Kemezung (Dumbo, Dumbu, Dzumbo, Kumaju) is a Southern Bantoid (Eastern Beboid) language of Cameroon. According to Ethnologue, it's 85% lexically similar to Bebe.

Consonants

Kemezung has 19 "unmodified" consonants. Cox also claims Kemezung has labialized, palatalized, and prenasalized consonants but does not list all of them.

LabialCoronalPalatalVelarLabial–velarGlottalic
Plosivevoicelesstkk͡p
voicedbdgg͡b
Affricatevoicelesst͡s
voicedd͡z
Fricativefsh
Nasalmnɲŋ
Approximantljw

Vowels

Kemezung has 9 phonemic vowels.

FrontCentralBack
Closeiu
Close-mideɘo
Open-midɛɜɔ
Openä

Tone

Kemezung also has 7 (or possibly 8) tones. There are three level tones (high, mid, and low), three falling tones (high-low, mid-low, and long mid-low), and one or two rising tones (low-mid and possibly mid-high).

Notes

  • Blench, Roger (2011). (PDF). Bantu IV, Humboldt University, Berlin.
  • Brye, Edward; Brye, Elizabeth (2004). (PDF). SIL. Archived from (PDF) on 2014-09-07.
  • Cox, Bruce (2005). (PDF). Yaoundé: SIL. Archived from (PDF) on 2023-11-06.
  • Smoes, Christopher L. (PDF). SIL. Archived from (PDF) on 2023-12-08.