Cameroon 1

Listen to Cameroon 1, a 32-year-old man from Kumba, Cameroon. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 32

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 21/09/1976

PLACE OF BIRTH: Kumba, in southwestern Cameroon

GENDER: male

ETHNICITY: Banyangi

OCCUPATION: businessman

EDUCATION: bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from the University of Yaounde 1

AREA(S) OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

Subject was born in Kumba, an area located in the southwestern region of Cameroon, formerly called South West Province of Cameroon. He was raised and attended primary, secondary and high schools in native Kumba. In 1995, he moved to Yaounde.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

Subject used to travel with his father to Tiko and Buea, where he sold goods. He has also spent time as an adult in Canada.

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: Yves, Talla Sando Ouafeu

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 23/12/2008

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

Well, I was born in 1976 in Kumba um in the North, sorry, South West province of Cameroon. I am the third born of a family of five children. My father was a trader and my mother was a housewife. I used to travel with my father to Tiko and Buea where he sold goods. At home we used to speak, um, the dialect, that is Banyangi. At school, my friends and I spoke Pidgin English and English. But the principal did not want us to speak Pidgin English in the school. I have two elder sisters, one little sister and one little brother. My two elder sisters are all married. I grew up with my family in Kumba where I attended all my primary and secondary education before moving to Yaounde in 1995 where I registered in the department of theater arts. In 1998, I had my Bachelor’s degree and could not find work in my area. So, um, I started doing small business, buying and selling some goods. My uncle was of help because he supported me financially. My business grew and grew and I began travelling out to buy more goods. I have been here in Canada for one and half weeks to visit my uncle and buy some electronic goods. I will be here for another three weeks.

TRANSCRIBED BY: Yves, Talla Sando Ouafeu

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 23/12/2008

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY: N/A

COMMENTARY BY: N/A

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

The archive provides:

• Recordings of accent/dialect speakers from the region you select.
• Text of the speakers’ biographical details.
• Scholarly commentary and analysis in some cases.
• In most cases, an orthographic transcription of the speakers’ unscripted speech.  In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).  The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages are Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage) and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings).

 

For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here, please go to Other Dialect Services.