In this series of articles we overview languages present in any given country. This time we are looking at the languages spoken in Cameroon
The biggest languages present in Cameroon include:
- French – 21.24 million speakers;
- English – 6.64 million speakers;
- Bamum – 531 thousand speakers;
- Basaa – 265 thousand speakers;
- Bulu – 796 thousand speakers;
- Eton – 265 thousand speakers;
- Ewondo – 531 thousand speakers;
- Ghomala – 265 thousand speakers;
The following languages are legally recognized as the “official languages” of the country:
- French
- English
Below you will find summaries for the languages supported by our translation services.
French
French is a Romance language, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family. It is one of the official languages of Cameroon, alongside 2 other.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 274 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | French alphabet |
| Major French-speaking populations in: | 49 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
There are major French-speaking populations in more than 40 countries of the world. Countries with a significant number of people speaking the language include:
- Cape Verde
- Vietnam
- Guinea-Bissau
- Moldova
- Haiti
- Cameroon
- Senegal
- Burundi
- Cambodia
Around 80% of the population of Cameroon speak French.
Writing
French uses the Latin alphabet. It employs the extended version of the script, however, with 16 additional symbols. It is written from left to right.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cameroonian market via the French language, you might be interested in the following services:
- French Document Translation
- French Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- French E-Commerce Translation
English
English belongs to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is one of the official languages of Cameroon, alongside 2 other.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 1.15 billion |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | English alphabet |
| Major English-speaking populations in: | 35 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
There are major English-speaking populations in more than 30 countries of the world. Examples of countries, where English has a major presence, include:
- Thailand
- Switzerland
- Algeria
- Macau
Around 25% of the population of Cameroon speak English.
Writing
English employs the English script, which in itself is a sub-type of the Latin script. It is written in the left-to-right fashion.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cameroonian market via the English language, you might be interested in the following services:
Related services
We hope you have found the answers to the question about what languages are spoken in Cameroon“. If you wish to know more about these languages or would like to inquire about our translation services, please contact us at [email protected].
