Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 28, 2026

Baldemu language

Baldemu, or Mbazlam, is a nearly extinct Afro-Asiatic language spoken in northern Cameroon. Baldemu is spoken in Bogo commune, Diamaré department, Far North Region by only 5 speakers as of 2012. Speakers have been shifting to Fulfulde.

Last revised
Jul 28, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Baldemu
Mbazlam
Baldare
Native toCameroon
RegionFar North Province
Native speakers
4 (2003)1
Language codes
ISO 639-3bdn
Glottologbald1241
ELPBaldemu
Coordinates: 10°51′N 14°38′E / 10.850°N 14.633°E / 10.850; 14.633

Baldemu, or Mbazlam, is a nearly extinct Afro-Asiatic language spoken in northern Cameroon. Baldemu is spoken in Bogo commune, Diamaré department, Far North Region by only 5 speakers as of 2012.3 Speakers have been shifting to Fulfulde.1

Name

The language is (or was) known as Baldemu or Baldare to its speakers.4 It is sometimes rendered Baldamu, Balda, Mbazlam, or Mbazla.3

Baldamu is mentioned in Bryan and Westermann's Handbook of African Languages under the name Balda, suspected to be only a toponym. It is most closely related to Giziga, Mofu Duvangar, and Mofu Gudur according to C. Seignobos and H. Tourneux.3

Status

Since migrating from the surrounding mountains to the village of Balda, Baldemu speakers have shifted to Fulfulde. Baldemu speakers who migrated to Kaélé similarly shifted to Mundang.4

References

References

  1. Baldemu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Gravina, R. (2011). Internal classification of Chadic Biu-Mandara. In Topics in Chadic Linguistics VI, Papers from the 5th Biennial International Colloquium on the Chadic Languages (pp. 67-84).
  3. 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.
  4. Brye, E. (2003). A rapid appraisal language survey of the Baldemu language. SIL Electronic Survey Reports, 15, 13.
Further reading

Further reading

  • MacEachern, S. (2002). Residuals and resistance: Languages and history in the Mandara Mountains. When languages collide: Perspectives on language conflict, language competition and language coexistence, 21-44.
  • Seignobos, C., & Tourneux, H. (1984). Note sur les Baldamu et leur langue (Nord-Cameroun). Africana Marburgensia, 17(1), 13-30.
  • Tourneux, H. (1987). Note complémentaire sur les Baldamu et leur langue. Africana Marburgensia, 20(1), 52-58.
External links
  • Baldemu at the Endangered Languages Project