Languages
Native
French
80%
English
20%
Secondary languages
Camfranglais
30%
Fulfulde
25%
Language Samples
Comment vas-tu?
How are you?
Je vais bien, merci beaucoup.
I am well, thank you very much.
Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Linguistic History
Cameroon is known as 'Africa in miniature' for its geographic diversity, and its linguistic landscape is equally extraordinary. With approximately 280 indigenous languages across Bantu, Adamawa-Ubangi, and Chadic families, it is one of the world's most linguistically dense nations. The country's dual colonial history — divided between France and Britain — produced its bilingual official policy of French and English, though the two communities remain largely separate. Cameroonian Pidgin English (Camfranglais) has emerged as a vibrant urban youth creole mixing French, English, and indigenous vocabulary. Fulfulde serves as an important trade and Islamic language in the north.
Similar Languages
Gabon
68%
Central African Republic
55%
Nigeria
50%
Republic of the Congo
48%
Media
Yaoundé, Cameroon's francophone capital, illustrates the country's French-English bilingual identity.
Photo: Eavebe · CC BY-SA 3.0
Did You Know
01
Cameroon has approximately 280 living indigenous languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries on Earth relative to its size.
02
Camfranglais — a street creole mixing French, English, and Cameroonian languages — has grown from urban slang into a recognised marker of Cameroonian youth identity.
03
The Anglophone Crisis (since 2016) has roots in linguistic marginalisation, as the English-speaking minority in the Northwest and Southwest regions resists the dominance of French in public life.