| Kogo | |
| Nativename: | Bakoko |
| States: | Cameroon |
| Ethnicity: | Bakoko |
| Speakers: | 50,000 |
| Date: | 1982 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam4: | Bantoid |
| Fam5: | Bantu (Zone A) |
| Fam6: | Basaa (A.40) |
| Iso3: | bkh |
| Glotto: | bako1249 |
| Glottorefname: | Bakoko |
| Guthrie: | A.43b |
Kogo, also referred to as Bakoko and Basoo, is a Bantu language of Cameroon. North and South Kogo are as distinct from each other as they are from Basaa; they might be considered three dialects of a single language.[1]
Traditionally, Bakoko and Basaa societies had a very close relationship, especially on a religious level. The Bakoko language was the language of ritual for both the Bakoko and Basaa, and the Basaa language was also familiar to the Bakoko. After the Second World War, as the ritual relations gradually receded, this social and linguistic symbiosis declined. Today, the two languages are sociolinguistically distinct. Bakoko speakers also tend to speak Basaa today, but Basaa speakers typically do not speak Bakoko.
There are many dialects because of the geographical fragmentation of the Bakoko-speaking area. ALCAM (2012) lists the following dialects.[2]
Central dialects:
In the south:
Detached from the southern contiguous group mentioned above are four separate Bakoko groups, each with its own dialect:
In the west:
In the northwest:
In the northeast:
There are around 50,000 speakers.[2]
Kogo uses the Latin script. Its alphabet is based on the General Alphabet of Cameroon Languages and consists of 7 vowels and 20 consonants.[3] [4]
| Letters (upper case) | A | B | Ɓ | C | D | E | Ɛ | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | Ŋ | O | Ɔ | P | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z | |
| Letters (lower case) | a | b | ɓ | c | d | e | ɛ | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | ŋ | o | ɔ | p | s | t | u | v | w | y | z | |
| IPA | pronounced as /a/ | pronounced as /b/ | pronounced as /ɓ/ | pronounced as /t͡ʃ/ | pronounced as /d/ | pronounced as /e/ | pronounced as /ɛ/ | pronounced as /f/ | pronounced as /ɡ/ | pronounced as /h/ | pronounced as /i/ | pronounced as /d͡ʒ/ | pronounced as /k/ | pronounced as /l/ | pronounced as /m/ | pronounced as /n/ | pronounced as /ŋ/ | pronounced as /o/ | pronounced as /ɔ/ | pronounced as /p/ | pronounced as /s/ | pronounced as /t/ | pronounced as /u/ | pronounced as /v/ | pronounced as /w/ | pronounced as /j/ | pronounced as /z/ |
The Lord's Prayer in Kogo and English:[5]
A Tanè waha Nyo alè a lo'o. Djo'o djo libè la ébégè.
Likaniè djo lisso. Nsom wo a bonbè assi aka alè alo'o.
Ti bèhè lidi djaha livi olo vilèn la lilakè li bèhè mibé maha.
Aka bèhè ki binga la'akè bang binga alyè bèhè.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.[6]