The Kwakum Language

This page is dedicated to Kwakum (A91 – ISO kwu) language data. All data from native speakers is posted with their permission (see authorization forms below). This data can be used to study the language, provided that the ultimate goal is to help the Kwakum. Please feel free to use this data, and send us results of your study so that we can use your analysis in our endeavors. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Please see the authorization forms at the bottom to understand what this data can be used for. If you have any questions, contact dave.hare@worldteam.org.

This is an ongoing project, so expect to see things constantly being updated.

Current Analyses of Kwakum:

Journal Articles:

Hare, David M. 2021. Participant Reference in Kwakum Narrative Discourse. Journal of Language, Culture, and Religion, vol. 2, num. 1, 39-54.
Hare, David M. 2020. Conditional Constructions in Kwakum (A91). Journal of Language, Culture, and Religion, vol. 1, num. 2, 33-44.
Hare, David M. 2020. Relative Clauses in Kwakum (A91). Journal of Language, Culture, and Religion, vol. 1, num. 2, 45-57.
Hare, Stacey A. and David M. Hare. 2020. Introduction to the Kwakum People and Language. Journal of Language, Culture, and Religion, vol. 1, num. 1, 1-11.
Hare, Stacey A. 2020. Kwakum Orthography Guide. Journal of Language, Culture, and Religion, vol. 1, num. 1, 13-48.

Chapters in Books:

Njantcho Kouagang, Elisabeth & Van de Velde, Mark. 2019. Kwakum A91, in The Bantu Languages, 2nd edn.

Theses and dissertations:

Hare, Stacey A. 2018. Tone in Kwakum (A91) with an Application to Orthography, MA Thesis.
Hare, David M. 2018. Tense in Kwakum Narrative Discourse, MA Thesis.
Njantcho Kouagang, Elisabeth. 2018. A Grammar of Kwakum, PhD Dissertation.
Belliard, François. 2005. Instruments, chants et performances musicales chez les Kwakum de l’arrondissement de Doumé (Est-Cameroun), PhD Dissertation.

David M. Hare’s progress in Kwakum analysis can be followed on ResearchGate.

Kwakum Narrative Discourse Examples:

001 – God and his wives (Wives) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
002 – Bembe thoughtlessly cuts off his foot (Bembe) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
003 – The history of Til (Til) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
004 – The young daughters of Bembe go fishing (Daughters) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
005 – Bosco’s father goes to prison (Bosco) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
006 – The monitor lizard, snails, and tortoise (Lizard) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
007 – The panther and the tortoise kill their mothers (Panther) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
008 – Story of Simon’s father’s death (Simon) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
009 – Kwakum origins (Origins) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart
010 – Story of the Kwakum (Story) | Scanned Transcription | Interlinear | Audio | Chart

Literacy Documents:

Official Kwakum Orthography Guide (English)
Alphabet Chart
Transitional Literacy Primer (French and Kwakum)
Months of the Year
Other books can be viewed on Bloom (this library will continue to update as more books become available)

Dialect Survey Results:

Baktala, Beul, Dimako, Djandja
Grand Ngolambélé, Kouen, Longtimbi, Nguinda
Petit Ngolambélé, Toungrelo
Goumbergeron, Kempong, Kobila, Nkolessong
Loumbou, Mendim, Paki, Sibita
Mbaki Surveys
Mbeten Surveys: Adiah, Mbeten 1, Mbeten 2, Njangane

Fieldwork Notebooks:

Recorded by Dave Hare:

DH1 (2015.03.05 – 2015.05.18)
DH2 (2015.05.19 – 2015.07.15)
DH3 (2015.07.13 – 2015.09.30)
DH4 (2015.09.30 – 2015.11.05)
DH5 (2015.11.09 – 2016.01.26)
DH6 (various dates: transcribed discourses)
DH7 (2016.01.28 – 2016.04.01a)
DH8 (various dates: transcribed discourses)
DH9 (2016.04.01b – 2016.05.10)
DH10 (2016.05.17 – 2016.07.13)
DH11 (2016.07.15 – 2016.10.12)
DH12 (2016.10.13 – 2016.12.06)
DH13 (2016.12.07 – 2017.02.09 and several transcribed discourses)
DH14 (2017.02.01 – 2017.02.14 and several transcribed discourses)
DH15 (2018.09.17 – 2018.09.26)
- Includes an experiment in the semantics of tense markers.