universally acclaimed criteria for language and dialect dichotomy; bearing in mind that intelligibility between languages can be asymmetric. That is, a situation where speakers of language A understand more of language B than speakers of language B understand of language A. For example a Pinyin speaker would understand the Mankon dialect cluster (MDC) language better than a Mankon dialect cluster language speaker would understand the Pinyin language (both being languages of the ‘Ngemba Language Group’ cluster of the Wide Grassfields Bantu family). Mankon, Akum and Ala’atening are Wide Grassfields Bantu speech varieties that are spoken in Bamenda, Mezam Division, in the North West Region of Cameroon. These three speech forms have been considered by different researchers as dialects of the same language which was called Mankon and Ngemba (Ethnologue 2013) respectively. ALCAM (1983), Seguin & Domche-Teko (1989) and Sadembouo & Hasselbring (1991) grouped Mankon and Akum as dialects of the Mankon language, while Ala’atening was considered as a dialect of the Pinyin language.
Eine der schwierigsten Fragestellungen linguistischer Variationsstudien in multilingualem Umfeld ist das Problem der Abgrenzung von Dialekt und Sprache, vor allem angesichts einer Vielzahl genetisch verwandter Sprachformen. Ein Ansatz zur Unterscheidung von Sprache und Dialekt ist, Dialekte derselben Sprache als gegenseitig verständlich zu betrachten. In einem Dialektkontinuum variiert jedoch der Grad der gegenseitigen Verständlichkeit vieler verwandter oder benachbarter Sprachen der Welt. Des Weiteren werden Dialekte als Varietäten einer Sprache angesehen, wobei solche Varietäten sozial oder regional determiniert sein können. Einige Wissenschaftler vertreten auch die Ansicht, dass Standardvarietäten bzw. Sprachen, im Gegensatz zu regionalen Varietäten, neben anderen Faktoren auch in starkem Maße von den sie betreffenden Standardisierungsmaßnahmen profitieren. A language is a collection of varieties, and a variety is a separately identifiable form of language, which together with other varieties makes up a language. (Lafon et al. 2008: 13) Jedoch sind alle diese Ansätze keine allgemeingültigen Kriterien einer Sprach- und Dialektdichotomie, hält man sich vor Augen, dass Verständlichkeit zwischen Sprachen asymmetrisch sein kann. Gemeint ist eine Situation, in der die Sprecher einer Sprache A mehr von Sprache B verstehen als umgekehrt. Beispielsweise würde ein Pinyin-Sprecher mehr von der Mankon-Dialektcluster-Sprache verstehen, als ein Mankon-Dialektcluster-Sprecher die Pinyin-Sprache verstehen würde, beides Sprachen des Ngemba-Sprachgruppenclusters der Grasland-Bantu-Sprachfamilie. Mankon, Akum und Ala'atening sind Grasland-Bantu-Sprachvarietäten, die in Bamenda, im Mezam-Bezirk im Nordwesten Kameruns gesprochen werden. Diese drei Sprachformen wurden von verschiedenen Forschern als Dialekte der gleichen Sprache (Mankon bzw. Ngemba (Ethnologue 2013)) angesehen. ALCAM (1983), Seguin & Domche-Teko (1989) und Sadembouo & Hasselbring (1991) haben Mankon und Akum als Dialekte der Mankon-Sprache eingeordnet, während Ala'atening als Pinyin-Sprache angesehen wurde. *** One of the most formidable problems of studies of linguistic variation in a multilingual setting has been the intractable problem of determining the difference between a dialect and a language, especially when faced with a multiplicity of genetically related speech forms. Some attempts have been made to distinguish language from dialect by saying that dialects of the same language are mutually intelligible. However, in a dialect continuum, the degree of intelligibility varies among many related or geographically proximate languages of the world. Dialects have been considered as varieties of a language, where such varieties may be social or regional. Many scholars are also of the opinion that the difference between regional varieties and the standard variety or language include among others that the latter has benefited from standardisation while the former have not. “A language is a collection of varieties, and a variety is a separately identifiable form of language, which together with other varieties makes up a language” (Lafon et al. 2008: 13). All these also are not universally acclaimed criteria for language and dialect dichotomy; bearing in mind that intelligibility between languages can be asymmetric. That is, a situation where speakers of language A understand more of language B than speakers of language B understand of language A. For example a Pinyin speaker would understand the Mankon dialect cluster (MDC) language better than a Mankon dialect cluster language speaker would understand the Pinyin language (both being languages of the ‘Ngemba Language Group’ cluster of the Wide Grassfields Bantu family). Mankon, Akum and Ala’atening are Wide Grassfields Bantu speech varieties that are spoken in Bamenda, Mezam Division, in the North West Region of Cameroon. These three speech forms have been considered by different researchers as dialects of the same language which was called Mankon and Ngemba (Ethnologue 2013) respectively. ALCAM (1983), Seguin & Domche-Teko (1989) and Sadembouo & Hasselbring (1991) grouped Mankon and Akum as dialects of the Mankon language, while Ala’atening was considered as a dialect of the Pinyin language. The following analyses, dictionaries and text collections of Grassfields Bantu langues are available in our programme: - A Descriptive Grammar of Bafut (ISBN 978-3-89645-551-2) - A Descriptive Grammar of Bangwà (ISBN 978-3-89645-563-5) - A Grammatical Description of Metta (Cameroon) in Relation to Focus Parametric Variation (ISBN 978-3-89645-544-4) - A Pedagogic Grammar of Babanki (ISBN 978-3-89645-558-1) - Analyse contrastive des parlers Yémba du département de la Ménoua de l’Ouest-Cameroun (ISBN 978-3-89645-046-3) - Grammaire descriptive du pólrì (ISBN 978-3-89645-567-3) - Mungaka (Bali) Dictionary (ISBN 978-3-927620-30-8) - Research Mate in African Linguistics – Focus on Cameroon (ISBN 978-3-89645-041-8) - Traditions, Tales and Proverbs of the Bali-Nyonga (ISBN 978-3-927620-32-2) - Verbal Serialisation in Isu (West Ring) (ISBN 978-3-89645-555-0) - Structural and Typological Approaches to Obang Grammar (ISBN 978-3-89645-568-0)
Eine der schwierigsten Fragestellungen linguistischer Variationsstudien in multilingualem Umfeld ist das Problem der Abgrenzung von Dialekt und Sprache, vor allem angesichts einer Vielzahl genetisch verwandter Sprachformen. Ein Ansatz zur Unterscheidung von Sprache und Dialekt ist, Dialekte derselben Sprache als gegenseitig verständlich zu betrachten. In einem Dialektkontinuum variiert jedoch der Grad der gegenseitigen Verständlichkeit vieler verwandter oder benachbarter Sprachen der Welt. Des Weiteren werden Dialekte als Varietäten einer Sprache angesehen, wobei solche Varietäten sozial oder regional determiniert sein können. Einige Wissenschaftler vertreten auch die Ansicht, dass Standardvarietäten bzw. Sprachen, im Gegensatz zu regionalen Varietäten, neben anderen Faktoren auch in starkem Maße von den sie betreffenden Standardisierungsmaßnahmen profitieren. A language is a collection of varieties, and a variety is a separately identifiable form of language, which together with other varieties makes up a language. (Lafon et al. 2008: 13) Jedoch sind alle diese Ansätze keine allgemeingültigen Kriterien einer Sprach- und Dialektdichotomie, hält man sich vor Augen, dass Verständlichkeit zwischen Sprachen asymmetrisch sein kann. Gemeint ist eine Situation, in der die Sprecher einer Sprache A mehr von Sprache B verstehen als umgekehrt. Beispielsweise würde ein Pinyin-Sprecher mehr von der Mankon-Dialektcluster-Sprache verstehen, als ein Mankon-Dialektcluster-Sprecher die Pinyin-Sprache verstehen würde, beides Sprachen des Ngemba-Sprachgruppenclusters der Grasland-Bantu-Sprachfamilie. Mankon, Akum und Ala'atening sind Grasland-Bantu-Sprachvarietäten, die in Bamenda, im Mezam-Bezirk im Nordwesten Kameruns gesprochen werden. Diese drei Sprachformen wurden von verschiedenen Forschern als Dialekte der gleichen Sprache (Mankon bzw. Ngemba (Ethnologue 2013)) angesehen. ALCAM (1983), Seguin & Domche-Teko (1989) und Sadembouo & Hasselbring (1991) haben Mankon und Akum als Dialekte der Mankon-Sprache eingeordnet, während Ala'atening als Pinyin-Sprache angesehen wurde. *** One of the most formidable problems of studies of linguistic variation in a multilingual setting has been the intractable problem of determining the difference between a dialect and a language, especially when faced with a multiplicity of genetically related speech forms. Some attempts have been made to distinguish language from dialect by saying that dialects of the same language are mutually intelligible. However, in a dialect continuum, the degree of intelligibility varies among many related or geographically proximate languages of the world. Dialects have been considered as varieties of a language, where such varieties may be social or regional. Many scholars are also of the opinion that the difference between regional varieties and the standard variety or language include among others that the latter has benefited from standardisation while the former have not. “A language is a collection of varieties, and a variety is a separately identifiable form of language, which together with other varieties makes up a language” (Lafon et al. 2008: 13). All these also are not universally acclaimed criteria for language and dialect dichotomy; bearing in mind that intelligibility between languages can be asymmetric. That is, a situation where speakers of language A understand more of language B than speakers of language B understand of language A. For example a Pinyin speaker would understand the Mankon dialect cluster (MDC) language better than a Mankon dialect cluster language speaker would understand the Pinyin language (both being languages of the ‘Ngemba Language Group’ cluster of the Wide Grassfields Bantu family). Mankon, Akum and Ala’atening are Wide Grassfields Bantu speech varieties that are spoken in Bamenda, Mezam Division, in the North West Region of Cameroon. These three speech forms have been considered by different researchers as dialects of the same language which was called Mankon and Ngemba (Ethnologue 2013) respectively. ALCAM (1983), Seguin & Domche-Teko (1989) and Sadembouo & Hasselbring (1991) grouped Mankon and Akum as dialects of the Mankon language, while Ala’atening was considered as a dialect of the Pinyin language. The following analyses, dictionaries and text collections of Grassfields Bantu langues are available in our programme: - A Descriptive Grammar of Bafut (ISBN 978-3-89645-551-2) - A Descriptive Grammar of Bangwà (ISBN 978-3-89645-563-5) - A Grammatical Description of Metta (Cameroon) in Relation to Focus Parametric Variation (ISBN 978-3-89645-544-4) - A Pedagogic Grammar of Babanki (ISBN 978-3-89645-558-1) - Analyse contrastive des parlers Yémba du département de la Ménoua de l’Ouest-Cameroun (ISBN 978-3-89645-046-3) - Grammaire descriptive du pólrì (ISBN 978-3-89645-567-3) - Mungaka (Bali) Dictionary (ISBN 978-3-927620-30-8) - Research Mate in African Linguistics – Focus on Cameroon (ISBN 978-3-89645-041-8) - Traditions, Tales and Proverbs of the Bali-Nyonga (ISBN 978-3-927620-32-2) - Verbal Serialisation in Isu (West Ring) (ISBN 978-3-89645-555-0) - Structural and Typological Approaches to Obang Grammar (ISBN 978-3-89645-568-0)