The primary language in Bangang is called Ngiemboon, also known as Bamileke-Ngiemboon, Bamileke-Ngyemboon, Nguemba, Ngyemboon, and it has at least six dialects: Batcham, Balessing, Bangang, Bamougong, Balatchi, and Batang. There is a relatively rich literature published on the subject including 10 English, 2 French, and 10 vernacular (indigenous language) publications.
To summarize, the language had approximately 250,000 native speakers (80,000 of whom only speak Ngiemboon) in 2000 and the number has increased since. Roughly 4% of speakers are literate in Ngiemboon, while 25-50% are literate in French. Concentrated in the West Province of Cameroon near the Bamboutos mountain chain, this indigenous language stretches from Batcham and Mbouda to Balatchi north of Penka-Michel (reference number 191 on the language map below). If you travel with the team to Cameroon, some of these city names will become familiar to you.
Another, less-spoken, language in the Bangang region is called Nda'nda', also known as Bamileke-Nda'nda'. It has at least three dialects: Undimeha (East Nda'nda'), Ungameha (West Nda'nda', South Nda'nda'). Batoufam is a subdialect of East Nda'nda'. This is a name I have heard spoken many times, but I originally thought it was a vocabulary word in Ngiemboon. In my field notes, I once translated the phrase "ndan da" as "happy".
This language has far fewer speakers at around 10,000 (1990 survey) and is located in the West Province near Upper Nkam, Nde, and Mifi subdivisions (reference number 197 on the language map below).
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