A Dictionary of Camfranglais

107
This book is a simple and clear presentation of the lexis of Camfranglais, an

urban youth sociolect in Cameroon. It presents this sociolect as an outgrowth
Hector Kamdem Fonkoua
of language contact phenomena that have fossilized especially around the Lit-
toral Region of Cameroon. Methodologically speaking, it uses a lexicographic
as well as an ethnographic approach to data collection. Lexical elements have A Dictionary
of Camfranglais
been collected from such diverse sources as Cameroonian popular music,
online chat groups and forums like Facebook, blogs, Youtube videos etc. Be-
sides there were group conversations organized for the collection of data. The
major strength of this book lies in the diversity and authenticity of its sources
which are all traceable. Moreover, all the regular statements it makes about the
origin, semantic categories, grammatical classes of the lexis of Camfranglais
are the result of the necessary lexical manipulations that should precede these
statements. A complete alphabetical lexicon of Camfranglais is presented, and,
where possile, etymologies are given. For all entries, real examples are quoted
so as to guide the reader to the usage of words. Idiomatic expressions are
also presented for different lexical entries. The book will serve as reference for
Hector Kamdem Fonkoua · A Dictionary of Camfranglais

those working on Camfranglais as well as a starting point for lexico-semantic
studies on Camfranglais.
DUISBURGER ARBEITEN ZUR SPRACH-

UND KULTURWISSENSCHAFT
Hector Kamdem Fonkoua is a Junior Fellow at the Bayreuth International Grad-

DUISBURG PAPERS ON RESEARCH
uate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) in Bayreuth (Germany). He holds IN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
several degrees in English and French linguistics as well as for the teaching
of these languages. Band / Volume 107
www.peterlang.com
A Dictionary of Camfranglais
DUISBURGER ARBEITEN ZUR SPRACH-
UND KULTURWISSENSCHAFT
DUISBURG PAPERS ON RESEARCH

IN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Herausgegeben von /edited by

Ulrich Ammon, René Dirven und /and Martin Pütz
Band/Volume 107
Notes on the quality assurance and peer review of this publication
Prior to publication, the quality of the work published in this series

is double blind reviewed by an external referee appointed by the
editorship. The referee is not aware of the author's name when
performing the review; the referee's name is not disclosed.
Hector Kamdem Fonkoua
A Dictionary of Camfranglais
Bibliographic Information published by the
Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the inter-
net at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kamdem, Hector Fonkoua, 1985-

A dictionary of Camfranglais / Hector Kamdem Fonkoua.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-3-631-65943-4
1. Camfranglais language–Social aspects. 2. Camfranglais language–
History. 3. Camfranglais language–Dictionaries. 4. Cameroon–
Languages–Social aspects. I. Title.
PL8021.C35K36 2015
447'.96711--dc23
2014046845
ISSN 0934-3709
ISBN 978-3-631-65943-4 (Print)
E-ISBN 978-3-653-05363-0 (E-Book)
DOI 10.3726/ 978-3-653-05363-0
© Peter Lang GmbH
Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Frankfurt am Main 2015
All rights reserved.
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Peter Lang – Frankfurt am Main ∙ Bern ∙ Bruxelles ∙ New York ∙
Oxford ∙ Warszawa ∙ Wien
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any

utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
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This publication has been peer reviewed.
www.peterlang.com
Dedication
To Eliane Sonkoue-Kamdem
Thank you for being there. You are appreciated.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction...................................................................................................11
1.1 Camfranglais: Historical Origin and Definition��12
1.2 The Camfranglais, Cameroon Pidgin English, Mboko Talk,
CameroonPopular French continuum and code-switching.......................16
2 Methodology.................................................................................................23
2.1 Field research....................................................................................................23
2.2 Acknowledgements��25
2.3 The Making of the Dictionary��26
2.4 Overview of the dictionary��27
3 Sociolinguistics of Camfranglais��29
3.1 Camfranglais as a youth language��29
3.2 Knowledge, use and attitudes��30
3.3 Diachronic aspects of Camfranglais��31
4 Lexical elaboration of Camfranglais.....................................................33

4.1 Humans and Social Relations��40
4.1.1 Socio-professional roles��40
4.1.2 Social Status and Attributes��41
4.1.3 Men and Women��41
4.1.4 Descriptions of Everyday Life Situations��41
4.2 Communication��42
4.3 Sex and Sexuality��42
4.4 Evaluation & Measurement��43
4.5 Body & Appearance��44
4.6 Economy and money��44
4.7 Experience and feeling��45
4.8 Violence, illegality and trouble��45
4.9 Sports & Entertainment��45
4.10 Forms of Address, politeness and Respect��46
4.11 Insults��46
4.12 Geography and places��46
7
4.13 Crime & police��46
4.14 Drugs and Alcohol��46
4.15 Movement &vehicles��47
4.16 Education��47
4.17 Diseases, Medicine & Witchcraft��47
5 The poetic making of Camfranglais.....................................................49

5.1 Metaphorical Source Domains in Camfranglais��50
5.2 Semantic manipulation in Camfranglais��51
5.2.1 Metonymy��51
5.3 Dysphemism��52
5.4 Hyperbole��54
5.5 Onomastic synecdoche��55
5.5.1 Semantic Positivization��56
5.5.2 Euphemism��56
5.6 Morphological manipulation in Camfranglais��57
5.6.1 Affixation ��57
5.6.2 Clipping ��59
5.6.3 Inversion ��60
5.6.4 Compounding ��60
5.6.5 Reduplication �� 61
5.6.6 (Phonological) Transformation or Manipulation ��61
5.6.7 Abbreviations and Acronyms��62
5.7 Word Class in Camfranglais��63
5.8 Donor languages��63
6 The construction of youth identities in discourse practice.........65
7 Camfranglais in a historical perspective.............................................67

7.1 Pidginisation and creolisation��67
7.2 Codeswitching��67
8 Conclusion.....................................................................................................69
References ��71
Blogs and web pages��73
9 Dictionary of Camfranglais.....................................................................75
8
Map
Map 1: Major plantation agriculture zones in Littoral
and southwestern Cameroon
(Source: Google Maps) ��17
Tables
Table 1: The Social Profile of Speakers of Camfranglais��30
Table 2: Major Semantic Fields in Camfranglais��33
Table 3: Some Unmodified Borrowings in Camfranglais��49
9
1 Introduction
Who does a dictionary belong to? Such was the central question to be answered
when embarking on the project to write a dictionary of Camfranglais. To this
question, the answer was simple: it must be the property of everybody. It is the
property of all the speakers or users of the language or language variety whose
words and usage it illustrates, as well as that of non-speakers or users of the
language variety. These speakers may only consider a dictionary as an object of
study or a mere curiosity, as the case might be. A dictionary can thus not be said
to have one single author, or even many!
Representativity was the buzzword in the selection of items to be considered as
Camfranglais or Francanglais. But, more importantly, what is Camfranglais, and
what lexical elements would qualify as Camfranglais or not? In 2014 for e xample,
where does one go for vocabulary items that would also reflect the usage 30 years
ago? The main difficulty in obtaining words, phrases and idiomatic expressions
to be included in this dictionary relates to diachrony as well as to defining the
boundaries of Camfranglais. Camfranglais is not a recent phenomenon, and
linguistic descriptions of it date as far back as 1985. The sources for obtain-
ing lexical elements are fewer and less diverse the further back we go. For the
1980s and 90s for example, scientific articles describing this language phenom-
enon are the major sources available. To this can be added a few recordings of
popular drama that contain some expressions which have survived through to
the present and are still used in Camfranglais, as well as some rather unauthori-
tative online glossaries. But whether such expressions used in the popular drama
of Cameroonian comedian Jean Michel Kankan, for example, were at that time
viewed as Camfranglais or not is another question. Furthermore, the scientific
articles consulted do not always clearly describe their data collection proce-
dure. What this implies is that it is only from the beginning of the 2000s when
first-hand data – mostly from the social networks, radio and TV broadcasts,
as well as popular music – could be obtained for research purposes. That said,
the dividing line between Camfranglais and Cameroon Popular French is thin.
Whatever the case, the spirit of this dictionary is to be as inclusive as possible,
while it is more oriented towards contemporary Camfranglais speech (from the
year 2000 onwards).
Defining and conducting lexicographic work on this specifically Cameroo-
nian way of speaking has been done in this study with the perspective that Cam-
franglais exists along a linguistic continuum and is always in contact with other
languages and language varieties.
11
1.1 Camfranglais: Historical Origin and Definition
Camfranglais, or Francanglais as it is popularly referred to, has had varying
statuses and perceptions over time. The literature dates its probable origins to
the 1970s (de Feral 1989:20; Kießling 2004:4). When talking about the origin
of Camfranglais, what is meant is how and when it was “created.” In this regard,
several opinions have been advanced in different studies on this matter. One
of the oldest of such studies is by Tiayon-Lekoubou (1985:50), who posits that
Camspeak, as he then called it, was at that time an argot used by young rascals
and criminals, especially in and around the Douala Seaport. For Lobe Ewane
(1989:34), it was created by students at the University of Yaoundé, which was at
the time the only university in Cameroon and consequently a melting pot for
students from all over the country who came to Yaoundé to pursue u niversity
education. This university opened its doors in 1962. In a comparatively recent
study, Kouega (2003 :525), has a similar view as Lobe Ewane, while he believes
that Camfranglais was the creation of secondary school students rather than
university students. In Kouega’s view, secondary school students, especially
drop-outs, learnt Camfranglais at school and then exported it to their various
social networks. For Carole de Feral (1989:20), in the 1970s in the urban centre
of Douala, youths indulged in a language practice she referred to as Francais
Makro.1 De Feral distinguishes between Makro étroit and Makro large. Makro
étroit refers to the language variant used by criminals and other rascals, while
Makro large refers to a more popular version of Makro étroit.
Given the above accounts, it could be said that Camfranglais has always had
specific loci or places where it tends to be predominantly spoken (e.g. the Douala
seaport, university and secondary schools). These places bring together many
people from different ethnic backgrounds. These are also places d ominated by
youths. However, the mere fact that it was predominantly spoken somewhere
does not imply that it is the creation of those who spoke it there. It is more
plausible instead to investigate the language contact conditions that made it
possible for Camfranglais to see the light of day, rather than identifying places
where it is frequently spoken as birth places. It is also clear, however, that the
different places where Camfranglais is spoken do influence the way it is spoken.
Historically, the origin of Camfranglais can be traced to 1970 or slightly
before. All persons born in the 1940s and 1950s who I have interviewed in
1 Makro is a popular Cameroonian French word and insult that means “thief ”, “crook”
or “rascal.” Hector Kamdem also remembers his mother in the 1990s referring to
Camfranglais as “le français des bandits” (thieves’ French).
12
Yaoundé and Douala, two major Cameroonian city centres where Camfranglais
is spoken, affirmed that they did not grow up speaking Camfranglais and only
noticed this phenomenon as their own children grew up in the 1970s and 1980s.
It may be that with the reunification of former French and British Cameroons,
English gained more importance as one of the country’s two official languages.
English also became a compulsory school subject in former French Came-
roon. Camfranglais is, at least in part, a by-product of the language learning
process. Seen this way, Francophone learners of English, in attempting to speak
English, tend to fall back on (Francophone) Pidgin English, which had been well
established for many decades, even in remote areas of the country, due to the
presence of British traders and later missionaries between 1400 and 1800. This
explains why there tends to be greater correspondence with Pidgin English than
with (Cameroonian) English in Camfranglais (c.f section 5.7). Seen from this
perspective, Camfranglais is an outgrowth of codeswitching and codemixing
patterns that have become fixed on emblematic lexical items. This phenomenon
is particularly noticeable in places where there is significant contact between
speakers of Pidgin English and speakers of (Cameroonian) French. The roots of
this way of speaking are to be found in the language contact region of the towns
of former British Cameroon and those of former French Cameroon. It can also
be argued that it is people who once lived in these contact regions themselves
who exported Camfranglais to university and secondary school circles.
Following de Feral’s (ibid) dual distinction between Makro-étroit and Makro
large, it can also be said that Camfranglais exists on a continuum. At one end is a
popular version of it, and at the other is a more restrictive or less-spread version.
This continuum is discussed in 1.2. But still, what is Camfranglais? Below is a list
of definitions of Camfranglais given by scholars as well as users of it.
The first of such definitions is drawn from the homepage of the Facebook
group Ici on topo le camfranglais! Le speech des vrais man du mboa :2
Le camfranglais ou frananglais3 est un argot camerounais à base de français, d'anglais
et de langues camerounaises (plus de 200 recencées). Il est très utilisé par les jeunes
camerounais et camerounaises y compris les compatriotes se trouvant à lʹtranger. Cʹest
le speech des vrais man du Mboa!
2 From https://www.facebook.com/groups/iciontopolecamfranglais. Accessed on April

23rd 2014.
Mboa means “country” or “village” in Duala, a language spoken in the Littoral region
of Cameroon.
3 The appellation frananglais does not imply different content or a different way of
speaking from Francanglais.
13
Camfranglais or Frananglais is a Cameroonian argot based on French, English and
Cameroonian languages (more than 200 identified local languages). It is highly used by
young Cameroonians including compatriots abroad. It is the speech form of true sons of
the Mboa! [author’s translation]
This group is probably the one that has the greatest number of speakers who
come together as a virtual community of speakers of Camfranglais (62,222
members as of 23 April 2014). The above definition is particularly interesting,
as it not only signals its restrictive status as an argot, but also gives it an identity
status (i.e. a way of speaking known only to real Cameroonians). Seen in this
way, speaking Camfranglais is most importantly an act of identity (LePage and
Tabouret-Keller 1985). What is more, this definition appears to be a departure
from previous considerations, which give the impression that Camfranglais is
necessarily spoken with antilinguistic intentions. Kouega (2013:20), for example,
states: “They use it simply to exchange information among members in such
a way that this information looks mysterious to non-members and sometimes
sounds humorous to the interlocutors.”
Over time the status and perception of Camfranglais have changed. Older
perceptions and hence definitions of Camfranglais include the following. Fosso,
(1999) uses the French term “sabir” to define Camfranglais. This word if consid-
ered in its pejorative meaning, this would roughly translate as “rubbish talk”. Ze
Amvela (1989: 56), discusses Camfranglais in the following terms:
“Camfranglais” is used here as a cover term to what has been called “Franglais”, “Pidgin
French”, “Majunga talk”, and “Camspeak”. The distinctive feature is the hybrid nature of
these languages which function mainly as a lingua franca.
In this definition, the term “franglais” relates to the work of Etiemble (1964), in
which he refers the interference from English in the speech of French speakers in
Canada. The other terms, “pidgin French,” “Majunga talk” and “Camspeak” are
pejorative and humorous, and hint at a sub-standard way of speaking French,
typical of uneducated persons and the struggling masses. In this sense, Cam-
franglais is a parody, a laughable way of speaking French and English, which has
eventually crystallized as a sociolect. For Kouega (2013:15),
Camfranglais is a composite language variant, a type of pidgin that blends in the same
speech act linguistic elements drawn first from French and secondly from English,
Pidgin English and other widespred languages in Cameroon. It hardly integrates ele-
ments from tribal, territorially confined languages.
Accordingly, for Kouega Camfranglais is a “language variant” (of French or

English?). The critique that could be brought to Kouega’s view above is that
Camfranglais words tend to relate more directly to Pidgin English than to English.
14
This has one major implication for those doing research on C amfranglais. It
requires them to examine how Pidgin English entered into contact and still is in
contact with French in Cameroon. What are the major language contact zones
that fuel(ed) the emergence of Camfranglais? Are these zones still relevant to-
day? How does new vocabulary enter into Camfranglais?
Kießling (2004:1) defines Camfranglais as follows:
Camfranglais, a highly hybrid sociolect of the urban youth type in Cameroon’s big cities
Yaoundé and Douala, serves its adolescent speakers as an icon of “resistance identity”
(Castells 1997), i.e. they consciously create and constantly transform this sociolect of
theirs by manipulating lexical items from various Cameroonian and European sources, in
an effort to mark off their identity as a new social group, the modern Cameroonian urban
youth, in opposition to established groups such as the older generation, the rural popula-
tion and the Cameroonian elites who have subscribed to the norms of “la francophonie”.
From all the definitions of Camfranglais discussed above, it is clear that

Camfranglais is not a language, in that it does not exist independently from
French, for example. In other words, it is not possible to speak Camfranglais in
Cameroon without being able to speak French – the type of French spoken in
Cameroon. As such, Camfranglais exists in a continuum of languages which we
shall attempt to elucidate in the next section.
Before that, however, the working definition of Camfranglais adopted in this
study is as follows: Camfranglais is a hybridised variety of the French spoken in
Cameroon. Above all, it is a phenomenon of lexico-semantic m anipulation. The
French on which Camfranglais hinges is also referred to as Français P opulaire.
What this means is that the basis of Camfranglais is Cameroonian Popular
French, which is of course different from French spoken in other (African)
countries. For a full length discussion of Cameroonian Popular French, see
Feussi (2006a etc.). The dividing line between Popular French and Camfranglais
is, as has already been hinted, a bit fuzzy. This unclear divide is echoed by de
Feral’s (2005:272) in the following quote:
On ne peut se permettre d’exclure de l’étude du camfranglais des interventions qui, prises
isolément, ne se distinguent pas du français courant… dans la mesure où elles font p artie
d’un ensemble qui, lui, peut être perçu globalement comme étant du camfranglais.
We cannot afford to exclude from a study of Camfranglais speech interventions which, if
considered in isolation, do not differentiate themselves from everyday popular French…
because they are part of a whole which could globally be viewed as Camfranglais. [au-
thor’s translation]
The link between Camfranglais and Popular French (“francais courant” as de

Feral terms it) is discussed further in the next section.
15
1.2 The Camfranglais, Cameroon Pidgin English, Mboko Talk,
CameroonPopular French continuum and code-switching
In the previous section, de Feral’s (1989:20) distinction between Makro étroit and
Makro large was mentioned. While this distinction is very important, de Feral’s
study, along with others, do not say what the major linguistic difference between
the two actually is. What could be understood or inferred from this distinction,
however, is that Makro étroit is more restrictive and marked as a way of speaking
characteristic of thieves and other petty criminals, while Makro large is its popular
version, and is less negatively marked. In her study, de Feral evokes the possibil-
ity of Makro étroit being the ancestor of Camfranglais. In present-day Cameroon,
Camfranglais would be the equivalent of Macro large. The term Makro is however
rare in studies of Camfranglais and seems to be a coinage of de Feral. It is a wide-
spread insult in Cameroonian Popular French, probably derived from “maquereau,”
which in standard French refers to a pimp. In Cameroonian Popular French, this
meaning has been extended as an insult to mean crook, dishonest person, or ras-
cal. But then, the name Makro as a language variety or way of speaking does not
seem to be familiar to Cameroonians in general. Rather, the name Mboko,4 which
is most probably what de Feral terms Makro étroit, is in wider usage. It is equally
known in the English-speaking part of Cameroon as Mboko Talk5 and is viewed
as the type of Pidgin English spoken by thieves, rascals, and hoodlooms, as well
as the struggling masses. Ngefac (2011:114) makes the following statement about
Mboko: “[…]a language spoken by unemployed people who embark on all types
of activities, especially commercial acivities, to raise money for their daily bread.”
The fundamental difference between Mboko Talk and Camfranglais is that Mboko
Talk is more tilted towards Pidgin English, which is more or less its matrix lan-
guage. This form of Camfranglais is most probably what de Feral (2010:62) refers
to as “pidgin makro.” What should thus be underscored is that Mboko has two
facets viz a Pidgin Engish version and a French-coloured version, which in a pro-
cess of distillation has Camfranglais in its popular version as by-product. The icon
of this so-viewed popular version of Camfranglais could be said to be the artist
Koppo6 with hit songs like “Si t u vois ma go,” “Emma,” “Confessions,” etcetera.
How are all these in effect linked? We propose the following explaination of the
link and continuum between Pidgin English, Mboko and Camfranglais.
4 Nanga-mboko /nàŋgà mbókó/ noun, from duala nanga (to sleep) and eboko (outside).
5 Another possible spelling is mbokotok (see Nefac 2011:114).
6 From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUW7dg9bZDk. Accessed on 28 Decemer
2014.
16
During German colonial times (1884–1914), the plantation agriculture sys-
tem in (then) Kamerun was one of the best organized in West Africa. It attracted
villagers not only from the South West region where it was particularly devel-
oped around the Mount Cameroon area, but also those from other villages that
later belonged to French Cameroon as well. This plantaion agriculture system
was developed around the Southwest and Littoral regions of Cameroon, which
had favourable soil and climatic conditions. Under British colonial rule, this
plantation system was taken over, and then with the creation in 1947 of the Cam-
eroon Development Corporation (CDC), the biggest plantation in the country to
date was established. Small holdings ever since German colonial times have also
flourished in present-day Cameroon Southwest and Littoral regions, attracting
people from all corners of the country to these agricultural towns with fertile
lands and appropriate climatic conditions for the cultivation of cash crops such
as cocoa, palm oil, banana, rubber, etcetera. Parallel acivities, such as buying
of cash crops by middle-men7 from small farmers to resell to bulk buyers also
developed in this region, and were practiced by people from everywhere. The
map on the next page shows the main plantation agriculture zones in colonial
Cameroon (circled in green). These zones in the Southwest and Littoral regions
are still operational in present-day Cameroon. Moreover, the town of Douala,
which falls within this zone has always been a commercial hub in Cameroon,
leading to high interethnic contact. It has the main seaport to date in Cameroon
and remains the country’s economic capital.
Map 1: Major Plantation Agriculture Zones in Littoral and Southwestern Cameroon

(Source: Google Maps)
7 These middle-men go by the name “kokseur” or “corseur” in places such as Loum.
17
In 1963, the president of Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, and the vice-president,
John Ngu Foncha, inaugurated the Mbanga-Kumba railway line linking these
two towns of the former French and British Cameroons respectively (see circled
area in the map above). This led to great flows of populations in both directions.
Today, other major agricultural corporations have been established in places like
Mbanga, Njombe and Penja, such as Société des Plantations de Mbanga (SPM) and
the Société des plantations du Haut Penja (PHP). Above all, in the zone c ircled in
green, there is great ease of movement for the population, and c onsequently high
contact between residents of former Anglophone and Francophone Cameroon.
It is important to note that the zones of plantation and cash-crop agriculture,
which include Limbe, Buea, Mutengene, Muyuka, Kumba, Mbanga, Penja, Loum,
Manjo and Nkongsamba, do not only play host to other commercial activities,
but are above all linguistic melting pots in which Pidgin English is either the
dominant language or lingua franca, or plays a dominant role in interethnic and
intertribal transactions as well as in interactions between Francophones and An-
glophones. This lingua-franca position of Pidgin-English was more preponderant
fifty years ago, when the literacy rate in the identified zones was probably very
low, and Pidgin was the Hobson’s choice for interethnic and Anglophone-Fran-
cophone communication. The identified zones are the oldest and arguably the
most important areas of interethnic and interlinguistic contact involving Pidgin
English and French within Cameroon. They are the greatest contact zones involv-
ing Francophone and Anglophone Cameroonians. In the zones indicated above,
if one finds oneself in the English-speaking part of Cameroon (Kumba, Victoria,
Tiko, Buea), Pidgin English is spoken without major influence from French. In the
French-speaking part, however, Pidgin English is spoken predominantly by Fran-
cophones and is thus greatly influenced by French. Chumbow and Simo Bobda
(2000:55) use the expression “Francophone Pidgin English” to refer to the Pidgin
English spoken in the Francophone part of Cameroon. Pidgin is the de facto lin-
gua franca for uneducated persons, given that it had been introduced even before
the colonization of Cameroon by British missionaries. Regarding Mboko talk and
Camfranglais, they mainly differ in terms of the matrix language, which is Pidgin
(or very close to Pidgin) in the first case and French in the second. What actu-
ally makes the difference is the relative inclusion of French. The more important
French becomes, the more we move from Mboko to Camfranglais. Mboko tends
to be more marked and more idiomatic than Camfranglais. To illustrate this subtle
difference between Mboko Talk and Camfranglais, Lapiro de Mbanga8 shall be
8 A highly popular musician from the mid 1980s onwards, whose music is viewed as
sociopolitical commentary.
18
used as an example, for he is indeed the icon of Mboko/Mboko talk. In most of his
songs, the matrix language is either Pidgin English or French. But then, irrespec-
tive of whether he sings in Pidgin or in what appears to be French, we find a great
number of idiomatic expressions, proverbs and lexical items common to both. The
songs that could illustrate this include9 “Kop niè,” “Mimba we,” “Overdone,” “Con-
stitution constipée,” “Na you,” etcetera. For an ordinary speaker of Camfranglais,
Lapiro’s songs would be considered Pidgin English. For an ordinary speaker of
Cameroonian Pidgin English however, these songs are not quite sung in Pidgin.
What is common to Lapiro’s Moko songs and Camfranglais are a few expressions
that are found in both, and which arguably moved from Mboko to Camfranglais.
Lapiro de Mbanga’s music is particularly well liked and appreciated by those from
lower socioeconomic classes all over Cameroon. The way he uses Mboko is actu-
ally reflective of the way it is still spoken in the zone indicated in our map, espe-
cially in the Francophone areas of the indicated zone, as he also hails from the
French-speaking part of the country. We make the proposal in future studies to
analyse Mboko and its idiomatic making. In practical terms, if one finds oneself
in Anglophone Cameroon in general, Mboko Talk is largely spoken by people
considered hoodlooms, criminals and rascals, who hang around in places like the
football stadium in Bamenda for example.- In the 1990s when I was a student
and lived there, there were many casinos and game centres locally known then as
“arcades,” as well as wee (banga) smokers. In other towns as well, places such as
“video clubs” (localized versions of cinemas), specific spots in markets, etcetera,
host speakers of Mboko Talk. Similarly, youths who wish to be viewed as tough
or bold would speak in Mboko (see Ngefac 2011:121), hence its slow diffusion to
other unmarked places.
The Cameroonian novelist Priscillia Manjoh also mentions Mboko in her
2013 novel Snare as seen in the following narration fragment: “As Svenja ate,
she stole lustful looks at Fonjock. Fonjock noticed this and alerted his friends in
high Pidgin English, commonly known as Nbohko, which even Akwi did not un-
derstand” (24). This excerpt equally highlights the antilingustic intentions that
tend to accompany the use of Mboko. In the Francophone areas of the marked
zone on our map, the story is similar. This way of speaking got easily exported
to unmarked places in Douala, which is the economic capital of the country and
hence a cultural and linguistic melting pot as well. It is also possible that Douala
9 Lapiro de Mbanga’s songs can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Yn-TXoWXd7Q&list=PL01B4EE669097B7C3&index=11.
19
developed its own appropriation of the languages in contact there, without nec-
essarily breaking from the influence of the agricultural hubs.
Thus, Mboko was the first form of the sociolect today known as Cam-
franglais. Mboko is an antilinguistic sociolect that emanates from youths then
viewed as hardened criminals, who frequented some spots in cities and neigh-
bourhoods which became dangerous due to their presence there. It is the an-
cestor of Camfranglais. The wider Mboko travels out of its locus or centre (i.e
away from the types of places where it is typically known to be spoken), the
more it becomes diluted. The first and most observable sign of dilution is that
French, rather than Pidgin, becomes the matrix language and many complex
or less-common expressions disappear for simpler or more popular forms of
speech. This could then explain why one could get the impression that one is
hearing Camfranglais when listening to Lapiro de Mbanga singing in Mboko.
Ntsobe et al (2008:49), for example, make the following statement: “Les ar-
tistes comme LAPIRO de Mbanga emploient beaucoup le Camfranglais à trav-
ers leurs chansons, ce qui contribue à divertir le public.” If one listens to all of
Lapiro’s songs, however, one would not draw the same conclusion as the above
authors that the supposed Camfranglais he uses is the same type of talk as
that found in the songs of the artist Koppo, arguably the iconic artist of Cam-
franglais. Furthermore, one does not get the impression that he merely uses
Camfranglais as an ornament for entertainment. In fact, he sings in Mboko! In
any case, there are numerous additional examples that show similar processes
of the creation of language varieties from criminal argots in other countries. A
very telling example is Old Helsinki Slang. Old Helsinki Slang developed from
gang argot or street talk in Helsinki in the early twentieth century (between
1890 and 1950). It is a mix of Swedish and Finnish and was mainly used by
male gang members as an in-group identity marker, and later got exported to
unmarked or non-criminal places. Another geographically closer example is
Lugha Ya Mitaani (the language of the town quarters or street language) spoken
in Tanzania.
Pidgin English, Mboko/Mboko Talk and Camfranglais are not firmly fixed
entitites. The proximity between the main places where Mboko Talk is spoken in
the English-speaking part of Cameroon to the coastal Francophone cities, cou-
pled with the fact that Pidgin English in itself bears the imprint or influence of
languages found in the Francophone part of Cameroon like Douala, for example,
hints at the mutual influence of Mboko, Mboko Talk, Popular French and other
relevant languages. In addition, West African Pidgin English had long been in-
troduced by British traders to the coast and into the interior by missionaries. A
quite telling illustration is a comparative look at French and English loan words
20
in languages spoken in areas that used to be under French colonial rule. Most of
these loan words come from (Pidgin) English rather than French, as surprising
as this may sound. A few studies have examined these loan words and arrived
at these conclusions, including Fossi and Ouambo (2011) for the ŋgə̂mŋbà lan-
guage and Echu (2002) for Cameroonian languages in general. Seen this way, it
is easier to understood why most words said to come from English into Cam-
franglais actually come from Pidgin English, as shall be demonstrated in the fol-
lowing sections.
With regard to the link between Camfranglais and Popular French, the fol-
lowing explanation can be given. It has been established that French, as it is spo-
ken in Cameroon, exists in a continuum. These views are often based on the
works of Manessy (1994), for whom French in Africa exists in a continuum.
Drescher and Neumann-Holzschuh (2010:9) refer to French as a pluricentric
language (“langue pluricentrique” ). Feussi (2008:214) describes French in Cam-
eroon in a similar manner as a “parler plurilingue.” What this implies is that it is
spoken along a continuum of languages and/or language varieties. In relation to
Camfranglais, Popular French (French of the basilectal and mesolectal variety)
serves as matrix language. This French is characterised by the use of expressions
from local languages, Pidgin as well as structural and semantic calques from ma-
jor local languages (see Mendo Ze 1992, 1999). It is this basilecal and mesolectal
French that tends to constitute the basis or matrix for Camfranglais. As previ-
ously mentioned, the dividing line between popular French and Camfranglais
is very thin. Many expressions which have been considered Camfranglais in
this dictionary are also listed in glossaries of Popular French, such as the one at
the end of Feussi’s (2006a) doctoral dissertation on French in Douala. As such,
Camfranglais is merely a further hybridization phenomenon of Cameroonian
Popular French. But then, Camfranglais is not the same as Cameroonian Popular
French.
Finally, the link shall be made between codeswitching (Popular) French, Pidgin
English, Mboko/Mboko Talk and Camfranglais. In this regard, Camfranglais
could be said to be an outgrowth of several codeswitching patterns between
Popular French and Pidgin English/Mboko that have become fossilized. First,
this codeswitching bears on Pidgin English. School and university settings play
an important role, as it is probably during English lessons that lexical elements
get imported into this language variety. In attempting to speak English in
a classroom situation, the tendency for learners is to refer to Pidgin English
equivalents. Maybe the fun this orchestrates in a classroom setting prompts
learners to indulge this way of speaking. Camfranglais might then be said to
have attracted school and university youths via the parody effect created by
21
speakers who are neither competent in English nor in Pidgin English in their
attempt to speak these languages in the classroom as well as in dominantly
Francophone settings. The reflex of the Francophone English learner during
the English language lessons is then to fall back on Pidgin English, which they
more often than not only have a low level of fluency. Perhaps the classroom
and school setting is at the root of the more unmarked and popular status of
Camfranglais.
Last but not least, the difference between the Camfranglais spoken in Douala/
Littoral, and that spoken in Yaoundé shall be discussed. It is a common remark
made by Camfranglais speakers in Douala that their own version of is “better”
than that spoken in Yaoundé. This remark is equally often made in the form of:
“Le vrai Camfranglais est parlé dans le Moungo” [The Moungo division covers
areas such as Loum, Mbanga, and Penja, see Map 1]. This statement tends to
imply that the power house of Camfranglais is the Littoral region of Cameroon.
This is normal because as has previously described, Camfranglais is an outgrowth
of contacts around zones of agricultural and economic activity. Douala is the
main cradle of Camfranglais, followed by Yaoundé. Yaoundé has played the main
role in making Camfranglais become a more popular and neutral version. It also
may be that other towns also play a minor role in making Camfranglais more
popular.
22
2 Methodology
2.1 Field research

This study used a lexicographic approach as well as ethnolinguistic methods
similar to those used by Kießling and Reuster-Jahn (2006) in their investigation
of urban youth Swahili in Tanzania. For different lexical items, etymologies
are given where possible, as well as example sentences that had been used by
different speakers in different contexts. Collection of lexical items began in 2010.
The starting point was a research article on interrogation in Camfranglais and
Cameroonian Popular French.10 During the review of related literature a lexical
base of words and example Camfranglais sentences used by various authors
was created. These articles were written in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, many
of which have been cited in section 1 of this work. A list of such a rticles is given
in the reference section of this study. This initial collection yielded a total of 674
uniquely occurring lexical items. The bulk of these lexical items were from the
works of Kouega (2003, 2013), Tiayon (1985), Ntsobe, Biloa and Echu (2008),
de Feral (1989), Feussi (2006), Fosso (1999), Kießling (2004), Ngo N gock-Graux
(2006), Essono (1997), etcetera (see references for a complete list). The a dvantage
that these collected words offer relates to their diachronic insight, as words
that belong to an older generation were collected. Such words would include,
for example, “agogo” (watch), “wah” (girl-friend), “sharp” (difficult) and so on,
which do not seem to be in popular use any longer. The next stage of the col-
lection of lexical items was recording naturally occurring conversations. These
recordings were conducted in four major towns in 2010, 2011 and 2012, with a
total of 24 participants. Each town had a total of six participants. These partici-
pants were met in Bafoussam, Nkongsamba, Douala and Yaoundé. In Bafoussam
(west Cameroon), two of them were second-hand clothes dealers locally known
as “fripiers,” two were secondary school students of the Première class, and two
were youngsters who played football for a local second division team. In Ya-
oundé we worked with three youths who sold second-hand telephones in the
try-as-you-can city centre area known as Avenue Kennedy, two were second-
year university students living in the university hostels known as “Cité U”, and
the last one was a young taxi-driver. In Douala, we worked with four motor-bike
drivers locally known as “Bend-skin” as well as with two call-box operators. In
10 “C’est le ndem que tu veux voir? De l’insolite interrogation en camfranglais” to be

published in 2015 in a book volume.
23
Nkongsamba those involved were all school dropouts who lived with their par-
ents and did not have any stable professional activity. They tended to move from
one petty job to the other. There were six girls and 18 boys in total. In situations
in which we met them already speaking what appeared to be Camfranglais, they
were discretely recorded with a Dictaphone and later, they were told they had
been recorded. Otherwise, they were prompted to speak in Camfranglais. We
relied on friends and contacts from these regions, who introduced us to their
friends, which made data collection possible. In summary, recordings in these
towns yielded nine (09) hours of talk. Lexical items were then extracted as well
as idiomatic expressions. Above all, we were able to obtain 22 hours of audio
recording of phone-in programmes in Camfranglais11 from a Cameroonian and
a German-based Cameroonian radio station. Additionally, a database of close to
two million words was collected from Facebook groups in Camfranglais, blogs in
Camfranglais and other Cameroonian chat forums on the Internet. These repre-
sent the written component of our data base. In a ddition, I consulted other lexi-
cal compilations available online. These compilations are found on websites and
Blogs maintained by Cameroonians at home and in the diaspora. They include:
Le Blog du Presi12, Dictionnaire camerounais, and Dictionnaire Camfranglais.
Above all, popular music, hangouts and “Cameroon Tag en Francamglais” were
all downloaded from Youtube and examined for their lexical content. To this
should be added a glossary of common words and p hrases in Camfranglais
(2013) by Jean Paul Kouega. Due to the difference in the availability of recent as
opposed to older sources, this dictionary is more oriented towards contemporary
forms of Camfranglais. The artists selected for the Camfranglais content of their
songs include: Koppo (“Si tu vois ma go,” “Emma,” “Hommage à Marc Vivien
Foé,” “J’en ai marre”), One Love (“Merci tapioca,” “Bâton et haricot”), Valerie
Ndongo (“Ne touches pas mon manioc avec le mfian owondo”), Krotal (“Ja-
mais”), Rap Conteur (“Je wanda”), Le Wise (“La gare routière,” “Toi-même tu
ndem”), LMT (“Leslie”) and Joalito Kaham (“Le gney”). Lapiro de Mbanga is
not included, because as has been pointed out, he uses Mboko rather than Cam-
franglais. These sources are all available on Youtube. What must be underscored
11 “Les Tòpò du Kwat”, a phone-in programme by Ben Benji de Benjo of the Radio Télé-
vision Siantou (RTS) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
“Les ways du Kwat”, a phone-in programme by the Cameroonian diaspora in Ger-
many recorded on that RTS. See: Wanda Radio (www.wandaradio.com)
12 From http://etounou.free.fr/index.php?post/2007/03/28/39-parler-camerounais-dic-
tionnaire, accessed on 20.12.2014; and http://www.crocodegalbert.free.fr/pays/cam-
eroon/source/camfranglais.htm, accessed on 20.12.2014.
24
is the fact that Le Wise and LMT are Gabon-based artists, although one would
not know that by simply listening to their songs. Camfranglais has clearly gone
“off-limits” and is now also in use in Gabon. I have not, however, studied how
prevelent this speech form is in Gabon. It should also be added that Hector Kam-
dem is a competent speaker of Camfranglais.
In cases where the meaning of a word was not clear, friends and other Cam-
eroonian linguists were contacted, asking them the meaning and at times the
origin of certain words. Different accounts were at times contradictory, but then
a conclusion was drawn after consulting several persons. Sometimes I would ask
the following question on one of the Camfranglais forums where I am a mem-
ber: “Salut les tara, abeg qui peut me dire ce que le mot X veut dire et de quelle
langue ca vient ??? Urgent SVP.” At times, this method yielded results, and at
other times it did not work. But then patience is always the key word; sometimes
one finds a word’s meaning or etymology when one is not looking for it – by ser-
endipity or in casual discussions with fellow Cameroonians. Some expressions
that were thought to originate in local languages were also found during con-
versations with friends from other African countries to originate from distant
languages, and to have been imported to Cameroon via West African Pidgin
English. In these cases, Pidgin English was indicated as their source. Similarly,
deciding whether a given word is a Camfranglais or a Popular French expres-
sion was another dilemma. This problem was resolved by simply including such
Popular French expressions that typically tend to be used in Camfranglais. The
guiding principle was that such expressions should also occur at least five times
in different corpora, which in effect appears to be both rich as well as diverse.
Such lexical items include for example “appuyer” (to have sex), “fesser” (to have
sex) and “chien vert” (a term of abuse). When they only appeared once in on-
line glossaries, they were left out, and were only included if they appeared, after
verification, to be archaisms and as such not possible to be researched in our
available sources.
2.2 Acknowledgements
A Bamileke proverb states that a bundle of sticks cannot be tied single-handedly.
This proverb applies to this study as well. I would thus like to thank all of those
who in one way or the other contributed to the making of this dictionary. First
and foremost, thanks go to Mr. Raymond Sidze Etchitchi, who did the audio re-
cordings in Yaoundé and also sent me the audio files and a list of lexical items he
extracted from his recordings. I hereby thank all informants who gave of their
precious time to participate in the group discussions we organized, thus providing
25
the vocabulary necessary for this study. Also, a lot of gratitude goes to Ben Benji
de Benjo for making recordings of his phone-in programme in Camfranglais
available to us. They were a trove of naturally occurring oral speech. I also would
like to acknowledge the authors of blogs and Facebook groups. Special thanks are
due to Un Mbom Prêt, who is in charge of the Facebook page Ca se passe ici. His
Camfranglais writing competition, “The Writer,” in which I participated (August
2014) under the pseudonym Fonkyhec d’Allemagne is an immense wealth of writ-
ten data. In the same way, we thank all authors of all videos posted on online
platforms such as Youtube, as these were our vocabulary sources.
Thanks are due to Prof. Roland Kießling for his forward-pointing suggestions in
structuring this study. His experience with urban youth languages was of great help.
His work on Lugha ya mitaani in Tanzania as well as on Camfranglais has been my
inspiration. He readily answered my many emails despite his different professional
obligations. He has indeed been a role model for me to follow and a researcher to
admire. Thanks go to Kathrin Pfadenauer of the Department of Romanistics of
the University of Bayreuth, who invited me as guest lecturer to her research semi-
nar Le français en Afrique. My presentation on Camfranglais in Cameroon helped
stimulate me to forge ahead. I thank Professor Viveka Vellupulai of the University
of Gießen for agreeing to read through my manuscript and for making helpful,
thought-provoking comments. All friends and other informants in Cameroon and
in Germany are also hereby acknkowledged. They readily answered questions I
had regarding the origin of a word or its meaning and uses in different Cameroo-
nian languages and in Camfranglais. They are listed here in no particular order:
Ibirahim Njoya, Ahmed Khalid Ayong, Fopah Lele Armand, Mathias Donfouet,
Tchouandom Nzale Eric Paulin, Bergelin Tonkale Kamdem, Dougophe Séraphine,
Moukouri Ngbendou Claude and Jean-Pierre Boutché and Diderot Djiala.
2.3 The Making of the Dictionary

The main tool for the collection of data for this dictionary is a database in which
every entry is headed by a single word (or hyphenated) lemma. Even idiomatic
and popular expressions are introduced by a headword. Whereever possible, the
direct etymological origin of the word is given. If the etymology is not given,
it is unknown. The grammatical class of the different words is also given. The
idea is to say what language lent different words to Camfranglais, as well as to
shed light to the semantic and cognitive processes behind word use and crea-
tion in Camfranglais. All lexical items are illustrated with example sentences.
Some are illustrated with real pictures as well as graphics, when there is the
feeling that the foreign reader would not easily grasp the reality of a word. The
26
honetic transcription of different words is also given to guide the reader on
p
their pronunciation. For words of French origin that maintain their original
pronunciation, no phonetic transcription is given.
The initial data gathered from scientific publications on Camfanglais was
expanded by using websites which list Camfranglais lexical items. Such w ebsites
have been mentioned above. This was quite a delicate task, as not all words
found on website glossaries were known to me. But then again, excluding a
word simply because I do not know it will not do. Care had to be taken to select
genuine Camfranglais words from words which better qualify as Popular French.
Furthermore, for some words I had the feeling that the meanings given were
not accurate or correct. Such words had to be cross-checked by asking different
informants what their meanings and probable origins were.
2.4 Overview of the dictionary

This study originates first of all from my personal experience as a user of Cam-
franglais. Above all, it contains data collected in major urban Cameroonian cities
during 2011 and 2012. The idea during data collection was to obtain as many di-
verse sources as possible for the extraction of lexical items to be included in this dic-
tionary. The focus is on word forms, their usage or function, as well as on a general
comparison of the formative processes in Camfranglais to those of other youth lan-
guages or language varieties. Comparison is mainly done with Lugya Ya Mataani.
Regarding form, what are the linguistic features of Camfranglais lexical items? Re-
garding function, why do people speak Camfranglais and in what contexts?
The first chapter defines Camfranglais discusses its possible sociohistorical or-
igin. The second chapter presents the methodology used in conductingthis study.
The third chapter explores Camfranglais as an identity language. In the fourth
chapter, the focus is on the various semantic domains which form the basis of
Camfranglais. The fifth chapter is concerned with the creation of neologisms in
Camfranglais and the sixth chapter looks at how youths create identities by using
Camfranglais as well as how they express their perception of reality. The seventh
chapter compares Camfranglais to other processes of language creation in a bid
to say how different Camfranglais is from other such phenomena. At the end, a
dictionary of Camfranglais with more than 1300 words is given. The dictionary
aims to present items that, generally speaking, would be acceptable to most Cam-
franglais users. But then the test of acceptability does not mean that archaisms
are not included. Some words are popular and known to most users, but others
tend to be used more restrictively. A major difficulty related to deciding whether
or not a word should be included into the dictionary. This difficulty arose due to
27
the fact that different glossaries considered some items which I would not con-
sider Camfranglais. For example, the lexical item “bikutsi” included in Kouega’s
(2013:142) dictionary is left out. It is the name of a local dance, but the word does
not acquire a different shade of meaning in Camfranglais. As such, local realias
such as names of foods, animals, etcetera are not considered Camfaranglais un-
less they go through some process of semantic change in Camfranglais. Were
such items to have be included wholesale, the dictionary would have been over-
loaded with items that could have rather been discussed in terms of linguistic
borrowing. Following this reasoning, the dictionary includes, for example, the
food item “ndole,” not so much because it is a typical Cameroonian dish, but be-
cause it has acquired new shades of meaning in Camfranglais. In different lexical
sources, there was disagreement with some definitions and explanations. Some
were in fact actually contradictory. Several other users were questioned and
when explanations were linguistically satisfactory, they were included or not. Ul-
timately, this dictionary is richer than its immediate predecessor (Kouega 2013)
because it clearly draws from many varied sources. The examples given come
from authentic written or audio sources and are not invented by the author, as
one sometimes gets the impression elsewhere. The most observable indication of
the diversity of its sources is the presence of several shades of meaning and usages
for different lexical items (compare the entries in this dictionary on ndem, ndole
etcetera, for example, with Kouega, 2013).
This dictionary therefore has a wider scope than its immediate predecessor
Kouega (2013) in that it provides more shades of meaning and usages for all lexi-
cal items. Most importantly, regular statements made about the nature and usage
of Camfranglais vocabulary are illustrated by the necessary lexical manipulation
that should preceed such conclusions. For example, before making statements
about the semantic categories that form the basis of the major preoccupations
of speakers and users of Camfranglais, lexical items in our database were or-
ganized and classified according to their etymological origin and grammatical
classes, as well as semantic domains. This does not appear to have been done in
other studies. As such, this study can make more or less exact claims, since such
claims are in fact a result of data manipulation. For example, before arguing that
the English-sounding words of Camfranglais rather relate more to Pidgin, we
make a comparison of these two sources and display our results in percentages.
It also gives graphic assistance in understanding certain words and concepts.
Finally, the very fact that Camfranglais is a phenomenon of my generation and
it is something I use on a day-to-day basis, which gives me a relatively greater
insight into it compared to other linguists who only have studied it. Ultimately,
this study will be useful to those who study Camfranglais in its modern version.
28
3 Sociolinguistics of Camfranglais
Sociolinguistically speaking, Camfranglais is viewed as (1) a register and (2) a

sociolect. Furthermore, (3) its use and importance has grown since the end of
the 1990s.
3.1 Camfranglais as a youth language

One of the main functions of Camfranglais is as a youth identity language.
Youngsters learn it as they grow up, now even as early as in primary school.
It is used in different peer-groups as a marker of in-group belonging and
solidarity. As an identity marker, it is also used to indicate belonging to urban
youth and modernity. For the biggest Camfranglais Facebook group (Ici on
Topo le Camfranglais: Le Speech des vrais man du Mboa) it is “le speech des vrais
man du mboa” [the way of speaking known only to true Cameroonians]. This
broader Cameroonian dimension makes Camfranglais not a uniquely youth
phenomenon. However, youths tend to speak it more often and better than
grown-ups, who tend to speak more formally. Camfranglais is predominantly
a phenomenon of the urban youth in major urban centres, but in some rural
centres it may be found in secondary schools as well. In some peer-groups, it is
important to be able to speak Camfranglais so as to prove one’s social maturity.
However, Camfranglais is no longer necessarily spoken with antilinguistic inten-
tions. Youths who use it do not necessarily want to hide something, although
this is still a possibility. Typically, parents would not want their children to speak
Camfranglais, as they view it as an impediment to speaking and writing formal
French. In its earlier phase, it was more or less Mboko, which was considered the
French of thieves.
Sociologically speaking, Camfranglais, just like Lugha Ya Mitaani, an urban
youth version of Swahili spoken in Tanzania, is the essential marker of an urban
youth culture. Youths also use it to break from the stigma associated with Mboko.
In addition, youths who speak Camfranglais want to appear tough w ithout be-
ing seen as roughians. Camfranglais makes it possible to break away from
theperception of Pidgin English by Francophone urban youths as a language of
the uneducated and of the Anglophones, whom they typically consider to be
awkward. This is evidenced by the use of dysphemisms like “anglo,” “bamenda,”
“biafra” etcetera in Camfranglais. This contrast is made clear if we consider
popular music of the Camfranglais type as opposed to that of the Mboko type.
Mboko music relates more to the struggling masses while Camfranglais relates to
29
the stylish urban youth. Camfranglais would thus appear to be a softer version of
Mboko. The following social profile identified for Lugha Ya Mitaani by Kießling
and Reuters (2006:14) equally applies to Camfranglais:
Table 1: The social profile of speakers of Camfranglais
User group Predominantly adolescents

Acquisition Informal in peer-groups
Contexts of use Informal communication among equals
Functions Medium of horizontal communication; marker of youth
identity; solidarity and toughness; also demarcation.
Prestige Prestige among users, partially stigmatised as the French of
rascals and thieves; allegedly growing prestige in the society
as a whole.
Recently, Camfranglais has acquired greater presitge from hip-hop stars like
Koppo and Krotal. Urban Youth Contests have been organized in Yaoundé and
Douala for four years now, leading to the emergence of new popular C amfranglais
artists like Joalito Kaham (Hit song: “Le gney”). At the start of the 2000s, it has
found its way into print media with youth magazines like 100% Jeune publishing
some articles in Camfranglais. On the Internet it has also gained importance,
with communities of speakers being formed to communicate in Camfranglais.
Facebook and Youtube are among the main online platforms through which
people express themselves in Camfranglais.
3.2 Knowledge, use and attitudes

The generation of Cameroonians born in the late 1970s and 1980s in
Cameroonian urban centres grew up with Camfranglais as a ubiquitous

phenomenon. This generation of users is now between 30 and 40 years of age,
and still uses Camfranglais. However they tend to use it less as time goes by:
when they get involved in family life, they generally prefer speaking languages
other than Camfranglais in the presence of their children. C amfranglais remains
a predominantly youth phenomenon. It is perceived in various ways across so-
ciety. Ngefac (2011:121,122) presents results for a survey that signals 68percent
negative attitude towards Camfranglais, with respondents viewing it as the lan-
guage of rascals and irresponsible children, or as a childish language. However, I
am of belief that the rate of its negative perception is on the decline.
30
3.3 Diachronic aspects of Camfranglais
Camfranglais, as has been demonstrated in first section, is an old phenomenon.
It has now penetrated many spheres of the society, including advertising. Many
companies use it to target a greater audience. For example, mobile phone
operators in Cameroon make great use of it in product advertisements. It has
greatly penetrated the youth pop culture with the hip-hop style known as
“mboa,” making high use of this speech form. The liberalization of the audio-vis-
ual sector in Cameroon gave birth to many privately-owned radio and television
stations in the 2000s. Some of these have had programmes in Camfranglais. The
mere presence of a programme in Camfranglais is an indication of the spread of
the phenomenon. In 2013, the exclamation “hein père!” (made popular by the
pop artist Stanley Enow) was probably the most used in Cameroon, not only
by youths but also by adults who do not ordinarily speak Camfranglais. Dat-
ing the appearance of specific lexical items in Camfranglais is not a straightfor-
ward thing, although it could be estimated that the late 1990s and the 2000s were
the most productive periods of Camfranglais. This period saw the inclusion of
many non-pidgin words as well as semantic extentions of many existing words. It
should also be noted that, just like in any other language, words in Camfranglais
have a life span. Words like “aff ” (valuable article for sale), “agogo” (a watch),
“allô” (a lie/lies), “allôcataire” (a liar), “wah” (a girlfriend), “piak” (to take to one’s
heels), etcetera, are more or less out of popular usage today. One striking obser-
vation to be made about the vocabulary of Camfranglais is that only words that
come from languages other than Pidgin English tend to become archaic. Such a
conclusion can be drawn by taking a diachronic look at vocabulary items from
Pidgin English in Camfranglais contained in scientific articles in the 1980s and
1990s. Indeed, these vocabulary items do maintain their original meanings in
the majority of cases (96 percent), before adding new shades of meaning to the
original ones. The word “lass” will be used to illustrate what we mean. This item
means “buttocks” in Cameroon Pidgin English, both for a male and of a female,
without any other connotations. Upon entering into Camfranglais, it gained
greater sensual connotations collocating more often than not with the lexical
item “nga” (a lady or woman). From the mid 2000s13 onwards, a near synonym,
“nyass” appeared in Camfranglais. While “lass” originally means a lady’s but-
tocks, especially when a man finds them sexually attractive, “nyass” has evolved
13 “Nyass” does not appear in Feussi (2006) or in Kouega (2013). It is however is found
in most other corpora consulted online. All other corpora earlier than 2000 do not
have this lexical item.
31
to mean “making love.” This form, “nyass,” is close to the Nigerian Pidgin English
“nyash,” whose meaning is equally normally restricted to the buttocks. However,
“nyass” in Camfranglais means to have sex with a woman, while “lass” refers only
to buttocks, and in Nigerian Pidgin English, “nyash” does not ordinarily bear the
sense of having sex with a woman. The point is that “lass” has had a meaning
extention without becoming in itself archaic.
32
4 Lexical elaboration of Camfranglais
Camfranglais lexical items can be grouped into different semantic domains. As

we all know, there are several types of meaning, such as denotative, connotative,
associative, and stylistic meaning. What this entails is that a single lexical entry
may have several shades of meaning, and thus belongs to different semantic
domains. In such cases, it will be found under these different domains. Semantic
domains tend to overlap, as one may entail or include the other. Some word
types have a relatively low frequency of occurrence and they are grouped
instead of creating separate semantic fields for them. The idea in grouping
words into semantic domains is to indicate what the preoccupations of speakers
of Camfranglais are, and which domains appear to be more represented than
others. For example, words referring to sex, homosexuals and sensuality have
been grouped under the umbrella semantic domain “Sex and Sexuality.” Terms
used to denote homosexuals have also been listed under the domain “Humans
and Social Relationships. All in all, there is great overlap between the different
domains. Items that do not fall in any specific semantic domain were listed under
the catch-all category, “miscellaneous.” Data manipulation reveals the following
major semantic domains. They are first presented in the table and then discussed.
Table 2: Major semantic fields in Camfranglais
HUMANS AND SOCIAL Aboki, Acteur, Aise, Akondjoh, Alamimbu, Allô,
RELATIONS (248 items) Alhadji, Anglo, Anniv, Affichage, Afficher, Ass/Asso,
Atalakou, Ambiances, Ambiancer, Ambianceur, Baby,
Bahat, Bala, Bams, Bamenda, Bao, Boss, Beau, Bébé,
Biafra, Biblos, Big, Big rémé, Bigo, Bilingue, Bimane,
Bobo, Bock, Boges, Bojo, Un boir-le-vin, Bon-Blanc,
Bon-gars, Bordelle, Bosco, Bondir, Bosniaque, Boss,
Boy, Bouche, Faire la bouche/Mettre sa bouche/ Prendre
dans la bouche de quelqu’un, Bro, Brunette, Cadeauter,
Cadi, Call boxeur, Camer, Camerlock, Camois, Capo,
Casse-mbit, Center quelqu’un, Changer, Chanvrier,
Charbon, Charger, Chaud, Chier, Moins cher, Chop-
maîtrise, Cinema cadeau; Chop-nanga, Cochambrier,
Coco, Cœur, Coller chewing gum, Comot, Complice,
Comporter, Composer, Cops, Copo, Cota(r), Côte,
Couzo, Coyote, Dégagements, Depso, Diman, Dix,
Djague, Don, Débré, Dosier, Dasham, Décharger,
Dégammer, Dégammage, Déposer, Derrière, Devant
derrière, Diman, Dix, Djague, Dos, Dybo, Eboa,
Church, Echimbi, Echouer, Ecole, Etalage, Facaire, Fala,
33
Faim, Feyman, Fatigué(e), Finir, Fofole, Free, Gâter,
Garder, Go, Godasses, Grattage, Gratter, Ham, Hop-eye,
Hot, Inviter, Jeter, Kaolo, Kaolotiser, Katika, Kongossa,
Lom, Lourd, Maboya, Mazembe, Mater, Mbengueteur,
Mbenguetaire, Mbenguiste, Mbenguetaire, Mbindi,
Mbock, Metoch, Meuf, Mifa, Mot, Moto, Moumou,
Muna, Munatete/muna for tété/muna for capo, Nak,
Nana, Nanga-mboko, Nassara, Ncham, Ndok, Ndolè,
Nga, Ngengerou, Nges, Nges, Niangé, Niass, Niasseur/
Niasseuse, Njangi, Noyer, Niang, Ntchèlè,Onkal,
Pampambé, Pater, PB, Pédé, Petite, Pipo, Pleurer
quelqu’un, Popaul, Porter le sac, Position, Poteau,
Poussière, Recevoir, reme, Big reme, Refre, Resé, Rester,
Rince-rein, Rythmer, Sabitou, Simplifier, Sincou,
Sponsor, Suffer, Tantale, Tchango, Té, Témé, Terma,
Terpa, Tete, Jimtete, Tika, Tintin, Titulaire, Toc-toc, Tra,
Vanish, Vass, Vaps, Venir, Vèrè, Viveur, Wadjo, Wah,
Waka, Wat, Way, Wolowos, Work,
COMMUNICATION A1, Aah After, Aka, Akie, Ambiancer, Argent (Ça
(156 items) donne l’argent ?), Ashuka, Asia, Ask, Atalakou,
Affichage, Balok, Barrer, Bebele, Beg, Bep-bep, Better,
Bibliser, Brass, Call, Chat(er), Chegue, Chercher,
Chien, Choix, Chose, Comment, Composer, Conto,
Couper le crédit, Cry, Cuire, Deny, Danser (Que je
danse), Déchirer, Descendre, Dibo, Die De Lap (DDL),
Dire, Diva, Divers, Easy, Ekie, Embless, Erreur, Eshibi,
Fabriquer, Fatiguer Faire, Fiasquer, Fort, Francho,
Francanglais, Gagner, Gare, Genre, Gèrer, Gueuler /
faire la gueule, Goût, Grab, Grain, Guerre, Haut, Haya,
Hein père!, Helele, Hon hon hon, How, Ignorer, Iki,
Jos, Kai, Kana, Kongossa, Kouakou, Lait, Laver, Lukot,
Mama, Mama Sara, Ma mami, Manger, Marque,
Mboko, Mofmide, Monter, Montrer, Moule, Mov me
dey, Nak les commentaires, News, Okokolo, Owooh,
Papa, Pardon, Pauvre, Pepper, Pian, Pied, Popo, Poste,
Pousser, Tell, Prevenir, Qualité, Quoi, Rage, Réponse,
Rien, Sang, Sans, Sauf, Say, Sense, Serpent, Solfège,
Solféger, Taper, Tchamako, Temps, Topo, Tour, Verber,
Verser, Vrai, Vrai-vrai, Wee, Weke, Whitiser, Write,
Yémalé,Yes/ Yesoo,Yeush, Yich
BODY, APPEARANCE Acops, Affobo, Alhadji, Affichage, Anus, Bago,
AND OUTFIT (103 items) Bamenda, Bancal, Bele, Biblos, Black, Bobi, Bon- Blanc,
Bosco, Boss, Brun, Brunette, Calé, Capo,
34
Cass, Camnogo,Cerceau, Chaud, Chaussons, Chem,
Chombe, Coca alhadji, Complet-Complet, Congolibon,
Cougna-cougna, Court, Débat, Débout, Dégager,
Dégagements, Destroy, Don, Dshang Shoes, Eboa,
Elan-Elan, Emballer, Etounou, Fatigué(e), Fimba,
Fionlon, Fraicheur, Gèrer, Ghettosard, Gomme, Kaba,
Kongolibong, Koss-koss, Kotto, Longo-longo, Mabongo,
Mangeable, Mater, Matobo, Mbass, Mbomtolo, Métoch,
Mini-minor, Mingili, Modèle, Mon vieux, Ngup,
Njouksa, Noir(e), Nyanga, Nzam-nzam, Paire, Pan,
Pantacourt, Petit-modèle, Plaquette, Sancon also sans
confiance, Sape, Saper, Sapeur, secret, Serré-serré, Sexy
maquereau, Shoes, Tchaka, Tchomer, Tchouk me I die,
Ten, Tingé, Tochmé, Valise, Vèrè, Wat,
ECONOMY AND Aff, Appacher, Appacheur, Ass/Asso, Assurer, Bam,
MONEY (98 items) Bambe, Bensikin, Bimane, Bizgo, Boire son cerveau,
Bâton, Bimane, Bole avec, Bolo, Bordereaux, Borrow,
Buy, Cargo, Champs, Call box, Champs, Chantier,
Chercher, Cinq, Côté, Débré, Dembré, Djaraba,
Djimtete, Do, Elan-Elan, Fafio, Faim, Fap, Farot(age),
Faro-fao, Faroteur, Feuille, Demie-feuille, Mange-mille,
Feuille et demie, Fey, Finir, Foché, Foirage, Foiré, Force,
Frappe, Front, Gio, Gombo, Gombiste, Hap, Jaise,Jaiser,
Jaraba, Jetons, Katika, Kobo, Kolo, Lancer, Lourd, Main
levée, Mbourou, Motiver, Mougoutiser, Moyo, Mwa,
Nesbi, Ngeme, Ngoma, Njangi, Njokmassi, Nkap, Nyang,
Onze, Pambè, Pièce, Placer, Pointer, Pointage, Pointeur,
Ponda, Protéger, Rond, Saigner, Saignement, Tacler/
tacleur, Tchouker, Ten, Tum, Yotas
SEX AND SEXUALITY Appuyer, Assurer, Assureur, Baisser, Ballon d’or, Bangala,
(144 items) Bangaliser, Baramine, Bele, Bic (son bic n’écrit pas),
Bigo, Bilingue, Bobi, Bole avec, Bon gars, Bordelle,
Brouter, Bunja, Calé, Casse-mbit , Casser (le derrière),
Centrale, Chat mort, Chatter, Chaussette, Chicotte,
Chose, Combo, Compteur, Couper, Coyote, Cuire, Cul,
Cut, Depso, Débat, Débout, Ecraser, Faire, Fall, Fendre,
Fesses, Fesser, Fika, Fom, Fuck, Gnass, Grain, Haricot,
Jachère, Jembe, Kama sutra, Katéré zout, Kola, Kombo,
Komot, Kout, Lass, Laver le ndolè, Léger, Libérer, Limer,
Lolo, Miss lolo, Maboya, Mandarines, Mangues, Match,
Mbinda, Mbit, Mbock, Meuf, Mitumba, Mop, Mot,
Mougnon, Mpoti, Muna, Munyenge, Nana, Ndolo, Nga,
Ngondele, Niangé, Niass, Niasseur/Niasseuse, Nioxer,
Niquer, Njih, Njomba, Noyaux, Ntchèlè, Ntot,
35
Ntuma, Ntui, Open, Oranges, Petite, Piffer, Pineco, Pipo,
Pistache, Pistacher, Plantain, Plastique, Poteau, Preso,
Rally, Recto-verso, Rince-rein, Sacager, Sopré, Tanner,
Taxi, Tchango, Tchoukam pass, Titulaire/titus/, Tobassi,
Tomahawk, Tuer, Verber, Waka, Wangala, Wekop,
Wolowos, Zapper, Zekezeke, Zoze
EXPERIENCE AND Ambiancer, Amère, Attacher, Bad, do bad, Ya bad, Bahat,
FEELING (97 ITEMS) Besh, Boire, Born, Cadeauter, Cass, Chaud, Chier, chop,
Cry, Dégager, Dégammer, Die, Do, Dormir, Drink,
Embrouiller, Enjoy, Etaler, Fall, Fear, Fey, Finir, Forget,
Fouiller, Absenter (quelqu’un), Faire la danse Bafia,
Djam, Feeling, Folere, Kef, Krish, Kwench, Lap, Lapant,
Life, Live, Look, Loss, Love, Macabo, Maîtrise, Mak,
Mal, Manières, Meng, Mimba, Mimbayance, Minutes,
Modèle, Mofmide, Motoh, Mousser, Munyenge,
Nang, Ndo, Ndolo, Nerf, Nerveux, Nguouon, Noyer,
Ntong, Num, Numba, Nye, Paple, Sentir, Sia, Suffer,
Tayam, Tatik, Tas, Témoigner, Tensionner, Tester,
Think, Trembler/Trembleur, Vex, Wanda, Wandayant,
Wandafout, Wounded, Ya, Yayances, Yong, Zen
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL Alcool, Arata, Baro, Bateau, Boire son cerveau, Etre
(43 items) bon, Champi, Champicoter, Chanvrier, Coca Alhadji
see Alhadji, Dak, Drink, Flo Le gué, Herbe, High, Jong,
Jongeur, Jongman, Lion d’Or, Lob, Lob Man, Mbanga,
Mbangataire, Mimbo, Njap, Nkou, Poter, Prendre, Siffler,
Sky, Tongo/tongoman, Vin, Zion
MOVEMENT AND Back, Bensikin, Bring, Bunya, Caisse, Caler, Came,
VEHICLES (36 items) Cargo, Cha, Comot, Décaler, Fendre, Mettre le feu,
Frappe, Gnole, Go, Komot, Mara, Merco, Molo-molo,
Move, Nayo-nayo, Ndangwa, Nyongo, OPEP, Pemcale,
Piak, Poum, Sabotage, Saboter, Taco/Takesh, Take,
Tracer, Travel
EVALUATION AND Al, All, All le mot, Allyday/all les days, Amère, Autre,
MEASUREMENT Avoir un peu, Baba, Bad, Bahat, Balaise, Better, Bombe,
(126 items) Bichakala, Bobo, Bomae, Bombe, Brut, Cata-cata, Ca ne
cha pas, Cœur, Consto, Cool, Déchirer, Dents, Djinja,
Dormir, Donner, Doser, Ducoutement, Dunkof, Dur,
Easy, Eau, Fastoche, Fatigué(e), Le feu sort, First, Flop,
Flou, Franchement, Frais, From, Fumant, Gauche,
Grasse, Grave, Hap, Higher (level), Hoha, Horoscope,
Jim, Kan-kan, Kenge, Kobo, Kosam, L’eau-l’eau, Las,
Level, Like, Magie, Mal, Maman, Mbindi, Mbomtolo,
Mingili, Mo, Moitié-moitié, Monstre, Mort, Moumou,
36
Munatete/muna for tété/muna for capo, Nathing, New,
Nyang-nyang, Niama-niama, Nicaise, Nieman, Njinja,
Njong, Nyanga, Over done, Over sabi, Pampambé, Paple,
Pash, Penia, Percer, Peser, Pet-Pet, Pima, Popo, Prend-
prend, Prêt, Propre, Sabitou, Sac, Shap, Tchinda, Tintin,
Top, Toto, Trong, Tuer, Villageois, Villaps, Viveur, Wasa-
wasa, Wise
VIOLENCE, Akondjoh, Aller à Kumba, Attaquer, Awash(er),
ILLEGALITY AND Awasheur, Bagando, Back-back, Blow, Boblè, Boumlam,
TROUBLE (72 items) Café, Catch, Cha, Chandelliser, Chercher, Clash,
Cora, Doser, Direct, Faire, Boire quelqu’un / boire
l’eau sur quelqu’un Embrouiller, Fala, Faxer, Fey, Flou,
Feyman, Frappe, Frapper, Frappeur, Ham, Hambok,
Kop niè, Kumba, Lâcheté, Latcho, Macro, Malambi,
Malho, Moronto, Motion, Mougoutiser, Mwa le niè,
Nanga-mboko,ndem, Njang/ Njanga, Nwa, Organiser
quelqu’un, Pala-pala, Para, Pet, Retour, Schlap, Schwa,
Sissia, Sissongho, Sonner, Spirit, Tchoko, Té, Ton-ton,
Traiter, Zouazoua
FOOD AND EATING Atangana bread, Bifaka, Chop, Cook, Damé, Djaff,
(31 items) Drink, Doser, Eat, Cinquante-cinquante, Gaz, Gneibs,
Jaf, Jazz, Jazzer, Jus, Kumbu, Lofombo, Madiba, Mbunga,
Ndiba, Ndok, Niamangolo, Paf, Plein, Poster, Soya, Taps,
Verser
CRIME AND POLICE Awash(er), Bagando, Back-back, Baptiser, Baptème,
(39 items) Bosh, Braquer/Braqueur, Café, Chef bandit, Chop-
nanga, Dingis, flic, Foufoum, Hold, Kapa, Ketouh, Kick,
Kin, Kill, Killam, Kung-fu, Lober, Mazembe, Mbéral / la
mbéral, Mbere, Mwa niè, Ndang, Ndoss, Ngata, Ngass,
Ngataman, Nieman, Tchouking, Tif, Zouazoua
EDUCATION (32 items) Beco, Beps, Bic, Bichakala, Boi/Boileau, Bord, Bosh/
Bosheur/ Boshing, Bucher, Compo, Coran,Coraniser,
Crayon, Dico, Eau, Echouer, Ecole, Facaire, Fax,Faxer,
Fréquenter, Fronter, Kaolo, Kilombo, L’eau, Lang, Lewa,
Lico, Loss, Lyce, NST, Probat, Rafalle, School, Win
CULTURAL AND Biper, Call box, Affichage, Options, Parpaing,
TECHNOLOGICAL Tchoronko
INNOVATION (6 items)
TIME (12 items) After, Begin, Bole, Consto, Allyday/all les days, Day, De
from, Depuis from, Ducoutement, Everyday, Le sharp,
Morrow
37
DISEASES, BELIEF, Alamimbou, Alhadji, Attacher, Blinder, Camnogo,
WITCHCRAFT AND Cadi, Clampser, Compliqué, Famla, God, Guitare,
MEDICINE (31 items) Kalangwang, Katika, Kong, Moussong, Mukuanye, Ndo,
Ndutu, Ngang, Ngrimba, Ngwati, Sango pasto, Préparer,
Simple, Sortir la nuit, Sticmyc, Vendre, Wish
GEOGRAPHY AND 237, Bakassi, Baghdad, Baro, Bateau, B-H, B-H-B, Bled,
PLACES(45 items) BT, Bunker, Cam, Camer, Cepla, Chamboule, Chantier,
Church, Circuit, Elobi, Gazon, Kamer, Kossovo, Kwat,
Sous-kwat, Kwater, Làhkam, Letch, Letchois, Loco,
Long, Mapan, Market, Mbeng, Mboa, Mboko, Ngola/
Ngo, Ngoko, Piaule, Poteau, Secteur/Secto, Shaba/
Shabayeur, Stationnement, States/Statois, Terre,
Tourne-dos,
SPORTS AND Acteur, Anniv, Atalakou, Arts, Bal à terre, Bally-
ENTERTAINMENT(68 bally, Chef Bandit, Baptème, Baptiser, Black, Bonbon,
items) Bonboner, Bougi, Boum, Boumboum, Boxam, Boxer,
Brassard, BT, Bunja(¡), Calcio, Carton, Chandelle,
Chandelliser, Changeam, Charger, Choc, Choquer,
Circuit, Clash, Coller, Coma, Cora, Corater, Coté,
Cuillère, Cuillérer, Damba, Délivrer, Deux-zéro, Enjoy,
Fap-fap, Farot(age), Fêtard, Koubi, Map, Mouilleur,
Moutoumbou, Mouv, Ndamba, Ndoshi, Njambo,
Njamboteur, Njaso, Njoka, Nzolo, Pick, Plumer, Saka,
Sans, Sekele, Shake, Tchaka, Tiercé, Train, Win, Zinc,
Zingué
WEAPONS (3 items) Baramine, matériel, gun
MISCELLANEOUS Back, Barrer, Beau-regard, Begin, Besh, Blem, Bok, Bole,
(63 items) Bondir, Boro, Borrow, Bring, Cadi, Camfranglais, Cako,
Change, Chichi, Chombe, Conto, Cut, Dash (am), Djam,
Do, Embless, Entendre, Fala, Feeling, Ficham, Find,
Amerlock, Deny, Fall, Fann, Ficham, Find, First, Fouiller,
Gettam, Gi, Helep, Hold, Jum, Know, Kwa, Lep, Maquis,
Mboma, Meet, Meetup, Morrow, Mota, Name, Nat, Ndo,
Ndomo, Ngomna, Ngoum, Nia, Niama, Night, Njoter,
Njoteur, Njoh, Number, Nwah, Nyap, Passe, Pum, Put,
Reach/Reacham, Rebegin, Run, Salaka, Sasaye, Salot,
Sanguinaire, Sasayé, Sauveteur, Sauveur, Sawa, Scinder,
Sciencer, Send, Seul-seul, Seulement, Shiba, Show,
Soche, Sock-sock, Speak, Stay, Today, Tof, Touch, Wait,
Wash, War, Wekop
FORMS OF ADDRESS, Abeg/I beg, Aboki, Alhadji, Bao, Boss, Tu bois quoi?,
POLITENESS AND Bojo, Boy, Bro, Cut/Couper/Donner le café à quelqu’un,
RESPECT (56 items) capo, Cops, Copo, Grand/Ma grand, How, Jo, Joueur,
38
Kombi, Koppo, Ma copine, Magnan, Mami-nyanga, Mami,
Man, Man Basaa, Masho, Massa, Mbom, Mbombo, Mbra,
Meilleur, Mola, Morrow, Mota, Moyo, Ndolè, Nyango, Os,
Pasho, Perika, Personne, Mon petit, Presi, Tara, Type
INSULTS (56 items) Aah, Abacha, Alamibou, Allocataire, Anglo, Ashuka,
Baba, Bamenda, Bancal, Bar (les commentaires du bar),
Biafra/Biafrais, Bichakala,bock/boges, Brass, Chégué,
Boir-le-vin, Chien vert, Don, Echimbi, Eleke man, Kosh,
Lassa/ Lassa man, Lent, Longo-longo, Manan, Marabout,
Mbut, Mbutman, Mbutuku, Mougou, Move, Moumou,
Nathing, Ndeman, Ndepso, Ndoss, Niamangolo, Niangé,
Njouksa, Ntchèlè, Peter l’air/jetter l’air/fuir l’air, Peteuse,
Sapack, Shuan, Waka,
VALUABLES (12 items) Agogo, Bago, Bizgo, Bunya, Caisse, Gnole, Jaise, Kaku,
Merco, Nesbi, Options, Tok
As seen from the table above, the major semantic fields of Camfranglais are:
1. Humans and Social Relations (n=248, including the sub-fields “Socio-
professional Roles,” “Social Status and Attributes,” “Men and Women” and
“Descriptions of Everyday Life Situations”).
2. Communication (n=156, including “Discourse markers,” “Regular
Expressions,” “Greetings,” “Idioms and Proverbs,” “Speakers’ Attitudes,”

“Words Denoting Speech acts” and “Language”).
3. Sex and Sexuality (n=144, including “Sexual Organs,” “Sexual Intercourse
and Sexual/Homosexual Practices” and “Sex Life”).
4. Evaluation and Measurement (n=126, including “Value Judgement,”
“Quality,” “Quantity” and “Intensity”).
5. Body and Appearance (n=103, including “Remarkable Body Features,” “Skin
Colour and Complexion” and “Shoes, Clothing and Hairstyle”).
6. Economy and money (n=98, including “Money,” “Lucrative Acivities,” and
“Socio-financial Status”).
7. Experience and Feeling (n=97, including “Feelings: Love, Joy, Pain, Anger”
and “Attitude: Showing off ”)
8. Violence, illegality and trouble (n=69, including “Violence,” “Illegal Activi-
ties” and “Fights”).
9. Sports and Entertainment (n=68, including “Sports” and “Entertainment”).
10. Forms of Address, Politeness and Respect (n=56, including “Address Terms,”
“Terms of Deference,” and “Politeness”).
11. Insults (n=56, including “Terms of Abuse and Condescension”).
39
1. Geography and Places (n=45, including “Names of Countries and Towns” and
“Specific Places Associated with Specific Activities”).
2. Crime and Police (n=39, including “Criminal Activities” and “Police Coun-
ter Action”).
3. Drugs and Alcohol (n=36, including “Drugs” and “Alcohol”).
4. Movement and Vehicles (n=30, including “Movement of Humans and Trans-
portation” and “Vehicles”).
5. Education (n=32, including “Terms Relating to Schools and Education”).
6. Diseases, Medicine and Witchcraft (n=31, “Diseases,” “Medicine” and
“Witchcraft”).
7. Food and Eating (n=31,including “Food Items” and “Eating and Eating
Habits”).
8. Time (n=12, including “Time”).
9. Valuables (n=12, including “Objects of Value”).
The above count does not take into account miscellaneous items (n=63), cultural
and technological innovation (n=06) and weapons (n=03). As can be observed,
words relating to humans and social relationships have the highest occurrence in
Camfranglais. Contrary to Kouega’s (2013:47) observation that terms referring
to drugs are rare in Camfranglais, they have a noticeable presence in our corpus.
Here they have been linked to alcohol consumption and to getting high after
consuming them, as well as misbehaving, or suffering from negative effects after
consumption. Kouega (ibid: 47–50) does not give any statistics about the rela-
tive occurrence of words in different semantic domains. The different semantic
domains are discussed in turn.
4.1 Humans and Social Relations

This domain is made up of several other semantic sub domains as follows.
4.1.1 Socio-professional roles

This sub-category is made-up of 21 items relating to activities people carry out
for a living: Aboki, Alamimbu, Maboya, Mazembe, Nanga-mboko, Call boxeur,
Feyman, Poteau, Boges, Bordelle, Nges, Nges, Niangé, Mbock, Wolowos, Waka,
Ass, Asso, Bock, and Docta. Amongst these items, nine terms refer to prostitutes.
All of these terms are female and there is no male equivalent for prostitute. These
terms are: Boges, Bordelle, Nges, Nges, Niangé, Mbock, Wolowos, Waka, Poteau,
Work and Maboya.
40
4.1.2 Social Status & Attributes
Terms which fall within this category do not refer to professional categories.
Rather, they are linked to status and perceptions of individuals within the society
as having high or low prestige, as being close or distant; or as having an outstand-
ing trait. It includes the following 60 terms:
Bao, Boss, Bimane, Bobo, Boss, Capo, Cops, Copo, Don, Cota(r), Jimtete,
Sponsor, Rince-rein, Rythmer, Coyote, Chop-nanga, Chanvrier, Alhadji, Chaud,
Wah, Tchango, Moumou, Muna, Munatete/muna for tété/muna for capo, Titu-
laire, Niass, Niasseur/Niasseuse, Tete, Dosier, Echimbi, Echouer, Ecole, Etalage,
Facaire, Fala, Faim, Fala, Tintin, Ndolè, Nak, Atalakou, Lourd, Mbengueteur,
Mbenguiste, Mbenguetaire, Acteur, Coller chewing gum, Sabitou, Toc-toc, Fo-
fole, Un boir-le-vin, Casse-mbit, Moins cher, Viveur and Bon-gars.
4.1.3 Men and Women

This semantic category comprises 65 lexical items that denote men and women.
Among these items, 20 terms denote family relations and ties (father, mother,
sister, brother etcetera) as follows: Beau, Big, Big rémé, Sincou, Sinecou, Mifa,
Tantale, Terma, Terpa, Mater, Couzo, Reme, Big reme, Refre, Resé, Onkal, Pa-
ter, Bro and Mbindi. The following items 16 denote tribal belonging, what part
of Cameroon one is from, race, and appellations related to complexion: Anglo,
Bams, Bamenda, Bosniaque, Wadjo, Biafra, Camer, Camerlock, Camois, Biblos,
Metoch, Wat, Nassara, Bon-Blanc, Ngengerou and Brunette. 12 items are names
referring to young girls: Bébé, Coco, Djague, Go, Nga, Nana, Baby, Meuf, Mot,
Moto, Pampambé and Petite.
Unlike in Lugha ya Mitaani, in which there are many terms denoting ho-
mosexuals, only five terms have been identified in Camfranglais to denote ho-
mosexuals: Bilingue, Depso, Ntchèlè, Pédé and Recto-Verso. To these could be
added the expressions “fendre le derrière/ casser le derrière” used to denote ho-
mosexual practice. Seven terms typically refer to males, and are the following:
Bojo, Boy, Diman, Dix, Complice, Dybo, and Popaul. Two of them, “Dix” and
“Complice” could however be used for ladies as well. “Popaul” is a word used
exclusively to refer to the present Head of State.
4.1.4 Descriptions of Everyday Life Situations

This semantic category (101) contains terms that bear on the different facets of
societal life. For example, the category includes words for lying, being mouthy,
begging excessively etcetera.
41
4.2 Communication
Just as in Lugha Ya Mitaani, the field of communication is the most elaborated
in Camfranglais, comprising 158 items. A few expressions relate to manner of
speaking (four): Bibliser, Solfège, Solféger and Whitiser. These expresions all mean
to speak like a white person. The following words: Ask, Barrer, Bep-Bep, Brass, Call,
Chatter, Composer, Conto, Cry, Descendre (10 items) all refer to communicative
acts. The remaining items listed under this semantic domain are all popular
exclamations, proverbs, idioms etcetera, which regularly occur in the course of
conversations. Many of them are discourse markers. Two items, Camfranglais and
Francamglais, are the names speakers give to their way of speaking.
4.3 Sex and Sexuality

This domain is the second most elaborated single domain in Camfranglais
(144 items). It is one of the top topics of discussion in Camfranglais and shall
be treated in great detail here. Sexual intercourse is the most represented of
sub-domain with 33 items denoting sex. These items depict sex as an act in
which the male is the agent and the female the recipient. They are the following:
Appuyer, Bangaliser, Bole avec, Chicotte, Chose, Combo, Couper, Cut, Ecraser,
Faire, Fesser, Fika, Fom, Fuck, Gnass, Kombo, Kout, Laver le ndolè, Léger, Libé-
rer, Limer, Match, Mbinda, Ntot, Ntuma, Ntui, Niass, Nioxer, Niquer, Pistacher,
Sacager, Tanner, Tuer and Zekezeke.
Gay sex is represented with seven terms: Baisser, Bilingue, Depso, Fen-
dre, Ntchèlè, Recto-verso and Casser le derrière. These terms are also s lanted
towards males, and there is no word in our data that distinctly denotes a
lesbian. Additionally, 14 words denote the sexual organs of both men and
women: Bangala, Baramine, Bic (son bic n’écrit pas), Tomahawk, Haricot, Mbit,
Mitumba, Plantain, Wangala, Zoze, Lass, Mougnon, Njih and Pistache. The last
four items of the foregoing list designate the vagina. Six items denote a woman’s
breasts: Bobi, Lolo, Miss lolo, Mandarines, Mangues and Oranges. These items
express different sizes and shapes of breasts via fruit imagery. Five items refer
to the woman’s buttocks: Cul, Débat, Fesses, Katéré zout, Lass. The remaining
items in this semantic domain have different bearings. A loose-living girl has
several names (15): Bordelle, Casse-mbit, Chat mort, Compteur, Coyote, Pipo,
Kola, Rince-rein, Maboya, Mbock, Niangé, Niasseuse, Tchoukam pass, Taxi,
Waka and Wolowos. Many of these words mean the same as “prostitute.” Be-
ing sex-hungry is termed “jachère,” pants are referred to as “calé,” and “open”
is to devirginize a woman. Being a prostitute or frequenting them is linked
42
to the term “poteau.” A kiss on the mouth is called “centrale,” and a French
kiss is “mop.” Condoms are referred to with four terms: Chaussette, Plastique,
Preso and Sopré. Girls for whom men have sexual attraction are referred to
with the following 11 terms: Meuf, Muna, Bigo, Nana, Nga, Ngondele, Petite,
Pineco (“bon gars” and “Titulaire/titus” for men for whom ladies are sexually
attracted). Having feelings of love for someone is indicated with four words:
Piffer, Munyenge, Ndolo and Yamo. Making an amorous or sexual advance is
done in the following three terms: Verber, Grain and Mot. Accepting an amo-
rous offer is “fall.” Bringing sexual satisfaction to one’s sexual partner is termed:
Assurer or Assureur. Dating is called “komot,” and telling one’s partner off is
“zapper.” A concubine is called “njomba,” a rival “tchango,” and using charms
to make someone fall in love with you is “tobassi.” Words relating to an erection
are “débout” and “wekop.” Ejaculating is called “jembe”; cunnilingus is called
both “brouter” and “chatter.” Pregnancy is referred to with three terms: Ballon
d’or, Bele and Bunja. When many men make love to a woman at the same time,
it is called “mpoti” or “rally.” “Kama sutra” is a sexual position, and “noyaux” a
man’s testicles.
4.4 Evaluation & Measurement

This domain is dominated by adjectives (46) which render quality judgements.
The tendency is to use superlatives to describe something or a situation either
positively or negatively. 18 of these adjectives are superlatives which epress high
quality in objects and persons: Amère, Bad, Balaise, Top, Wise, Propre, Prêt,
Niang-Niang, Nicaise, Frais, Fumant, Brut, Cool, Penia, Popo, Nyanga, Mo and
New. Seven adjectives express negative evaluation: Bomae, Wasa-wasa, Dunkof,
Gauche, Kan-kan, Paple and Flou. The remaining 21 adjectives express difficulty
or ease, size, etcetera. Nouns (34) are the second most represented category un-
der this semantic domain. They are names of other persons, objects or things,
or simply borrowings from other languages used to evaluate firstly persons and
then situations and objects. For example, Munatete/muna for tété/muna for capo,
Sabitou, Tchinda, Tintin, Toto and Villaps are terms used to evaluate persons in
terms of how well-to-do they are, their attitude, and their appearance. Verbs (14)
contain expressions of quality judgement: Avoir un peu, Ca ne cha pas, Cœur,
Déchirer, Dents, Doser, Dormir, Donner, Le feu sort, Percer, Peser, Prend-prend,
Tuer and Pash. Adverbs (17) exclusively give frequency and degree: Al, All, All
le mot, Allyday/all les days, Better, Consto, Ducoutement, Flop, Franchement,
First, From, Hap, Hoha, Las, Mort, Nieman and Grave.
43
4.5 Body & Appearance
Body and appearance related items emphasize remarkable body features as well as
deformities. They also highlight hairstyle and dressing style, as well as racial origin
and complexion. Wheter one is fat, thin, or tall is important. The type of clothing
one puts on is important as well. Clothing in general is called by five terms: Chombe,
Tchomer, Tingé, Sape, Secret. One’s best clothing is called “dernière valise.” Attrac-
tive dressing is covered by the general terms “saper” and “sapeur.” Tight-fitting dress-
ing for women is referred to as: Serré-serré, Sexy m aquereau and Emballer. Shoes
have 11 different names and are of various types: Bago, Dshang Shoes, Gomme,
Koss-koss, Ngup, Paire, Sancon also sans confiance, Shoes, Tchaka, Tchouk me I
die and Ten. A shirt is called “chem” and when the shirt and the trousers are of
the same type, it is referred to as “complet-complet.” “Chaussons” are ankle socks.
Trousers are called “pan.” “Destroy” and “pantacourt” are types of trousers. “Kaba”
is a popular women’s gown. Begging or borrowing clothing items from people is
pejoratively known as “vèrè.” Skin colour and racial appearance is covered by the
following nine terms: Biblos, Black, Brun, Brunette, Bon-Blanc, Métoch, Noir (e),
Tochmé and Wat. Physical appearance is discussed in terms of size and height with
the following 10 terms: Mbass, Mbomtolo, Nzam-nzam, Mini-minor, Longo-longo,
Court, Mingili, Modèle, Etounou and Petit-modèle. It is also discussed in terms of
one’s outward appearance. One may thus appear to be old enough to be someone’s
mother, old enough to start having sex with, well-to-do, from a poor neighbour-
hood or village, awkward or from the English-speaking part of the country (16
terms): Cougna-cougna, Elan-Elan, Mangeable, Mater, gerer, Ghettosard, Njouksa,
Chaud, Dégager, Dégagements, Fraicheur, Nyanga, Alhadji, Bamenda, Boss and
Capo. Hairstyle and appearance are discussed with seven terms: Acops, Fionlon,
Kongolibong, Mon vieux, Matobo, Congolibon and Cerceau. Four terms describe
sexually marked body parts are essentially female, and refer to protruding buttocks
and breasts: Affobo, Anus, Débat and Bobi. The terms “plaquette” and “bosco” are
exclusively male and refer to a well-toned abdomen and to a well-built man, re-
spectively. Leg shape is described in terms of: Mabongo, Bancal and Kotto. Finally,
“fimba” marks resemblance, “cass” refers to a tired-looking appearance, “bele” to a
protruding stomach during pregnancy, and “camnogo” a dreaded skin disease.
4.6 Economy and money

In this semantic category, 28 percent of the 98 items denote money or currency
items: Bam, Bâton, Bordereaux, Cinq, Djaraba, Fafio, Feuille, Force, Demie-
feuille, Fap, Feuille et demie, Kobo, Gombo, Hap, Jaraba, Jetons, Kolo, Mbourou,
44
Moyo, Mwa, Ngoma, Nkap, Pièce, Ponda, Rond, Ten and Yotas. This is an in-
dication of the central role money plays in Camfranglais. Another eight items
refer to being broke: Foché, Foirage, Foiré, Dembré, Elan-Elan, Faim, Ngeme,
Onze. Lucrative activities and crookish manoeuvres involving money are indi-
cated by 30 different terms: Aff, Appacher, Appacheur, Ass/Asso, Bolo, Boire,
Borrow, Tacler/tacleur, Mougoutiser, Frappe, Fey, Pointer, Pointage, Pointeur,
Chantier, Chercher, Côté, Débré, Gio, Gombo, Gombiste, Cargo, Champs,
Call box, Champs, Bambe, Bensikin, Bimane, Bizgo, Katika, Bimane, Nesbi,
Njangi, Njokmassi, Nyang, Placer, Protéger, Tum, Pambè, Jaise, Jaiser, Front and
Mange-mille. To spend money in various ways and for different purposes are
denoted with the following 13 terms: Bole avec, Borrow, Buy, Farot(age), Faro-
faro, Faroteur, Finir, Hap, Lancer, Saigner, Saignement, Tchouker and Main
levee. One who has a lot of money is also referred to as “djimtete” or “lourd.”
4.7 Experience and feeling

This category is a mix of terms that express feelings of anger, joy, fear, or brag-
ging, etcetera. There is no strong tendency to signal in this category. Refer to
Table 2 for a list of items that fall within this category.
4.8 Violence, illegality and trouble

In this semantic category, terms that express violent behavior as well as illegal
activities have been identified. Fights and other offences are listed here. H
owever,
criminal activities such as killing and going to jail are discussed in the semantic
category of crime and police.
4.9 Sports & Entertainment

In this semantic domain, two ball games are represented with a total of
23 different terms. Football includes: Baptème, Baptiser, Choc, Choquer, Boum,
Boumboum, Brassard, BT, Bunja, Calcio, Train, Win, Ndamba, Deux-zéro,
Changeam, Cuillère,Cuillérer, Damba, Mouilleur, Nzolo, Clash, Charger and
Njaso.. Basketball is denoted with “bonbon” and “bonboner.” Items that clus-
ter around these two sports express dribbling moves, scoring goals, being good
or bad at the sport, etcetera. A child’s game, “ndoshi,” also falls within this cat-
egory, as well a horse race popularly known as “tiercé.” A card game is also well
represented in the lexical collection of this semantic domain (“fap-fap”). It is a
gambling game which is played for financial gain. Words that revolve around
45
this card game include the following 16 terms: Boxam, Boxer, Carton, Black,
Fap-fap, Cora, Corater, Pick, Zinc, Tchaka, Koubi, Map, Njambo, Njamboteur,
Coté and Plumer. Three items that belong to martial arts are also attested in the
data: Arts, Chandelle and Chandelliser. Entertainment revolves mainly around
merry-making. This includes these 17 items: Anniv, Atalakou, Bal à terre, Njoka,
Fêtard, Moutoumbou, Mouv, Saka, Sans, Sekele, Shake, Zingué, Coller, Enjoy,
Farot(age), Bougi and Circuit. Other aspects of entertainment include the fol-
lowing three movie words: Acteur, Chef bandit and Coma. Video game terms
include “bally-bally” and “délivrer.”
4.10 Forms of Address, politeness and Respect

Terms that fall within this category mark vertical relationships. They equally
express respect and deference. They are also quite often used to flatter the ego
of collocutors in order to obtain favours. Some of them include: Ma copine,
Magnan, Mami-nyanga, etcetera.
4.11 Insults
Insults bear on physical deformities, tribal/regional origin, and negative social
attributes or perceptions, like being a thief or a prostitute.
4.12 Geography and places

This category contains marked places and prestigious countries abroad, as well
as ordinary everyday places associated with eating, shopping, dancing, etcetera.
Marked places include poor neighbourhoods usually named after warring parts
of the world.
4.13 Crime & police

Items in this category cluster around stealing, killing, police intervention and
going to jail.
4.14 Drugs and Alcohol

This domain contains illicit drugs as well as liquours. Indian hemp is the main
drug here. Cigarettes are also listed, as youths who smoke tend to be negatively
viewed. The logic binding words that fall within this category, and which will
ease their understanding is that consumption leads to getting high and ultimately
to addiction.
46
4.15 Movement & vehicles
Here different means of transportation have been listed. Additionally, terms
related to impounding vehicles have been included. Movement on foot, by car
etcetera have equally been listed.
4.16 Education
This semantic domain comprises 11 terms that denote or connote hard work
in order to succeed: Boi/Boileau, Bord, Bosh/Bosheur/Boshing, Bucher, Co-
ran, Coraniser, Fax, Faxer, Fronter, Kaolo and Lang; along with five terms for
different examinations: Beco, Beps, Probat, Compo and Lico. There are also
major expressions, such as failing in an examination (“echouer,” “loss”), passing
(“win”), the school premises (“school,” “lyce,” “lewa,” “ecole,”), sleeping with a
teacher or lecturer for academic favours (“NST”), cheating on an exam by taking
it for someone else (“kilombo”), being dismissed from school (“rafalle”), leaked
exams (“eau”), and doing advanced studies (“crayon,” “fréquenter”).
4.17 Diseases, Medicine & Witchcraft

The majority of terms in this category relate to metaphysical attacks and to pro-
tecting oneself against them by visiting witch-doctors. Terms here also refer to
God, who is viewed as protection against such practices.
Other minor semantic categories include “Valuables,” which contains 12 terms
denoting commercial value that usually are for sale or could easily be sold be-
cause of their quality, should the need arise: Agogo, Bago, Bizgo, Bunya, Caisse,
Gnole, Jaise, Kaku, Merco, Nesbi, Options and Tok. Cultural and technological
innovation revolves mainly around mobile phones: Biper, Call box, Affichage,
Options, Parpaing and Tchoronko. It should be noted that mobile phones were
introduced to Cameroon in the early 2000s. Finally, “Time” as a semantic cat-
egory expresses frequency, duration and sequence with the following 12 terms:
After, Begin, Bole, Consto, Allyday/all les days, Day, De from, Depuis from, Du-
coutement and Everyday.
47
5 The poetic making of Camfranglais
As previously discussed, Camfranglais is essentially a phenomenon of lexical

manipulation. Some items maintain their old forms, yet many more take

on other forms. In this regard, it is important to discuss the creation of new
lexical items from older ones. Prima facie observation of Camfranglais gives the
impression that its present lexical structure is solely the result of borrowing from
other languages such as French, Pidgin/English, Duala, Fufulde, and Ghomala.
The easy conclusion would be that Camfranglais is a mixture of lexical elements
from different languages in a French matrix. Inasmuch as borrowings whose
form has not been altered exist, the greater majority of borrowed items have
undergone phonological, morphological as well as semantic modification. Some
of the unmodified borrowed lexical items include:
Table 3: Some unmodified borrowings in Camfranglais
Words Origin and original meaning Camfranglais meaning

Abeg Pidgin, “please” “please”
Ask Pidgin, “to ask/ ask for” “to ask/ask for”
Hambok Pidgin, “to trouble or disturb” “to trouble or disturb”
Ndangwa Duala, “to walk” “to walk”
However, it should be said that maintaining an unchanged, original form does

not exclude the addition of parallel forms. For example, the word “ask” above
has a parallel form, “askam,” which from my personal experience as user of
Camfranglais came into popular usage long after “ask.” Urban youth languages,
as Kießling and Reuster-Jahn (2006:35) highlight combine:
…an artistic, a competitive and a provocative element. This is reflected in linguistic
form by a particular emphasis on strategies of manipulation such as hyperbole and dys-
phemism, phonological truncation / clipping and dummy affixation, the use of bor-
rowed affixes, partly in new functions and operating on foreign material.
Such manipulations are also found in Camfranglais, and will be discussed in this
section. Generally speaking, words whose current meanings in Camfranglais
are obtained by semantic manipulation, as opposed to morpho-phonological
change, account for about 10.38 percent of lexical elaboration in Camfranglais,
as shown by collected data. The greater share of vocabulary items (about 90
49
percent) are the outcome of the direct borrowing of lexical items without ma-
nipulation, of original forms co-existing with manipulated forms, and finally of
manipulation of form during the course of the borrowing process. For about 10
percent of collected lexical items, etymological origin was not obtained. The fol-
lowing sub-sections will shed light on the processes of semantic manipulation
involved in Camfranglais and establish their relative importance. Cognitive mo-
tivation of lexical creation in Camfranglais is thus the crux of the discussions in
this section. The intention is to make access to the genius behind Camfranglais
accessible even to outsiders.
5.1 Metaphorical Source Domains in Camfranglais

Food as a source domain accounts for 15 percent of Camfranglais metaphorical
elements. Sexual and sensual organs, having sex and being sexy are denoted, for
example, in the following names:
10. Vagina and sexually penatrating the vagina: Haricot, Laver le ndolè, Njih,
Pistacher and Ecraser le pistache.
11. A woman’s breasts: Oranges, Mangues and Mandarines.
12. Being sexy: Sexy maquereau.
13. Penis: Plantain and Mitumba.
Corruption is discussed in terms of: Mange-mille, Gombo and Gombiste.
Other food-based metaphorical lexical items include the following: Njap,
Folere, Eau, Faim, Plaquette de chocolat, Pepper, Kossam, Coca Alhadji, Cadi,
Ndolè, Cuire, Coller chewing gum, Atangana bread, Amère, Frais, Brouter, Kola,
etcetera.
However, apart from the food metaphorical domain, which appears
primordial, there is no other outstanding source domain. The other metaphorical
lexical items are scattered into about 21 other domains. These different lexical
items are listed below:
• Acteur, for an agitated, brave or troublesome person < From the French acteur,
actor, the star of a movie.
• Ballon d’Or, for a/n (unwanted) pregnancy < From FIFA, the best footballer of
the year award.
• Baramine, for penis < From the French barre-à-mine, actor, a pick.
• Bébé, for a pretty girl or woman < French bébé, a baby.
• Bic, for penis < From the trademark bic, the name brand of pens sold in Cam-
eroon and widely used by students.
• Brouter, for cunninlingus < From the French brouter, to graze.
50
• Cave (descendre à la), for cunninlingus < From the French cave, basement. To
go down on a woman.
• Cerceau, for offering a round of drinks to everyone sitted on the same table
< From the French cerceau, a hoop. From the circular gesture made with a
finger as a sign to a waitress in a bar to offer a round of drinks to a table.
• Chat-mort, for a girl who is at a man’s beck and call and readily has sex with
him any time he wants < From the French chat-mort, a dead cat.
• Chaussette, for condom < From the French chaussette, socks.
• Débout, for erection < From the French débout, to be standing.
• Emballer, for a woman wearing tight-fitting clothing < From the French
emballer, to wrap.
• Feuille, for a ten thousand francs C.F.A bank note (approximately 18 Euro)
< From the French feuille, a leaf or a sheet.
• Guitarre, for chicken pox < From the French guitarre, a guitar. The comparison
was made between striking on the chords of a guitar and scratching the pox to
attenuate the itching effect.
• Parpaing, a pejorative name for a mobile phone viewed as being too large. The
value or worth of first-generation mobile phones in Cameroon was judged
mainly in terms of size, the smaller being the more valuable. < From the French
parpaing, a concrete block.
• Taxi, for a loose-living girl < From taxi, meaning anyone who can pay can get
into it, implying a loose-living girl is not different from a prostitute.
5.2 Semantic manipulation in Camfranglais

This section is based on, and complements analyses of processes of semantic
manipulation in Camfranglais contained in Kießling (2004:8–10). The data is
complemented with that in our lexical collection. Apart from the metaphorical
processes above, which are not discussed in other studies, processes of metonymy,
dysphemism and hyperbole will be taken up in the following sections.
5.2.1 Metonymy
Metonymy entails using a part of something to refer to the whole thing. Kießling
(2004:8–10) provides the following examples:
• Blo, fight < From the English blow.
• Bus, go < From the English bus.
• Shap, difficult < From the English sharp.
• Bele, pregnant < From the English belly.
51
• Mbere, policeman, soldier < From the French béret, barret.
• Camgas, heavily built person < From the English guards, originally used to
refer only to heavily-built and muscular persons serving as guards, the first
component deriving from an abbreviation involving the name Cameroon.
To these could be added the following examples from my own corpus and
manipulations:
• 237, for Cameroon < From 00237, the international dialing code of Cameroon.
• Anus, for buttocks < From the French anus.
• Appuyer, for having sex < From the French appuyer, to press or squeeze. A
single action possibly involved in love-making for the complete process of
love-making.
• Baisser, (la culotte) < From the French baisser, to bring or pull down (one’s
pants). A single action involved in sex for the complete process of gay sex.
• Carton, a place where one can hire a prostitutes < From the French carton, a
sheet of hard paper that serves as a bed for prostitutes.
• Coller, for dancing sensually < From the French coller, to stick. The close touch
involved in sensual dancing is used to refer to the whole act of dancing.
• Délivrer, for playing a video game < From the French délivrer, to deliver. Part
for whole. In many of the video games in Cameroon, completing the final
stages is termed délivrer because it involves delivering a princess or lady held
captive by the villain. This final action has come to mean playing any video
game with several stages.
• Feuille, for ten thousand francs < From the French feuille, sheet of paper. Mate-
rial for product.
• Koskos, for high-heel shoes < From kos-kos, a popular onomatopoeia for the
sound made by high-heeled shoes on a hard surface.
• Mop, for kissing < From the Pidgin English mop, mouth. The mouth is used
for kissing.
• Vin < From the French vin, wine. Any alcoholic drink. A specific type used to
represent all alcoholic beverages.
5.3 Dysphemism
Dysphemism entails highlighting the negative aspects of concepts that are
otherwise neutral. This is usually achieved by assigning negative or derogatory
appellations to neutral concepts.
Kießling (ibid) provides the following examples:
• Couplié, rich old person, old fart < From the French cou, neck, and plié,
wrinkled.
52
• Cange-mille, policeman < From the French mange, eat!, and mille, thousand.
• Jetter, drop (of a passenger) < From the French jetter, throw out.
• Lourd, rich < From the French lourd, heavy.
• Tomber, go < From the French tomber, fall.
• Baptiser, leave without paying < From the French baptiser, baptise.
• Chantier, small informal restaurant < From the French chantier, building-site.
• Appuyer, kiss < From the French appuyer, press.
• Saccager, to have sex < From the French saccager, loot, pillage, plunder.
• Torpiller, to have sex < From the French torpiller, torpedo.
• Visée, the space in-between a girl’s legs as she walks < From the French visée,
aim, mark.
• Écorce, talisman < From the French écorce, bark (of tree).
• Airbags, breast and buttocks (of a girl) < From the English airbags.
• Bole, to make love < From the Camfranglais bole, finish, terminate.
• Bouffer, to cheat, earn < From the French bouffer, eat, devour.
To the above list could be added the following other items obtained from my
own research:
• Anglo, an awkward person < From the French or English Anglophone.
• Appuyer, to make love < From the French appuyer, to make love.
• Ballon d’Or, pregnancy usually unwanted < From the French. A FIFA best
player award.
• Bamenda, a stupid person < From the name of an English-speaking town in
Cameroon.
• Biafrais, a pejorative way of referring to Nigerians or Cameroonians from the
Anglophone part of the country. From Biafra in Nigeria.
• Bilingue, a homosexual < From the French bilingue, bilingual.
• Boire, to cheat someone in a commercial transaction < From the French boire,
to drink.
• Bombe, a countereit object, or one of very low quality < From the French
bombe, bomb.
• Bosniaque < From the French appellation of the country Bosnia and
Herzegovina. bilingue, bilingual.
• Fatigué, “old or in bad shape”< From the French fatigue.
• Fesser, to to have sex <From the French fesse, buttocks.
• Jachère, sex-starved or sex-hungry <From the French jachère, La farming prac-
tice in which a piece of land in allowed to fallow.
• Large débat, a woman’s buttocks when they are big < From the French large
and débat, debate.
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• Laver le ndolè, to have sex < From the French laver and duala ndolè, local
vegetables that are boiled and washed before eventually being used for
preparing meals.
• Pampambé, an immature person < From a song by a popular children’s music
band in the late 90s known as Rhumta.
• Parpaing, a big and unattractive mobile phone < From the French parpaing,
building brick.
• Porter le sac, to be servile or obsequious < From the French rendition of a
popular proverb in the Bamileke language that if someone is better than you,
you ought to carry their bag.
• Rally, group sex in which many boys have sex with a girl < From the French
rally, car-racing.
• Recto-verso, a homosexual < From the French recto-verso, to have homosexual
sex.
5.4 Hyperbole
Examples of hyperbole drawn from my corpus include:
• Cass, to be exhausted < From the French cassé, to be broken down.

• Casser le derrière, gay sex < From the French casser, to break; and derrière,
backside, meaning to break the behind.
• Casse-mbit, a loose-living girl < From the French casser, to break, and the
Pidgin mbit, penis, penis breaker.
• Couper, to have sex < From the French couper, to cut.
• Cut, to have sex < From the English, cut, to cut.
• Écraser le pistache Tuer, to have sex < From the French écraser, to grind, and a
vegetable called pistache.
• Fendre l’air Tuer, to vanish into thin air < From the French fender, to chop or
cut through, and l’air, the air.
• Fendre le derrière, to have homosexual sex < From the French fender, to chop;
and derrière, backside.
• Limer, to have sex < From the French limer, to sharpen.
• Saccager, to have sex < From the French, saccager, to go on a rampage.
• Tanner, to have sex < From the French tanner, to tan leather.
• Tuer, to have sex < From the French tuer, to kill.
• Tomahawk, penis < From a Native American language via the French
tomahawk, a hunting tool.
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5.5 Onomastic synecdoche
This term refers to the use of names of persons or places in a conventional way
to denote part or some of its characteristics. Kießling (ibid) provides the follow-
ing examples:
• Bakassi, dangerous place < From Bakassi, a disputed peninsula on the Came-
roon-Nigeria border, an area of conflict between Nigeria and Cameroon.
• Dschang, shoes < From the typical shoes made by the inhabitants of Dschang
mainly from old tyres.
• jJohnny, to walk < From the Scottish whiskey brand name Johnnie Walker.
• Kodjak, totally shaved head < From Kojak, the name of a hero on an American
TV series.
The following other examples of onomastic synecdoche have been identified in

my corpus and are not mentioned in Kießling’s study:
• Abacha, fake or counterfeit < From the name of former Nigerian president
Sani Abacha. Many counterfeit items were said to be imported from Nigeria.
• Babangida, fake or counterfeit < From the name of former Nigerian president
Babangida. Many counterfeit items were said to be imported from Nigeria.
• Bafia (dance), to hesitate or dilly-dally < From the traditional type of dance
practiced in a village called Bafia.
• Baghdad, a dangerous place < From the capital of Iraq destroyed in the war.
• Bamenda, a stupid person < From the name of a town in the English-speaking
part of Cameroon.
• Biafra, a pejorative way of referring to Nigerian or Anglophone Cameroonian
< From the name of sessionists during the Nigerian Biafran war.
• Calcio, regularly organized football games for amateur footballers in different
neighbourhoods < From the name of the Italian football league believed to be
one in which footballers are physically very strong.
• Eboa, a pejorative way of referring to a physically disabled person < From the
name of popular Cameroonian musician Eboa Lotin, who was crippled.
• Etounou, apejorative way of referring to a very short person < From the name
of a popular Cameroonian comedian Etounou, who was very short.
• Kosovo, a place where people live in extreme poverty < From the name of
country in the Balkans where a genocide occurred.
• Kotto, a pejorative way of referring to a physically disabled person < From
the name of a popular Cameroonian musician Kotto Bass, who was crippled.
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• Kumba, counterfeit or deceitful < From the name of a Cameroonian town
where it is believed a lot of counterfeit or forged documents originate.
• Moukoagne, a witchcraft practice consisting of mystically causing someone’s
death so as to become wealthy < From the name of an actor in Cameroonian
popular drama who played such a role.
• Tchinda, a stooge or obsequious person < From the name of any of the nine
notables who are at the beck and call of the chief in the grassfields villages of
Cameroon.
5.5.1 Semantic positivization

This semantic process consists in giving a (more) positive meaning to terms that
have an otherwise negative or pejorative meaning. The following items illustrate
this process.
• Amère, to be highly talented or good at something < From the French amère,
bitter.
• Brute, to be highly talented or good at something < From the French brute,
rough, raw.
• Déchirer, to be successful or very nice < From the French déchirer, to tear into
pieces.
• La mort, to be of good quality, cool or very nice < From the French la mort,
death.
5.5.2 Euphemism
Euphemism is defined by phrasing serious or harsh things in a more mild way.
The following lexical items illustrate this process.
• Bole/finir avec, to have sex with < From the Duala/French bole/finir, to finish.
• Quench, to die < A semantic extension of the English quench, to calm one’s
thirst by drinking, to die.
• Laver, to insult copiously < From the French laver, to wash.
• Protéger, to steal < From the French protéger, to protect.
• Recevoir, to entertain guests with pomp and ceremony < From the Cameroo-
nian Popular French recevoir, to receive or welcome.
• Traiter, to treat someone harshly < From the French traiter, to treat.
To round off the discussion of semantic manipulation in Camfranglais, the dif-

ferent processes of semantic manipulation will be presented in order of their
56
occurrence: metaphor (42), dysphemism (34), metonymy (18), onomastic syn-
ecdoche (18), hyperbole (13), euphemism (06) and semantic positivization (04),
for a total 135 occurrences.
5.6 Morphological manipulation in Camfranglais

Processes of lexical manipulation are more productive than processes of se-
mantic manipulation in Camfranglais. They account for about 19 percent of the
word-formation processes. The productive processes of word-formation in Cam-
franglais are affixation, clipping, compounding, reduplication, inversion and the
use of acronyms. These processes are discussed below in order of occurrence.
5.6.1 affixation
Affixation consists in adding affixes to root words. These affixes could be 1)
non-hybrid; 2) hybrid; or 3) dummy or parasitic.
Non-hybrid affixes are those that do not lead to the hybridization of the words
to which they are added. In other words, these affixes are of the same language ori-
gin as the root words to which they are attached. Almost all of the identified non-
hybrid affixes in Camfranglais are from French and are attached to words which
stem from Cameroonian Popular French. They are also used in Popular French
more often than not in the same form as in Camfranglais. These affixes include:
• -er
Example words: absenter, afficher, bucher, cadeauter, champicoter, chandelliser,
chater, choquer, coraniser, cuillerer, décharger, dégammer, faxer, fesser, gratter,
jazzer, piffer, pistacher, pointer, sciencer, tensionner, trembler, verber.
• -eur
Example words: bipeur, bucheur, le sauveur, trembleur.
• -age
Example words: affichage, dégammage, grattage, pointage.
• -iste
Example words: gombiste, mbengiste.
• -euse
Example word: péteuse.
On the other hand, the following hybrid affixes do not come from the same
language as the root words to which they are attached. They are more numerous
than non-hybrid affixes. They include:
• -er
Example words: awasher, bon-boner, corater, djiéser, kaolotiser, njohter.
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• -(t)iser
Example words: bangaliser, bibliser, mougoutiser, whitiser.
It is worth mentioning that with the words bangaliser and bibliser above, there
has been a deletion of the final vowels before the addition of the suffix –iser (i.e.
bangala to bangaliser, biblos to bibliser).
• -eur/euse
Example words: awasheur, bosheur, call-boxeur/call-boxeuse, jongeur/jongeuse,
niasseur/niasseuse, njohteur/njohteuse, ndemeur/ndemeuse, njamboteur/
njamboteuse.
• -man
Example words: jongman, lobman, ndeman, ngataman, nièman.
• -aire
Example words: allocataire, mbangataire, mbenguetaire.
• -ois
Example words: letchois, statois.
• -yance, ant
Example words: mimbayance, yayance, lapant, wandayant.
Dummy or parasitic affixation on its part consists of the morphologically

arbitrary segmentation of root words before affixation. The following examples
illustrate this phenomenon:
• -o
Examples: business to bizgo, mercedes to merco, mater to masho, pater to pasho,
secteur to secto, licence to lico, copain for copo, bar for baro, constamment to
consto, franchement to francho, cousin to couso, B.E.P.C to beco, malhonnête
to malho.
• -esh
Examples: taxi to takesh.
• -al
Examples: tante to tantal, oncle to onkal, Mercedes to mercal, mbéré to mberal.
Other miscellaneous examples of dummy affixation include: métoch for métisse,

champi for champagne, sense for sense, titus for titulaire, villaps for villageois,
chamboule for chamber, basta for bastonner, lyce for lycée, camois for camerou-
nais, boges for bordello, biafrais for Biafra, ducoutement for du coup, ngas for
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ngata, fastoch for facile, boche for bucher, boshing for bucher, depso for pédé
(rather than dépé, for example).
5.6.2 Clipping
As the name implies, clipping as a word-formation process entails cutting off a
word segment. In the dictionary corpus, clips are of two main types: 1) clips that
do not modify word forms; and 2) clips that do modify word forms by adding to
them new elements.
Clips that do not modify word form include:
• Aff, any item of value for sale < From the French affaire.
• Anglo, an anglophone Cameroonian < From the French anglophone.
• Anniv, birthday < From the French anniversaire.
• Ass, a regular customer < From the French, associé.
• Bago, a shoe brand < From the shoe brand Sebago.
• Bao, a term of address amongst friends < From the French baobab.
• Boi, to study intensively < Origin is not certain, boileau.
• Blem, problems or trouble < From the French problème.
• Bro, brother < From the English brother.
• Calé, panties < From the French calecon.
• Camer, Cameroonian < From the country name Cameroon.
• Camfran, Camfranglais < From the language name Camfranglais.
• Cass, tired or exhausted < From the French cassé, broken.
• Fap, five hundred francs C.F.A < From the Pidgin fap and French cent.
• Hop, bullying < From the Pidgin open eye, deformed as hop eye.
• Kotto, any crippled person < From the name of artist Kotto Bass.
• Mbéré, a policeman, gendarme or soldier < From the French berret (mbéré)
kaki, used to denote soldiers.
• Mwa, money or financial means < From French moyens, means.
• Mbut, an idiot, a fool < From the Ewondo mutoukou.
• Mbom, mate or dude < From the Duala mbombo, namesake.
• Nat, the Cameroonian national football team < From the French national.
• Ndang, an identity card < From a pidginised form of the French identité, iden-
tity card.
• Ndep, a homosexual < From ndepso an inverted form of pédé, meaning
homosexual in French.
• Ndem, trouble or ill-luck < From ndem man, a pidginised form of English the
man.
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• Ndok, a greedy person < From ndokmangolo, a term used to mean greedy. Ori-
gin not certain.
• Ngola, a local name of the town Yaoundé < From the Ewondo ongola.
• Niangé, prostitute < From a mispronunciation of Bayangi, a tribe of the South-
west of Cameroon as baniangé.
• Gnole, car < From the French bagnole.
• Njang, little < From the Pidgin njanga.
• Pet, trouble < From the French pétard.
• Peri, a younger person < From perika, meaning younger person in Pidgin.
Some clips bring about morphological modifications. They are not done at
syllable boundaries and do not add other consonants to stems. These include:
• Coche, roommate < From the French co-chambrier, roommate.

• Gneibs, dough-nuts < From the French beignets, doughnuts.
• Letch, village < From the French vilage, village.
• Lyce, secondary school < From the French lycée, high school.
• Mbock, prostitute < From the first syllable of the French bordelle, brothel.
• Mboko, hoodlum or street child < From the Duala nanga-eboko, to sleep outside.
5.6.3 Inversion
This process involves inversing the order of syllables of a word. In our corpus
manipulation, it involves only two-syllable words. The following words illustrate
this process of word formation:
stimyc for mystic, terma for mater, terpa for pater, tochmé for métoch, mifa for
famille, sinecou for cousin, al for là, cepla for place, embles for ensemble, loco for
kolo, puscam for campus, nesbi for business, pineco for copine, toshmé for métosh,
réfré for frère, résé for soeur, répé for père, rémé for mere.
5.6.4 compounding
This word-formation process brings two free morphemes together. Most
compound words in the dictionary are of mixed origin, meaning that they come
from at least two different languages. Compounds whose constituent morphs
have become opaque shall be presented first.
Opaque compounds include the following:
• Bahat from the Pidgin bad heart.

• Bojo from the French beau and the Ghomala djo.
• Feyman from the French faire and the English man.
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• Hoha from the Pidgin English whole heart.
• Hop-eye from the English open and eye.
• Katika from the English caretaker.
• Mofmide from the Pidgin English move me there.
• Ndeman from the Pidgin dem man.
• Pantacourt from the French pantalon and court.
• Yamo from the Pidgin English hear and mo.
Opaque compounds have largely been borrowed the way they currently are from
Pidgin or other languages, with the exception of bojo and yamo.
Transparent compounds include the following:

A1, all le mot, allyday/all les days, bad luck, bon-blanc, big rémé, bon gars,
bon-bon, casse-mbit, chaud-gars, chop-nanga, chat-mort, cinema cadeau,

coca Alhadji, coller chewing gum, de from/depuis from, deux-zéro, die de lap,
do bad, eleke man, kop niè, main- levée, plan cul, sexy macquereau, tchouk
me I die, un bois-le-vin, ya bad, demie-feuille, feuille et demie, mange-mille,
grand-match.
5.6.5 reduplication
In this process, there is a partial or total repetition of one of the syllables of
a word. Almost all words in our corpus involve total reduplication. This is
illustrated by the following examples:
back-back, bep-bep, boum-boum, cata-cata, cinquante-cinquante, coller-
coller, complet-complet, élan-élan, fap-fap, faro-faro, fo-fole, foum-foum, hon-
hon-hon, kan-kan, kos-kos, longo-longo, moitié-moitié, molo-molo, nayo-nayo,
niama-niama, nyang-nyang, nzam-nzam, pala-pala, popaul, prend-prend, seul-
seul, serré-serré, sock-sock, tok-tok, vrai-vrai, wasa-wasa, zeke-zeke.
5.6.6 (phonological) transformation or manipulation

This process involves various forms of lexical manipulation not accounted in the
processes discussed above and include the following:
Consonant change
• Brass, insult < From the Pidgin English blas/blast.

• Krish, crazy < From the Pidgin English craze/criz.
• Lap, laugh < From the Pidgin English laf.
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• Pash, to be more than or above < From the Pidgin English pass.
• Schlap, to slap < From the Pidgin English slap.
• Gnass, to have sex < From the Pidgin English lass.
• Wangala, a penis < From bangala.
complete transformation
In some cases, the transformation of lexical items does not entail only a conso-
nant switch. It sometimes entails modifying the word in an unpredictable man-
ner as in the following examples:
• Camerlock, a Cameroonian < From Camer, the clip of Cameroon, and lock,
whose meaning is not clear.
• Amerlock, an American < From Amer, the clip of Amérique, and lock, whose
meaning is not clear.
Although Kouega (2013:124) is of the view that suffix -lock is a deformation of

logue, meaning logos or speaking like, we do not share this view, as instances of
use in both spoken and written corpora indicate that it marks nationality rather
than speech style.
besh ‘to wash’ < From ‘vass’, deformation of pidgin ‘wash’
To sum up the discussion on word-formation, I will comment on occurrence.

The morphological word-formation processes above can be presented in the
following order of occurrence: affixation (102), compounding (43), clipping
(34), reduplication (32), inversion (19), (phonological) transformation (09),
abbreviation and acronym (08), for a total of 247.
5.6.7 abbreviation and acronyms

The following acronyms and abbreviations are found in Camfranglais:
• B-H: beignets haricot.

• B-H-B: beignets haricot bouillie.
• BT: boîte (de nuit).
• COMA clip of COMACICO.
• NST : notes seuellement transmissiles.
• OPEP : organisation des pays exportateurs de poussière.
• PB : problème.
• VR : vas-rendre.
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5.7 Word Class in Camfranglais
Lexical classification of Camfranglais items reveals that lexical items fall into six
word classes viz: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, interjections and determiners.
Determiners are the least-represented category, with two pre-determiners, all
and flop. The functioning of these two items as pre-determiners is illustrated in
the following examples:
1. Il y avait flop le mot en BT parce que Eto’o était là.
2. All le mot ne peut pas se fimba mon frère.
The quasi absence of other determiners in Camfranglais is accounted for by

the fact that it uses those of French which is its matrix language. Interjections
account for about 2 percent of Camfranglais vocabulary. 36 of them were
identified in our data. Adverbs account for about 3 percent of vocabulary items.
Adjectives account for about 7 percent of vocabulary items. Verbal elements
account for 30 percent of identified lexical items. More than half of the lexical
items in Camfranglais (56 percent) are nouns.
From the above distribution, it can be argued that the resilience of C
amfranglais
lies in its ability to constantly renew its conceptual base, as nouns are the base
of lexical creation in most languages. As Kießling (ibid:15) remarks, word class
change is very striking in Camfranglais, as many words can belong to different
classes at the same time. For example, bahat can be at the same time:
• A noun: Je vais te do le bahat.

• A verb: Les gars m’ont bahat grave.
• An adjective: Le pater là est trop bahat.
• An adverb : How que tu lui a fait ca bahat comme ça nohh ? Vous n’êtes plus
potes?
5.8 Donor languages

Since French is the matrix language in Camfranglais, most lexical items in
Camfranglais come from French. French items account for 46 percent of lexi-
cal items in the dictionary. It should be said that only French items were in-
cluded in the dictionary that have meanings other than those they would have
in a French dictionary. Otherwise, Camfranglais would comprise all French
items before including those drawn from other languages. However, unlike it
is suggested in many other studies, local languages account for 21 percent of
lexical items. Pidgin English accounts for 14 percent of lexical items. English
63
a ccounts only for 6 percent of vocabulary items. What has to be underscored
is that many items usually thought to be from English are actually from Pidgin
English. The fact that the same forms exist both in English and in Pidgin is not
a good enough r eason to attribute the lexical item to English. A further test is
needed to determine word origin.
In this case, usage in Pidgin and in English was compared to determine which
of the English or Pidgin English form relates more directly to Camfranglais. Let us
take the item hambok, for example. Its standard English form, humbug is defined
as “talk that is not sincere,” while its Pidgin English form means “to d
isturb.” The
Pidgin English meaning is the same in Camfranglais. Thus this lexical item is
attributed to Pidgin and not to English. In cases in which such a test was not ap-
plicable, the lexical items were attributed to English for the benefit of doubt. In
any case, the guiding mode of reasoning was that Pidgin English has an older tra-
dition than Standard English in Cameroon, and this study upholds the view that
Camfranglais has closer ties with Pidgin than with English, for reasons which
have already been discussed in the first section. Another piece of evidence that
Camfranglais has closer ties with Pidgin than with English is the fact that Cam-
franglais in the last five years has tended to include Pidgin-English forms for
words, which have remained opaque in the sense that it was not e vident whether
to classify them under English or French. Such words include tayam (tie-am),
sendam (send-am), and askam (ask-am), for which opaque forms (send, ask) ex-
ist in Camfranglais. About 7 percent of lexical items come from sources outside
of Cameroon. To this percentage should be added words whose origin could not
be determined. Finally, about 3 percent of the vocabulary items in the dictionary
were considered as being of mixed origin. These items are made of combinations
of words from different languages and include the following:
1. All le mot (English and French and Duala)
2. Atangana bread (Beti and English)
3. Big rémé (English and French)
4. Casse-mbit (French and pidgin)
5. Chop-nanga (CPE and Duala)
6. Die De Lap (DDL) (English and French and CPE)
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6 The construction of youth identities
in discourse practice
As previously described, Camfranglais is used for horizontal communication.

Language manipulation is a way of expressing an alternative identity. So
functionally speaking, Camfranglais is “…the language of fun, leisure time and
complicity, a language that invites word play and the creation of neologisms”
(Stein-Kanjora 2008:120). This statement is clearly verifiable in the following
post, copied from a Facebook group:
Vive le Cameroun - le seul pays dans lequel les gens discutent juste avec des
questions. Voici un exemple :
–– Gars il n’y a rien pour les pauvres?
–– Mon frère que moi même j’ai quoi?
–– Un boss comme toi tu pleures aussi le foirage?
–– C’est le mois de janvier , tu ignores quoi?…
–– Mais tes potes mbenguistes etaient la nor, ils ne t’ont rien lep?
–– Je wanda sur toi hein, que mbeng leur donne le lait?
–– C’est vrai hein, mais ils t’ont quand meme mis a l’aise nor?
–– Sans? La bringue et moi c’etait la mort! Ce sont les dégagements que tu veux
voir?
–– Aaka est ce que je t’ignores? Tu joues dans la cour des grands. Tu es un boss nor?
–– Boss dans quoi même? Gars mbom on se capte after ou bien il ya un truc now?
–– Pas de problème tu es là nor?
–– Je ne suis pas là que je suis ou DG?
–– Je connais? Quand tu pars souvent tu me dis?
–– Je ne te dis pas comment? Tu es ma personne nor ?
The above dialogue is a typical exchange in Camfranglais. Linguistic manipula-
tions are as important as propositional content. Flattering one another’s ego is
important in Camfranglais, as interlocutors in normal conversation situations
strive to put their interlocutors at ease. As a reminder, the semantic domain of
communication is one of the most productive in Camfranglais. In horizontal
communication as well, there is mutual respect and disrespect. This explains the
high occurrence of address forms, and insults, and sex-related items.
The spread of the Camfranglais phenomenon is nowadays visible not only
by its inclusion in the hip-hop culture of Cameroon due to the work of artists
like Koppo, One Love, Valery Ndongo, Stanley Enow and others, but also by its
65
inclusion in print media and in written forums as well. Youth magazines in Cam-
eroon like 100% Jeunes publish articles partially written in Camfranglais. Above
all, social networks have in recent years given Camfranglais a written identity.
As such, Camfranglais is progressively acquiring a writing system, although for
now it still appears chaotic, with no prescriptive documents on how to spell in
Camfranglais for example. The mere fact that this is only the second attempt to
write a dictionary of Camfranglais is quite telling. Camfranglais is used in ad-
vertisements in Cameroon as well, and the field of telecommunications makes
extensive use of it.
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7 Camfranglais in a historical perspective
As suggested by Kießling and Reuster (2006), urban youth languages and va-
rieties are distinct from other phenomena that give rise to languages, such as
pidginisation and creolisation, as well as from language contact phenomena like
codeswitching.
7.1 Pidginisation and creolisation

Camfranglais in Cameroon is not the outcome of what Kießling and
Reuster-Jahn term “referential emergency,” which they explain as “an urgent
need of communication in situations where interacting groups have no
common language, but need to create one, which is the prototypical scenario
of pidginisation and creolisation.” This communicative function is covered by
French and P idgin English, as well as by regional lingua francae in Cameroon.
This study puts forth the argument that the rise of Camfranglais is due to the de-
sire to create an unmarked urban youth identity. This unmarked identity is con-
trasted with marked ones like those attached to Mboko, Pidgin English and local
languages. Indeed, Mboko is viewed as a language variety of thieves and r ascals,
and Pidgin English appears to be for the uneducated and for A nglophones in
Cameroon. It should also be noted that Camfranglais offers (urban) youths the
possibility of an ethnic-group neutral language. Speaking Camfranglais is now
an expression of a Cameroonian (youth) identity.
7.2 Codeswitching
As has already been established, Camfranglais is an outgrowth of a high language
contact situation. It arose in the dense language contact situation of the Littoral
region of Cameroon, and many previous researchers have identified the Douala
seaport as one on its main foyers. In the birth zone of Camfranglais, there is a
remarkable presence of Pidgin English, as well as many other languages from all
over the country.
This study takes the view that Pidgin English/French codeswitching
(Francophone Pidgin English) is the starting point of Camfranglais. H owever,
this codeswitching has given rise to patterns that have incorporated into
Camfranglais. As such, Camfranglais can no longer simply be viewed as a
phenomenon of code-switching defined by Myers-Scotton (1993:4) as “the se-
lection by bilinguals or multilinguals of forms from an embedded language (or
67
languages) in utterances of a matrix language during the same conversation.”
Camfranglais cannot be equated to codeswitching. For one thing, it has devel-
oped its emblematic lexical items, which obligatorily appear in any utterance to
be judged as Camfranglais. These emblematic items include words like all le mot,
ndem, bahat, yamo, etcetera, which when used signal that one is speaking Cam-
franglais. Second, items which could be perceived as the outcome of codeswitch-
ing have developed morpho-syntactic and semantic properties different from
those in their donor languages. Finally, Camfranglais is also not merely a phe-
nomenon of borrowing. This is of course due to the same reason that items that
could be traced to other languages undergo formal and semantic manipulations.
Myers-Scotton’s (2002) distinction used by Kießling and Reuster-Jahn (ibid) in
their study of an urban youth variety shall be employed here. Myers-Scotton
makes the distinction between “cultural borrowed” vs. “core borrowed” lexical
items. “Cultural borrowings are introduced by influential individuals or groups,
used either in monolingual speech or in codeswitching, whereas core borrow-
ings are usually introduced by bilingual speakers through codeswitching alone”
(Kießling and Reuster-Jahn 2006:68). From such considerations, Camfranglais
is made of both both types of borrowing. Core borrowing dominates, although
cultural borrowing is on the rise as well. The exact percentages of these two dif-
ferent types of borrowings still must be determined.
68
8 Conclusion
Camfranglais is a composite linguistic phenomenon that can be viewed in

different ways. Depending on context and instance of use, it can be used as a
sociolect, a register, or a speech style. It changes very quickly, and its vitality is
maintained mainly by a dominantly male urban youth. It is highly interwined
with Popular French, local and foreign languages, as well as Pidgin English and
English. Independence and the reunification of former British and French Cam-
eroon sped up the creation of Camfranglais, with the following factors playing
a key role: 1) multiethnic communities in plantation agriculture zones, in ar-
eas of high economic activities, as well as well as in the political capital with a
high number of civil servants from different ethnic origins; 2) widespread partial
competence competence in Pidgin English; 3) audio-visual liberalization and the
virtual media; 4) globalisation; and 5) the emergence of a youth hip-hop culture.
Camfranglais can be viewed as “an urban youth language instantiating youth
identity on a discourse level” (Kießling and Reuster-Jahn ibid: 78). The use of
Camfranglais now extends beyond youths to become a marker not only of urban
identity but of a Cameroonian identity as well, given it is hinges much on P opular
French. The key feature of Camfranglais is the manipulation of lexical items
from French, local languages, Pidgin English, English and foreign languages. It
is used in informal settings as a departure from the strictures of formal or aca-
demic French. Viewed in this way, Camfranglais is similar to many other urban
youth language varieties in Africa in the following ways:
1) There is a high inclusion of borrowings from French, indigenous languages,
Pidgin English, English and other languages; and
2) Camfranglais lexical items undergo a high degree of morphological
hybridisation.
With this study, I have attempted to lay the foundation for further academic re-
searchon Camfranglais, but also to provide a resource for its speakers as well. This
work seeks to delve “into their attitudes and imagery, as well as into the bound-
less potentialities of the language” (Ohly 1987:16). It is now clear that much has
been taken for granted concerning Camfranglais. The challenge should now be
taken to continue research and build upon the foundation laid here.
69
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Dictionnaire cameroonais: http://www.crocodegalbert.free.fr/pays/cameroon/
source/camfranglais.htm.
73
Le blog du Prési: http://etounou.free.fr/index.php?post/2007/03/28/39-parler-
camerounais-dictionnaire.
Ici on Topo le Camfranglais, le Speech des vrais Man du Mboa: https://www.
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Ca se passe ici: https://www.facebook.com/CaSPIcOfficiel?fref=ts.
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9 Dictionary of Camfranglais
237 /dœ saŋ traŋ sɛt/ noun

The international phone code of Cameroon. Said or used to refer to
Cameroon.
Quand on joue pour le 237 on doit mouiller le maillot mon frère.
A1. /a œn/ noun [masc.]

Breaking news, gossips, sensational news.
La nga qui habite là-bas c’est une waka, j’ai son A1.
Aah /ɑ:/ interjection

Expression of disapproval or disrespect.
Aah dis-donc, tu deranges!
Abacha /abatʃa/ noun/adjective

From name of former Nigerian Head of State, Sani Abacha. Many counterfeit
items sold in Cameroon are said to partially come from Nigeria. Any fake or
counterfeit good or article.
Il a buy une montre Abacha.
Abeg /abek/ interjection, from Pidgin English

Used for making a polite request.
Abeg, aide moi à do le way ci.
Aboki /aboki/noun [masc.], from hausa, friend

Someone, usually from the North of Cameroon who roasts and sells meat
called soya. Many of the first vendors of roasted meat in Cameroon’s big cities
were of Hausa origin, thus this friendly appellation.
Vas au carréfour, il y a un aboki à côté de la pharmacie, tu achètes le soya
de cinq cent.
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Absenter (quelqu’un) verb, from Popular French
To visit or look for someone at home or at their place of work without finding
them there.
On est venu chez toi hier mais on t’a abscenté.
Acops /akops/ noun [masc. or fem.]

The back of the head or the occiput, especially a protruding one.
Le petit là a une acops papa!
Acteur noun /aktœ/ [masc.; fem. actrice], from Popular French

1. The hero of a movie.
C’est Jackie Chan l’acteur dans le koma ci?
2. A brave, courageous or agitated person.
Le djo ci c’est un acteur.
Idiom. L’acteur meurt dans son propre film (the actor dies in his own movie).
Said in a situation in which someone who is supposed to be in control of a
situation is finally overwelmed by it. Also used in the past tense form to refer
to unexpected failure: l’acteur est mort dans son proper film.
Aff /af/ noun, truncation of the French affaires

Items such as prestigious gadgets for sale.
Affobo / áfóbó/ noun [usually plural], from beti, buttocks

Large or protruding buttocks of a woman.
La nga de ton pote là a les affobo mon frère!
After /áftá/ adverb [inv.], from the English after

1. Later, then.
Le gars a mop la nga after ils sont go à l’hôtel.
2. Expression for saying goodbye.
On se take after.
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Affichage /afiʃaʒ/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French afficher
1. A showdown or public display of someone’s private issues.
Ça c’est encore quel style d’affichage mola?
2. The screen of a mobile telephone.
L’affichage de mon telephone derange.
Afficher /afiʃe/ verb [intr.], from the French afficher

Same as affichage.
Vous aimez trop afficher vos way en public.
Agogo /agogo/ noun, from Hausa

A watch
On a kick mon agogo.
Aise [ɛz], from the Popular French idiom mettre à l’aise

To take good or special care of a person, usually by offering them good food,
drink etcetera.
On étaient chez prési hier, il nous a franchement mis à l’aise.
Aka /áká/ interjection, from Beti

An expression of lack of concern or interest.
Aka qu’il fasse ce qu’il veut.
Akie /akiø/ interjection, from Beti

An expression of surprise or disapproval.
Akie, toi aussi tu exagères!
Akondjoh /akoŋdɒ/ verb

To flatter someone to do something; to deceive.
Le gars m’a akondjoh la nga, il a chop ses do.
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Al /al/ adverb [verlang inv.], from the French là
Not bad, good; used in the expression c’est al.
– Comment tu trouves sa nouvelle coiffure?
– Gars, c’est al !
Alamimbu /àlamiɱbu/ noun [masc. inv.], from Ewondo, literally meaning the
person who reads the years
A soothsayer.
1. A native doctor.
Ma mère m’a amené chez un alamimbu pour me soigner.
2. Derog. A Pentecostal or evangelical exorcist.
Un alamimbu nigérian a ouvert une église près de chez moi.
Alcool /alkɔl/ noun [always plural], from French

Alcoholic drinks.
Tous les soirs il est dans ses alcohols.
Alhadji /àladji/ noun, from the deformation of the Arabic el Hadj

A title conferred on someone who has gone on pilgrimage to Mecca.
1. Form of address for any respectable, rich or influential person originating
from the North of Cameroon; any such person.
Bonjour, Alhadji.
2. Any muslim who has taken the trip to Mecca.
Le pater là est déjà Alhadji.
Coca alhadji /koka àladji/ noun, idiom

Coca Cola mixed with whiskey drunk by a muslim, especially in bars. The
bottle of whiskey is usually hidden under the table, giving the impression
only coke is being drunk.
Même l’autre là boit le coca alhadji?
All /ɔl/ determiner [inv.], from English

The total number or amount.
All les gars étaient à la fête.
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All le mot /ɔl lə mot/ determiner, From the English all and the Duala mot, people
Everybody.
All le mot continue à cry Marco.
Aller à Kumba idiom, from the French aller and the name of a Cameroonian
town, Kumba
Kumba is a town in southwestern Cameroon with a reputation for forging
official documents
To illegally reduce one’s age by making a fake birth certificate.
Ce n’est pas le vrai âge de Minala. C’est sûr qu’il a fait un tour à Kumba.
Allô /aló/ noun [masc. inv.]

Lies.
Ce que le man là te raconte, c’est l’allô.
Allocataire /alókatɛ/ noun

A liar.
Ton ami là c’est un allôcataire.
Allyday/all les days /ɔl lɛde/, /ɔl ide/ adverb [inv.], a blend of English and
French
Everytime or all the time.
Tu manges le tapioca all les dys, mon frère?
Ambiances /ɑ̃bians/ noun [masc. plural], from French

Merry-making.
Gars, tu étais dans tes ambiances hier!
Ambiancer/ɑ̃bianse/ verb, from the French ambiance

1. To make an occasion more lively by joking or playing music.
Major Assé a ambiance le mariage de ma rese.
2. To flirt with a woman.
Je sens que le gars ci ambiance ta nga.
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Ambianceur /ɑ̃biansœr/ noun [masc. ambianceuse], from the French ambiance
An entertainer or womanizer.
Le voisin ci est un grand ambianceur.
Amerlock /amerlok/ noun, the deformation of the French americain

An American.
Le mbom là c’est un amerlock.
Amer/amère/amer/ adjective [used for persons], from French

Extremely good.
Le mbom là est amère, ne le testes pas.
Anglo /ɑ̃ŋgló/ noun [masc., fem: anglo/anglose], the truncation of the English or

French Anglophone. Cameroon has an English as well as a French-speaking part.
A (pejorative) way of referring to people hailing from the English-speaking
area of the country.
Ma nga là c’est une anglo.
Anus noun from French

Large buttocks, especially of a woman.
La nga là a de l’anus mon frère.
Anniv /ànìv/ noun [masc. inv.], the truncation of the French anniversaire
Birthday.
L’anniv de mon gars c’est demain.
Appuyer idiom, from Popular French

To have sex with a woman.
Le kombi ci a appuyé sa go toute la night.
Apacher /àpàʃe/ verb [masc.; appache, appachez, appachais]

To run after customers in order to advertize goods or services.
Mon pote apache à Mokolo.
80
Apacheur /àpàʃœ/ noun
A person usually in a market who looks for potential customers for big shops
or stands outside public offices offering to speed up the process of obtaining a
service, usually for some amount of money. See apacher above.
Arata /àráta/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Pidgin arata (rat)
Any poisonous substance used to kill rats.
Elle a drink l’arata pour se kill.
Argent /aRʒɑ̃/ noun [masc. sing. inv.], from Popular French argent, money
Saying Ça donne l’argent?
A way of denigrating something, or showing it does not have much value to you.
Viens on va regarder le match de baseball a la télé.
Le baseball c’est quoi dis-donc. Ça donne l’argent ?
Arts. /aR/ noun [inv. plural], truncation of the French arts martiaux
Martial arts.
J’ai fait les arts dans le temps hein.
Ashuka /àʃukà/ interjection [inv.], from the Portuguese açúcar (sugar),

through Pidgin
A way of saying, “it serves you right!” Also Ashuka ngongoli /ŋgɔ̃ŋgɒli/.
Children usually say this to their peers with their heads raised up and the tip
of their index finger rubbing their Adam’s apple.
Asia /asja/ interjection, from the Pidgin ashia

A way of expressing sympathy and encouragement, close in meaning with
“take heart.”
Asia mon frère; ça va passer.
Ask /ás/ or /áks/ verb [aksons, aksez, asksais], from (Pidgin) English
1. To require or request something.
Moi aussi je peux te ask en mariage.
2. To seek information about anything.
Il m’a ask si je knowyais Paul.
81
Askam /áskám
Same as ask.
Ass/asso /àsò/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], truncation of the French associé
A regular customer.
La femme ci c’est mon asso.
Assurer idiomatic verb, from Popular French

To satisfy, especially sexually and/or financially.
Mon jo assure grave.
Assureur figurative, from assurer

Boyfriend or sugar daddy.
Voilà l’assureur de la go là.
Atalakou /atalaku/, from popular music of the Côte d’Ivoire

The practice of praise-singing to obtain money in return.
1. omeone always ready to serve a more important or influential person; an
obsequious guy (noun, masc.).
Le prof Tonye a deux atalakou qui portent toujours son sac.
2. Faire l’atalakou (verb), to sing someone’s praises, usually for money or to
obtain another favour.
DJ Kitoko aime trop faire l’atalakou aux footballeurs.
Atangana bread /àtɑ̃ŋgànàbrɛt/ noun [masc. inv.], from the coumpound of

the Beti surname and the English bread
A traditional delicacy made with cassava flour.
J’ai chop deux atangana bread au day.
Attacher idiom, from Popular French

Attacher quelqu’un, to use magic in order to hinder somebody’s progress or
success.
Gars tu as loss l’exam ci parce qu’on t’a attaché au letch.
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Attaquer idiom, from Popular French
To provoke someone.
Ne m’attaque plus, sinon je vais krish.
Autre noun, from French

A hard-skinned person.
Lui-même c’est un autre.
Avoir, avoir un peu idiom, from French

To be well-to-do.
Le gars là a un peu.
Awash(er) /àwàʃ(e)/ verb [awashons, awashez, awashais], from the Pidgin I

wash
To assault in order to extort money or any other valuable thing from young
people, especially students.
Quand je backais du school le jo ci m’a awash.
Awasheur /àwàʃœr/ noun [masc.; fem. awasheuse]

A person who extorts money from youths; an armed robber.
Il y a trop les awasheurs à Doul.
Baba /bàba/ noun [fem. inv.], from Babangida, Nigerian president in the
1990’s.
La baba (esp. in). A good of very doubtful and poor quality. See abacha.
Tous les maillots qu’on vend à Mokolo là c’est la baba.
Baby /bébì/ noun [fem. inv.], from English

A young girl.
La baby là me ya mo grave.
83
Back. /bák/ verb [bakais, bakons, bakez], from English back
1. To return to a given location.
La nga la n’est pas encore back chez elle?
2. To give something back to its owner, or to refund (money).
Je vais te back ton book demain.
3. To revenge or make someone endure the same treatment he made someone
else endure.
Je devais le bak si il me giflais.
Back-back /bàkbàk/ noun [masc. inv.] and adverb [inv.] from Pidgin,
reduplication of English back
1. Illegal or doubtful activity or behavior.
Les nga aiment trop le back-back.
2. Illegally or in secret.
One day all le mot va know ce que vous faites back-back.
Bad /bát/ adverb [inv.], from the English very good

C’est son bad complice.
Do bad. To be painful.
Le way ci me do trop bad.
Ya bad. To feel bad.
La nga là m’a fait ya bad.
Bafia idiom, name of a village in Cameroon

Faire la danse Bafia, a type of dance in which the dancer makes one step
forward and two steps backwards.
To progress in a regressive manner, to waste time on the same spot without
actually progressing.
Bagando /bàgàndo/ noun [masc.], from Duala

A rascal, thief.
Mon petit frère est devenu un bon bagando.
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Bago /bàgo/ noun [fem. inv.], truncation of Sebago, a shoe brand
Refers to Sebago shoes, or shoes in general.
La bago du prof est quand même cool non?
Bahat /bàhàt/ adjective [inv.]; noun [masc. inv.]; verb [inv.], from the Pidgin
bad hat (bad heart)
1. Strict or wicked.
Ma mater est trop bahat, elle ne peut pas accepter que je komot.
2. Strictness or wickedness.
Ton bahat là me dépasse mon frère.
Faire le bahat. to behave in a wicked or strict manner towards someone.
3. To refuse or turn down.
J’ai invite la nga là au resto mais elle m’a bahat.
Baisser verb, from Popular French

Baisser la culotte/le pantalon (idiom).
To subject oneself to homosexual practices, usually to earn money or to
obtain a job promotion.
Bakassi /bàkasi/ noun [neut. inv.]

From the Bakassi peninsula, an area disputed between Cameroon and Nigeria
until 2000. There were violent confrontations between the armed forces of
both countries in this peninsula. A place with very difficult living conditions.
Gars là où on t’a send là hein, c’est bakassi.
Bala (always in le jo bala) noun /djo bàlà/

A style of dressing in which a shirt is tucked into a pair of trousers taken right
up to the navel.
Mon pater aime trop s’ahbiller en djo bala.
Bal à terre noun, from French

A dancing style in which the dancer winds his waist and slowly moves down
to ground level, usually holding their waist on both sides.
Faisons le bal à terre.
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Balaise /balɛz/, from French
Very nice.
Le match là était trop balaise.
Ballon, from the French ballon, a football

Ballon d’or (idiom). An (unwanted) pregnancy.
La nga ci a le ballon d’or.
Balok /bàlɒk/ int., from the English bad luck, through Pidgin
A way of expressing one’s misfortune.
Balok! Je ne sais pas celui qui m’a envoyé ici.
Bally-bally /bàlìbàlì/ noun [masc. inv.], from Bally, a slot machine brand
Any slot or video game machine.
J’aimais jouer au bally-bally quand j’étais jeune.
Bam /bàm/ [inv.]

Twenty five (when referring to money).
Gars tchoko moi bam là bas.
Bams /báms/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], truncation of Bamileke, an ethnic group
in Cameroon
A member of one of the Bamileke tribes, who are found in most of the
western region of Cameroon.
Le président du Sénat c’est un bams.
Bamenda /bamenda/ noun [masc.], a town in the northwest of Cameroon

A stupid person.
Tu as vu ton Bamenda?
Bancal noun, from French

Etre bancal. To have O-shaped legs.
Quand j’étais mbindi j’étais bancal.
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Bangala /mbaŋgala/ noun [masc. inv.], from Gabonese vernacular
1. Male genitalia.
Ton bangala est trop black jo.
2. Insult.
Ton bangala/le bangala de ton père.
Bangaliser /bɑ̃ŋgàlize/ verb [bangalise, bangalisons, bangalisez, bangalisais],

derivation of Bangala
To have sex with a woman without any emotional involvement; to fuck a
woman.
Je vais bangaliser la nga là ce soir.
Baghdad idiom
The capital of Iraq, a dangerous place or area.
See Bakassi.
Bago /bàgó/ noun [fem. inv.], truncation of Sebago

Sebago or any other expensive shoes.
Je dois gi une bago a ma nga pour son anniv.
Bambe, also pambe noun [masc./fem.]

1. Someone who helps in plantations or in other farming activities, usually
for little pay.
On cherche un bon pambe pour go au champs semedi.
2. Any such tasks that require manual labour for little pay.
Gars, je suis foiré, il me faut go work le pambe.
Bandit noun, from French

Chef bandit, abbreviated as chef ban.
The bad guy in a movie who is usually arrested, defeated or killed by the hero
at the end of a movie. By extension, a very bad person.
Je connais le film ci, le chef bandit ne meurt pas à la fin.
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Bao /bàó/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of baobab
1. A rich, prominent, powerful or successful person.
Le type ci c’est un bao, il travaille au MINFI.
See Boss
2. Friendly form of address, usually used by secondary and university students.
Bao c’est how?
Baptème idiom
See baptiser.
Baptiser idiom, from Popular French

1. To fail, deceive or scam someone.
J’ai baptisé le vendeur d’arachides là.
2. To dribble an opponent by making the ball go above his head (in football).
Le Eto’o a baptisé Piqué.
Bar, from the French les commentaires du bar

Senseless or worthless talk.
Laisse-nous Ça dis-donc ce sont les commentaries du bar.
Baramine, from the French barre-à-mine

A penis, especially a very large one.
Le gars là avait une vraie baramine.
Baro /baro/ noun, from the English bar

A bar.
Retrouve-nous au baro dans une heure.
Barrer idiom
1. To refuse.
Il a barré de came à mon anniv.
2. To turn down one’s amorous offer or sexual advances.
Si une nga te barre il faut insister.
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Basta /bàstà/ verb, from the French bastonner
To beat someone up.
Je back chez moi tard et je basta ma nga, ton problème dedans
c’est quoi?
Bateau idiom
1. Place where second hand shoes (especially sneakers) are sold.
Gars samedi je go au bateau me buy une ten.
2. A table filled with bottles of beer and assorted drinks, or a group of people
going out together to drink.
Le bateau est très grand, je ne peux pas gérer.
Bâton, idiom
A million Francs.
Il a win un bâton au Paris foot.
Beau /bo/ noun [masc. inv.], from French

Male relatives of one’s companion, in-law.
Mon beau est arrive hier.
Beau-regard /boregar/ noun [masc. inv.], compound of the French beau and
regard
Swine.
L’animal préféré des dschang c’est le beau-regard.
Bébé /bebe/ noun [fem. inv.], from the French

A young girl.
J’ai commencé à verber la bébé là hier.
Bebele (zamba) /bebele zàmbà/, interjection from Beti

Said to express surprise.
C’est encore quoi ca? Bebele zamba!
89
Beco /becò/ noun [masc. inv.]
Official examination in the Francophone system of education, taken at the
end of the fourth year of secondary school (BEPC).
Les résultats du beco sont komot aujourd’hui.
Beg /bɛk/ verb [begons, begez, begais], from English

To ask or to beg.
Je lui ai beg le pain mais il a barré.
I beg /abɛk/. Same as abeg, a way of making a polite request.
I beg send moi le wé là.
Begin /bìgin/ verb [inv.], from the English begin

To start something.
Tu begin à ndem déjà?
Bele /bɛlɛ/ noun [masc. inv.]; verb [inv.], from the English belly, through Pidgin
1. Pregnancy
Avoir le bele. To be pregnant.
La nga ci a le bele.
2. To make a woman pregnant.
J’ai bele ma go.
Bensikin /bɛnsìkin/ noun, compound of English bend and skin

Commercial motorbike.
Les nga n’aiment pas prendre le bensikin.
Beps /bɛps/ noun [masc. inv.]

See beco.
Bep-bep /bɛpbɛp/ noun [masc. inv.], from onomatopoeia of children’s

imitations during the babbling stage of language acquisition
Empty noise.
Faire le bep-bep. To make empty noise.
Vous aimez trop faire le bep bep.
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Besh /beʃ/ verb, deformation of wash
To wash.
Je go me besh.
Better /bétà/ adverb [inv.], from English

Rather
Better je go à Ngoa que de go a soa.
B-H/béaʃ/ noun [masc. inv.], abbreviation of French beignets and haricot

1. A meal consisting of dough nuts and beans (see picture)
Il me faut chop le BH avant de nang.
2. Place where such meals are sold.

On a open un nouveau BH au kwat.
B-H-B /béaʃbe/ noun [masc. inv.] abbreviation of French beignets, haricot,

bouillie (see picture)
Biafra /bjafrà/ noun [masc. inv.] from Biafra, a region of Nigeria which
wanted to secede during the Biafra War. Many of them took refuge in
Cameroon when they were later persecuted in their country
1. A (derogatory) way of referring to people of Nigerian origin, especially
igbos.
Les Biafra ont envahi le marché mboppi.
2. A derogatory way of referring to Anglophone Cameroonians.
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Biafrais /bjafrɛ/ noun [com. inv.] adjective [biafraise]
Same as Biafra
Bibliser /bìblìze/ verb [biblise, biblisons, biblisez, biblisais]

To poorly attempt to speak with a European accent.
Quand le gars ci est avec les nga il aime bibliser.
Biblos /bìblós/ noun [com. inv.]

A person of European descent.
J’ai vu un biblos là au kwat tout à l’heure.
Bic /bík/ noun, from the French trademark bic

1. A writing pen.
Qui a deux bics?
2. A penis.
Son bic n’écrit pas (expression). He is impotent.
Bifaka /bìfàkà/ noun [masc. inv.] from Beti

Dry fish.
Moi je cook seulement le riz sauté avec le bifaka.
Big /bík/ noun [com. inv.], from English

1. Elder brother or sister.
Je suis go voir ma big hier.
2. Older person.
Le big ci te veux même quoi non?
Big rémé /bik reme/

A grandmother.
Je go au letch voir ma big rémé.
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Bigo /bìgo/ noun [fem. inv.], blend of bi (business) and go
Girlfriend.
J’ai rendez-vous avec ma bigo à 15 heures.
Bilingue fig. noun, from French

Bisexual.
All les ministres du mboa sont les bilingues.
Bimane fig. noun, from the novel titled Les Bimanes, by Cameroonian
novelist Severin Cecile Abega. This term is used in his novel to
metaphorically designate the working class.
A person who makes money from hard manual labour.
C’étais le big réfré qui aidais les porteurs, les pousseurs, wee tous les bimanes
(from song by Koppo).
Bichakala /bìtʃàkàlà/ noun [masc. inv.]

1. Writing which cannot be (easily) read (often plural).
Le muna ci write seulement les bichakala.
2. Ugly, poor looking (modifier).
Va plutot laver ton bichakala visage là
Bipeur /bipœ/ noun [masc., fem. bipeuse]

A person who never calls and always gives others a short buzz, expecting
them to call back.
La nga là ne call jamais avec son crédit, une vraie bipeuse!
Bizgo /bizgo/ noun [masc. inv.], blend of bi (business) and go

Any article of commercial value which someone intends to sell.
Mon frère, tu n’as pas un bizgo pour moi là bas?
Black /blàk/ noun

in a game of cards, any of the cards of the spade suit.
Il y a un black qui manque dans le carton ci.
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Bled /bled/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Arabic blæd, through French argot
Country.
Mon bled c’est le kamer.
Blem /blɛm/ noun, truncation of the French problem

Trouble.
Ne me bring pas les blem mon frère.
Blinder from French, based on traditional practice of visiting witch doctors

for protection
To get mystical protection from a fetish priest.
Le gars est go se blinder au village.
Blow /bló/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.], from the English blow
1. To hit.
Mon ami je vais te blow hein!
2. To fight.
Mon pater a blow avec son frère l’autre jour.
3. A fight, the act of fighting.
Le jo ci aime trop la blow.
Bobo /bòbò/ noun

A well-to-do person, a spoiled child.
Lu mbom là c’est un bòbò.
Bobi /bòbi/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Pidgin bobi, English boobs
Breasts.
La chanteuse ci a les bobi grave.
Boblè /boblè/ verb, from Mboko

To search someone thoroughly, especially to take any valuable items from
him by force or unknowingly.
Les gars l’ont boblè à Mokolo.
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Bock /bɒk/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French bordello
A hooker. See bordelle.
Boges /bògɛs/ noun [fem. inv.], deformation of bordello

A prostitute.
Il me faut tuma avec un boges.
See Waka.
Boire idiom
Boire quelqu’un / boire l’eau sur quelqu’un.
To make someone pay more than the normal price for a commodity.
Le kombi ci m’a bu gars, mon pote a buy le même way ci a fap cent.
Boire son cerveau

To drink heavily.
Hier quand je t’ai vu, tu avais bu ton cerveau man.
Un boir-le-vin.
Someone who drinks heavily.
Mon oncal c’est un boir-le-vin.
Tu bois quoi?
Said in appreciation of a good act someone has done.
Non tu es fort!!! Tu bois quoi mon père???
Bojo /bódʒó/ noun [masc. inv.], blend of beau and jo

A man or guy.
Je ne comprends meme plus le bojo là.
Boi/Boileau /bwàló/
To read intensely, especially in preparation for an examination.
Je compose la semaine prochaine, je go boi.
95
Bok /bók/ verb [bokons, bokez, bokais]
1. To put on, to wear.
Il a bok un pan slim pour travel.
2. To carry or take along.
Go alors bok le gobelet qui est stay derrière.
Bole /bólè/ verb [inv.], from Duala

To end or finish.
Je vais bole le wok là demain.
Bole avec idiom

1. To have sex with.
Le gars a bole avec la nga là.
2. To settle a debt.
Man, bole même avec moi nohh?
Bolo /bóló/ verb [inv.], from Duala

To work.
J’ai bolo sur le way là hier.
Bomae /bómae/, from Lingala

Completely exhausted.
Après le calico les gars étaient bomae.
Bombe idiom
A low-quality good.
Ta tennis ci c’est la bombe.
Bon /bɒn/ verb [inv.], from the English born, through Pidgin
To give birth.
Ma nga a bon un garçon.
96
Etre bon /bɔ̃/
To be drunk.
Ton pote ci est déjà bon.
Bon-Blanc /bɔ̃blɑ̃/ noun [masc. inv.], from French

An albino or fair-skinned person.
Le bon-blanc là est venu te chercher hier.
Bon-bon /bɔ̃bɔ̃/ noun

Basketball.
Je go au bon-bon le soir.
Bon-boner / bɔ̃bɔne/ verb

To play basketball.
Je go bon-boner tout à l’heur.
Bon gars /bɔ̃ gɑː/ noun

In situations in which a lady has more than one boyfriend, the one she has
genuine feelings for.
Bondir verb, from French

To fail or deceive someone.
La go là m’a bondi très mal.
Bord noun, from French

1. Notes one can refer back to when speaking in public or writing an exam
(often plural).
Il est interdit d’entrer en sale d’examen avec les bords.
2. A textbook.
Le bord de maths là est très intéressant.
Bordelle noun, from French

A prostitute or loose-living girl.
Ta petite sœur est une bordelle.
97
Bordereaux noun, from the French figurative.
Money.
Gars je sens que tu as les bordereaux sur toi.
Boro /bóro/ verb [inv.] from bore, the past tense form of English bear
To wear or put on.
Il a boro un pantalon slim.
Borrow /bóro/ verb [inv.], from English

To borrow or lend.
Gars borrow moi fap cent non?
Bosco /bòscó/ noun [masc. inv.], from the proper noun Bosco
A robust young man.
Le portier de la boite là c’est un bosco.
Bosh /bɒʃ/. verb [boshons, boshez, boshais], from the French bûcher
1. To study (hard).
Si tu veux win le bac il faut bosh.
2. To teach.
Mon pot ci bosh ls maths au lycee.
Bosheur /bɒʃœ/ noun [masc. bosheuse], derivation of bûcher

A person who reads or studies hard.
Le kombi ci c’est un bosheur!
Boshing /bɒʃiŋ/ noun [masc. inv.], derivation of bosh

The act of reading or studying
Moi je ya mo le boshing.
Bosniaque noun, derivation from the French for the country Bosnie
A pejorative way of referring to a person who hails from a Bamileke tribe.
Il y a déjà trop de bosniaques à Yaoundé.
98
Boss /bos/ noun [masc. inv.], from English
1. A rich, prominent or influential person.
Odza c’est le kwat des boss.
2. The person for whom one works.
Mon boss m’a gi mes do hier.
Bouche idiom
Faire la bouche. To make empty noise.
Tu fais la bouche alors que tu n’est même pas fort.
Mettre sa bouche. To intervene in a problem one is not directly involved in.
Ne met pas ta bouche dans cette affaire, tu ne va pas t’en sortir.
Prendre dans la bouche de quelqu’un. To prompt someone to say
something.
Tu veux prendre dans ma bouche?
Bougi /bugi/
1. Noun (fem.), a party.
Je suis invité à une bougi ce week-end.
2. Verb, to party.
L’autre day on a bougi grave.
Boumlam /bumlàm/ verb

To manhandle someone.
Les policiers m’ont boumlam le djo là.
Boum-boum /bumbum/ noun

In a game of football, kicking the ball forward without any constructive play
style.
Le man ci joue lui que le boumboum.
Boxam /bɒksàm/ verb [inv.], from the Pidgin box-am

See Boxer les cartes.
99
Boxer verb, from French
To punch someone.
Je l’ai bien boxé.
Boer les cartes verb

To shuffle cards.
Il faut bien boxer les cartes ci avant de les partager.
Boy /bɒi/ noun [masc. boys], from English

1. A way of addressing a young man.
Le boy ci se vente trop.
2. A fashion-loving and rascally young man.
Mon pote ci est devenu un boy.
Brass /bràs/ verb [inv.], from the English to blast or brass off
To rebuke or reprimand.
Ma mater m’a brass parce que j’ai nang dehors.
Brassard noun, from French

Avoir le brassard (idiom).
To be the captain of a team in team sports.
C’est Eto’o qui a le brassard aujourd’hui.
Braquer /brake/ verb

To do armed robbery.
Les gars ont braqué Amity Bank à Bafoussam.
Braqueurs noun
Armed robbers
Bring /briŋ/ verb [inv.], from English

1. To carry or take something or somebody to a given location.
Je fall dans le taxi qui me bring dans tes mop.
100
2. To lead to a particular place.
Qui peut me shu la route qui bring au pays de Morphé là i beg?
Bro /bro/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of English brother

A way of addressing a brother or friend.
Courage bro, tu fais du bon boulot.
Brouter verb, from the French fig

To perform cunnilingus during sex.
J’ai brouté le way là cette nuit.
Brun, adjective
Fair-skinned.
Mon fils est brun comme son père.
Brunette noun, from the French brune

A woman with a fair complextion, usually beautiful.
J’ai attrappé une brunette hier au campus.
Brut adjective, from French

To be perfect in a particular area.
Einstein était brut en physique.
BT /bété/ noun [fem. inv.], acronym from initial syllabic letter in the French
boîte
Night club.
Ce vendredi je go en BT.
Bucher verb
See bosh.
Buching /byʃiŋ/ noun [masc. inv.]

Same as boshing.
101
Bucheur /byʃœ/ noun [masc. inv.]
See bosheur.
Bunker /búŋkœ/ noun [masc. inv.], from English bunker

Home, hiding place.
Gars, voici mon bunker.
Bunja /bundʒa/ verb [inv.], from Duala

1. To score a goal (in football).
Messi a bunja à la quinzième minute.
2. To get a woman pregnant out of wedlock.
Le gars a bunja sa go là.
Bunya /buɲa/ noun [fem. inv.], from Duala

Car, especially a luxury one.
Mon vieux a tum sa bunya.
Buy /bài/ or bay /be/ verb [baions, baize, baiais], from the English buy
1. To purchase.
Type on ne ta pas bosh à buy les A1?
2. To pay somebody for a service.
De from que je work ici on ne me buy pas.
Cadeauter verb [transitive], from the French cadeau

To offer someone a gift.
Il m’a cadeauté avec la veste ci.
Cadi noun, from Bamiléké languages

Boire le cadi de quelqu’un (idiom).
102
To have total trust and confidence in someone, such that you can swear he is
innocent if he is accused of anything. This expression comes from a practice
in West Cameroon in which people drink a liquid called cadi to prove their
innocence for a crime of which they are accused. Should they be guilty, they
are expected to later die.
Gars je ne te fais pas confiance, je ne peux pas boire ton cadi.
Café noun, from French

The act of beating up a suspect, usually at a police station, to make him admit
he has committed a crime.
Je l’ai bring au commissariat, on lui a donné un café chaud et il a accepté
qu’il a volé mon argent.
Cut/couper/donner le café à quelqu’un idiom

To give a military salute to someone as a sign of respect or to acknowledge
their superiority.
Gars, tu es fort je e donne le café.
Caisse fig.
Car, vehicle.
Je vais buy ma caisse demain.
Calcio /kálsjo/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Italian calico

A football tournament.
On va jouer le calcio là au Mateko.
Calé /kàlé/ noun [fem. inv.], truncation of the French caleçon

Pants or underpants.
Gars tu wash même ton calé ci?
Caler idiom
Etre calé. To be blocked, to remain.
Je suis calé à la maison hier pour te wait.
103
Call /kɒl/ verb [callons, callez, callais], from English
To call, to make a phone call.
Ma mater m’a call aujoud’hui.
Call box noun, from English

Usually an umbrella fixed into a small table where people come to make phone calls.
Call boxeur, call boxeuse (fem.)

One who runs a call box.
Cam /kàm/ noun [fem. inv.], truncation of the Spanish cama

Bedroom.
Je back moi dans ma cam, je dois nang.
Came /kem/verb [kemais, kemez], from English

To arrive at a given place, to come.
came nye comment le jo ci shake.
Camer also written k-mer /kàmɛr/ noun [inv.], truncation of Cameroon

1. A way of referring to Cameroon.
On va voir tout au Camer.
2. A Cameroonian.
C’est un camer ?
Camerlock /kàmɛrlok/ noun [inv.]

A Cameroonian.
La pater de la nga métosh là c’est un camerlock.
Camfranglais, also Camfran /kamfraŋglƐ/ noun

A language variant in Cameroon based on French, which blends English,
Pidgin English and other indigenous languages such as Duala, Beti languages,
Ghomala etcetera.
Ici on topo le Camfranglais.
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Camois /kamwà/ noun [masc.; fem. camoise]
A Cameroonian, esp. in France.
Tu la know? C’est la go qui joue dans Les Aventures camoises.
Camnogo /kámnógò/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Pidgin come no g

A skin disease that causes itching. See guitare.
Capo /kápò/ noun [masc. inv.] from Spanish

A rich or influential person.
C’est une mouna for capo!
Cargo /kargo/
An illegal urban transportation bus (esp. in Douala).
On agresse trop les gens dans les cargos.
Cargo /karko/ noun (always plural)

Articles with commercial value or articles for sale.
Mon big a bring flop de cargo de mbeng.
Carton noun, from French

1. A game of cards; gambling. See fafap.
Il est tout le temps entrain de jouer au carton.
2. A place where prostitutes take their clients to have sex. Usually, cartons are
placed on or spread on the ground.
Je go tirer un coup au carton à l’hôtel de ville.
Cass /kas/ verb [inv.] adjective [inv.], truncation of French casser

1. Cass quelqu’un. To exhaust someone.
La nga là ma cass papa.
2. Etre cass. To be exhausted.
Je ne peux pas t’accompagner; je suis cass.
3. Go cass. A rude way of telling someone off (an expression).
Go kass dis-donc!
105
Casse-mbit /kásmbit/ noun [fem. inv.], compound of French casse and
Camfranglais mbit
A loose-living girl or lady.
Ma voisine c’est une casse-mbit.
Casser idiom
Casser le derrière de quelqu’un. To have anal sex with someone.
Si tu veux réussir accepte qu’on casse ton derrière.
Cata-cata /katakata/ adjective

Disorderly.
Ta soeur là est trop cata-cata.
Catch /káʃ/ verb [inv.], from English

To arrest, to catch.
On a catch le bandit qui nous hambokais ici.
Cave, from French

Descendre à la cave (idiom).
To perform cunilingus on a woman.
Pour faire jouir le genre de nga là, tu dois descendre à la cave mola.
Center verb, from English

Center quelqu’un
To strand someone or place them in a difficult situation.
La petite là m’a center, je l’ai wait toute la nuit et elle n’est pas came.
Centrale noun [feminine, singular], from French

A mouth-to-mouth kiss.
Donner la centrale. To kiss on the mouth.
Ce qui m’énerve sur le prof ci c’est qu’il donne la centrale à sa collègue.
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Cepla /cəplà/ noun [inv.], inversion of French place
Place, position, location or seat.
Gars put le way là en cepla.
Cerceau noun, from French

1. A shaving style that gives beard around the mouth the shape of a ring.
Il me faut faire le cerceau.
2. O-shaped legs.
J’ai toujours le cerceau.
3. A round of drinks offered by someone to others with whom they are
drinking.
Hier j’ai fait deux cerceaux au baro.
Cha /tʃá/ verb [chayons, chayez, chayais]

1. To take or select.
Cha le tricot blanc il est cool.
2. To board.
J’ai cha le bus pour go au skul.
3. To catch (by surprise).
On a cha la nga là en train de ntuma avec un fou.
Idiom. Ca ne cha pas. Said to show something is lame or
to boo someone.
Pourquoi il a porté l’habit là? Ça ne cha pas!
Chamboule /ʃàmbúl/ noun [fem. inv.], from the French chamber

Bedroom.
Gars j’ai finalement trouvé une chamboule à Bonas.
Champi /ʃàmpi/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French Champagne

Champagne.
Le champi ci n’a pas d’alcool.
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Champicoter /ʃàmpikote/ verb [champicote, champicotons, champicotez,
champicotais etc.], from the French Champagne
To drink Champagne.
Je vais aller champicoter avec mes potes.
Champs noun, from French

1. Home coaching or any such activity, especially amongst students in Yaoundé.
Gars, je go à un champs à la cité verte.
2. Tu es au champs (idiom). Said to mean that someone got it wrong or is off
the mark.
Ta réponse est fausse, tu es au champs.
3. Vas au champs (idiom). Said to tell somebody off.
Vas au champs dis-donc, ne me dérange pas.
4. Envoyer au champs (idiom). To disappoint someone or tell them off.
J’ai call mon pater pour lui ask les do, et il m’a envoyé au champs.
Chandelle idiom
A foul that consists in making the opponent violently fall on the ground by
tackling him in football.
Le défenseur ci a de ces chandelles mon frère.
Chandelliser /ʃɑ̃dàlize/ verb [chandellise, chandellisons, chandellisez,

chandellisais etc.], from the French chandelle
To make somebody violently fall to the ground by tackling him.
Si tu t’amuse avec moi je vais te chandelliser.
Change /tʃendʒ/ verb, from English

To change.
Changeam /tʃeɪndʒam/, from Pidgin English

1. Same as change above (verb).
2. In a game of football, a long transversal pass (noun).
Geremy est très fort dans les changeam.
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Changer verb, from French
1. C
hange meme nohh (idiom). Said in situations in which someone keeps
on doing something which you would like him to stop doing.
Gars, c’est quoi ca, change même nohhh.
2. S
es divers ne changent pas (idiom). Said to mean that someone is
uninteresting or boring.
Ses divers ne changent pas, il dit toujours les même ways.
Chantier noun, from French

1. A makeshift or unlicensed restaurant.
On a open un nouveau chantier au kwat.
2. Place where one works so as to make ends meet.
Je go moi au chantier.
Chanvrier noun, from the French chanvre

A marijuana addict.
Là-bas c’est le seceur des chanvriers.
Charbon noun, from French

Aller au charbon (idiom).
To be obliged to face a difficult or embarrassing situation.
Elle va porer plainte, donc tu es obligé de go au charbon.
Charger verb
To perform physical training activities so as to strength and build one’s muscles.
Tout le monde dans mon kwat charge maintenant.
To mount pressure on someone to make them do something.
Mon frère, c’est quoi, arrête de me charger.
Chat /tʃát/ verb [chatons, chatez, chatais], from the English chat
To tell.
La nga là m’a chat qu’elle me ya.
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Chat mort, from the French chat (cat) and mort (dead)
A lady with whom a man can always have occasional sex or one with whom
one has had occasional sex.
J’ai attrappé un chat mort hier au resto.
Chatter verb, from French chat

To perform cunnilingus on a woman.
Je ne peux jamais chatter une nga.
Chaud /ʃó/ noun [masc., chaude] adjective, from French

1. Boyfriend or girlfriend.
Mon chaud est arrivé au Camer.
2. Well dressed.
Mon gars tu es très chaud à mort aujourd’hui.
3. Ready to take a given challenge.
Tu es chaud pour go à Doul avec moi?
Chaud-gars noun
A well dressed person, a womaniser.
Chaussette noun, from French

Condom.
Même avec la chausette tu peux bele une nga.
Chaussons /ʃòsɔ̃/ noun [fem. inv.], from French

Socks that stop at the ankle.
Normalement on ne porte pas les paires avec les chausons.
Chégué /ʃégé/ noun, from Lingala, street child

A term of abuse; an insult.
Vois-moi un chégué!
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Chem /ʃèm/ noun, truncation of the French chemise
A shirt.
Ta chem là me mo hein.
Cher, from French

Moins cher (expression). Someone you could take for granted.
Tu as vu ton moins cher.
Chercher verb, from French

To provoke.
Ne me cherche pas hein mon frère!
You chercha you trouva, you trouva you supporta (saying).
If you look for trouble you find it, and when it comes you only have yourself
to blame
Se chercher. To hustle.
Tu ne peux pas avoir les do ici dehors si tu ne te cherches pas.
Chicotter verb, from the French chicotte, a whip

To have sex with a woman (fig.).
Mes deux potes ont chicotté la nga qui passé là.
Chien vert noun, from French

An insult.
Quitte de là, chien vert!
Chier verb, from French

Chier dans son pantaloon/chier dans sa culotte (idiom).
To do something which brings great shame or disgrace to oneself.
Gars, tu as chié dans ta culotte.
Choc noun, from French

A football game, especially one amongst friends.
On a choc demain au mateko.
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Choix noun, from French
On a le choix? (idiom).
Said in a situation of no choice or obligation.
Chombe /tʃombé/ verb [inv.]

To wear or put on.
Il a tchombe une destroy de feu.
Chop /tʃɒp/ verb [tchopais, tchopez]; noun [fem. inv.], from the Pidgin chop
1. To eat.
Depuis le matin j’ai seulement chop une banane.
2. To annoy.
Le mbom là avait fok ma nga; l’affaire là me chop toujours mon frère!
3. Food.
J’ai ya mo la chop que ma mater a cook.
4. Chop maîtrise (idiom). To keep a cool head or to keep one’s composure.
Also said to warn someone to stay calm or refrain from reacting to a given
situation.
Tu as la chance que le grand là a chop maîtrise, il allait te show le fire.
Chop-nanga /tʃɒp nàŋgà/ noun, from Pidgin chop and Duala nanga
A hoodlum or a street child.
Tu fais quoi avec le chop-nanga là?
Choquer verb
To play football.
Gars je go choquer
Chose noun, from French

1. M
oi ma chose (idiom). Used in different expressions to mean you are
doing your thing.
Je danse moi ma chose.
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2. Prendre ses choses (euphemism). To want to have sex.
Je suis venu prendre mes choses.
Church /tʃœtʃ/ noun [masc. inv.], from English

Church.
Je go au church chaque dimanche.
Cinema cadeau noun, from French

A public display of one’s private issues.
C’est encore quel cinema cadeau Ça?
Cinq noun, truncation of the French cinq francs

A penny or a dime.
Je n’ai même pas cinq.
Cinquante-cinquante noun, from French

Roasted beef sold for fifty francs CFA a skewer, especially in Yaoundé.
Circuit noun
A restaurant.
Je vais go chop le poulet au circuit du haut là.
Clampser verb, from French

To die.
Le gars a clampsé.
Clash /klaʃ/ noun [inv.], from the English clash

1. A dispute or fight between people, esp. those of equal power.
Il y a eu clash entre les deux là tout à l’heure.
2. A highrate encounter in football, martial arts etc.
Il y aura clash entre le PSG et Marseille ce soir.
Coca Alhadji
See Alhadji
113
Cochambrier also Coch /koʃàmbrie/ noun [masc. cochambrière,
cochambriers], from the French chambre
Roommate.
Mon cochambrier a travel au day.
Coco /kókò/ noun [fem. inv.], from Duala

A girl(friend).
Je yamo la coco ci hein!
Cœur /kœ/ noun, from French

Avoir le mauvais cœur (idiom). To be wicked.
Ça c’est le mauvais cœur mon frère.
Coller verb
to dance in a sensual manner in which the bodies of the dancers rubbing one
against the other.
On a collé grave à la fête de Pat.
coller-coller noun, adverb

A sensual danse or said of people dancing sensually.
Tu aimes trop danser coller-coller.
Coller chewing gum /kólé ʃiŋgom/ adjective, from the French coller and
English chewing gum
Disapproving, a gumshoe attitude.
La nga ci est trop coller chewing gum.
Coma /kómà/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of COMACICO (Compagnie

Africaine Cinématographique Industrielle et Commerciale), a French film
company in Cameroon in the 1950s
A film, especially an action-packed one.
J’ai nye un dur coma en haut là.
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Combo /kómbó/ verb [inv.]
To have sex.
Mon pote a kombo pour la première fois hier.
Comment adverb, from French

1. C’est comment? A standard greeting.
C’est comment mon grand?
2. On va faire comment? Said in a desperate situation when one does not
know what to do.
Le Camer a les dents. On va faire comment?
Comot /kómót/ verb, from Pidgin English via English come out
1. To date someone.
C’est toi qui comot avec la nga ci?
2. To come out of a place or building.
Comot un peu tu viens look l’arc-en-ciel ci.
Complet noun, from French

Porter le complet-complet. To wear trousers and a shirt that are made out of
the same material.
Je n’aime pas m’habiller en complet-complet.
Complice noun, from French

A very close friend.
C’est mon dur complice.
Compo /kɒmpó/ noun [masc. compos], truncation of French composition

Academic test or exam.
Les compos commencent demain.
Compliqué, from French

Se compliquer/ être compliqué
To have mystical powers or protection usually from fetish priests.
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Pour jouer au haut niveau comme les Samuel Eto’o là il faut se
compliquer.
Le type là n’est pas simple, il doit être compliqué.
Comporter verb, from French

Se comporter. To behave responsibly at a particular occasion so as to show a
positive image of oneself.
Le gars ci aime se comporter devant les nga.
Composer verb, from French

1. To make advances towards a woman.
J’ai composé la coco là fatigue.
2. To try to convince anyone to do a particular thing.
Je l’ai compose et il m’a donné les do.
Compteur noun, from French

Il n’y a pas le compteur sur ca/ ca ne pointe pas/ ca ne finit pas/ c’est le
savon? (idiom).
Said to mean that no matter how much a woman has sex, her vagina will
remain the same.
Ma soeur, s’il te demande il faut donner, il n’y a pas le compteur sur Ça.
Consto adverb, truncation of the French constamment

Regularly, constantly.
Il came ici consto.
Conto /kɔ̃tò/ verb [inv.], from the French conter

To speak or chat.
Je suis en train de conto avec mes potes.
Cook /kuk/ verb [cookons, cookez, cookais], from English

To prepare food, to cook.
Tu as cook quoi aujourd’hui?
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Cool /kul/ adjective [inv.], from English
Nice, cool.
La shoes ci est très cool.
Cops /kɒps/ noun [com. inv.], truncation of the French copain or copine
1. Friend.
La fille ci c’est ma cops.
2. University students.
Les cops de Ngoa Ekelle sont en grève.
Copine noun
Form of address.
Ma copine!
Copo also koppo /kópò/ noun [com. inv.], from the French copain or copine
Friend.
Gars voici mon copo dont je te parlais.
Coran figurative
School subject that requires cram-studying class notes (history, geography,
biology).
Gars l’histoire c’est le coran, tu n’a pas besoin de comprendre.
Coraniser /korànize/ verb [coranise, coranisons, coranisez, coranisais etc.],

from the French coran
To read class notes not to understand them, but rather to learn them by heart.
Je go au campus coraniser.
Cora /kòra/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French corps à corps
1. A challenge between two people in a fight or game (often reduplicated).
Tu veux le cora avec moi?
2. The highest win in a playing card game (See fap-fap).
Mon kombi ci aime trop chercher le cora.
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Corater /kòrate/ verb [corate, coratons, coratez, coratais etc.]
To achieve the highest win in fap-fap.
Celui qui corate a deux points.
Cotar /kotar/ noun [masc. fem. inv.] from the French corps
See copo, cops.
Sentir son corps (idiom).
To feel the negative effects of something.
Quand tu vas bole de do le work ci toi-même tu vas sentir ton corps.
Côte noun, from French

Social connections.
Ce sont les côtes de ton pater qui te sauvent.
Etre côté. To have social connections.
Si tu n’est pas côté tu ne peux pas win le concours là.
Côté /kóté/ noun

A bet.
Tu mets côté combien? Le Real perd aujourd’hui.
Cougna-cougna /kunja kunjia/ adjective

Used to describe a clumsy way of walking.
Il marche cougna-cougna.
Couper idiom
Couper une fille. To have sex with a woman.
J’ai coupé ma nga cette nuit.
Couper le crédit
To pick up a call, especially when the caller only intended to let the phone
ring and not to call.
Mon frère, le gars là m’a coupé le crédit.
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Court adjective, from the French
Of someone’s height, short.
Mais gars, tu es court hein.
Court type!. Insult.
Tu es court comme deux cubes à genoux.
Couzo /kùzò/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French cousin

1. Cousin.
Mon couzo va kem de mbeng demain.
2. A way of addressing a friend or acquaintance.
Couzo, on dit quoi alors pour notre business là?
Coyote /kòyɒt/ noun [fem. inv.], from French

A loose-living girl, prostitute.
Regarde la coyote là.
Crayon noun, from French

Long crayon (idiom).
A highly educated person, or pejoratively, one who likes to show he or she is
highly educated.
Cry /krai/ verb [cryons, cryez, cryais], from English

To cry.
Le bébé ci aime trop cry.
Cuillère, from French

A dribbling move in football.
Le manan ci aime les cuillères!
Cuillérer /kyjere/ verb [cuillère, cuillérons, cuillérez, cuillérais etc.]

A way of dribbling an opponent in football.
Je t’ai cuilléré au moins trois fois durant ce match.
119
Cuire verb
Ça a cuit sur lui/elle (idiom).
Said in a situation in which things have become very tough for someone,
usually by their own fault.
Cul noun, from French

1. A woman’s buttocks, especially when theey are big or protruding.
2. Plan cul (idiom). A woman you look for only when you want to have sex.
J’ai deux plan cul qui me wait à Yaoundé.
Cut /kɒt/ verb [cutons, cutez, cutais], from English

1. To cut.
Il a cut le way là en deux.
2. To have sex.
J’ai cut trois nga hier.
Dak /dàk/ verb, from Pidgin English via the English dark
To smoke.
Tu dak trop mon frère.
Damba /dàmbà/ noun, verb

1. A football or a football game.
Je dois go regarder le damba.
2. To play football.
Je go damba.
Dame /dà:mé/ noun [fem. inv.]; verb [inv.]

1. Food.
La dame de la mater ci est très mo.
2. To eat.
J’ai dame l’okok avant de kem au skul.
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Danser
Que je danse? (idiom). What do you want me to do about it?
Tu as perdu ton livre et tu veux que je danse?
Dasham /dàshàm/ verb, from Pidgin English

To give someone something as a present.
Il m’a dasham un polo.
Day /dé/ noun [masc. inv.], from English

1. A calendar time division that covers 24 hours.
Le day que tu vas me nye tu vas confirmer.
2. Au day. Today.
Il n’ y a pas de match au day.
De from, depuis from

For a long time now. See from.
Débat fig., from French

Female buttocks, especially large ones (in large débat).
La nga ci a un large débat.
Débout adverb, from French

Sexual erection.
La nga là m’a barré les lass alors que j’étais débout.
Débré /debre/ noun

In a situation of hardship.
Je suis dans le débré, je n’ai plus da do.
Décaler verb, from French

To travel, or to run away.
Il a décalé avec mes do.
121
Décharger verb
To tell someone off or to disappoint them.
Je comptais sur le man là mais il m’a déchargé.
Déchirer verb, from French

Ca déchire. Said to mean something is cool or of extremely good quality.
Dégager verb
To have a strong foul odour.
La piole ci dégage.
Dégagements noun, from French

1. Attitude.
La nga là a de ces dégagements man.
2. Allure.
c’est les dégagements que vous voulez voir?
Dégammer verb
To misbehave.
Si vous m’attaquez encore je vais dégammer ici.
Dégammage noun
Eto’o nous a sorti le haut niveau du dégammage au Hilton.
Délivrer verb
To complete all the stages of a video game.
J’ai delivré le Street Fighter.
Dents noun
Avoir les dents. To be very difficult, hard to cope with.
On va faire comment le kamer a les dents.
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Deny /dInaI/ verb, from Pidgin
To refuse.
La mater a deny.
Déposer verb, from French

Déposer quelqu’un (idiom).
1. To leave a person alone, to stop bothering someone.
Mon frère dépose moi, je ne t’ai rien fait.
2. To disaapoint or strand someone.
Gars, tu m’as déposé au carréfour.
Depso /dɛpsó/ noun [com. inv.], from the argot depe

Homosexual.
On ne veux pas voir les depso au Camer.
Derrière noun, from French

Rester par derrière (idiom). To do something in hiding.
Il est resté par derrière draguer la femme de son ami.
Descendre quelqu’un idiom

To tarnish someone’s reputation.
Il aime trop descendre ses collègues.
Destroy /destrɒi/ noun [fem. inv.], from English

Trousers purposely made to look old.
Le dibo ci a boc une destroy au tuyau là.
Deux-zéro /døzero/ noun [masc. inv.], from 2-0 (two nil), a common score in
football matches
A friendly football encounter.
Je go moi au deux zero.
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Devant
Mon devant derrière (idiom). Everything I have.
Voici 1000 francs, c’est mon devant derrière.
Envoyer quelqu’un devant (idiom). To sacrifice or kill someone mystically.
C’est le pater là qui a envoyé son enfant devant pour avoir les do.
Dibo /dibó/, inversion of body

Someone, a man.
Le dibo là mimba trop.
Dico /dìkó/ noun [masc. inv.], from truncation of dictionary

Dictionary.
J’ai buy un dico de français hier.
Die /dai/ verb [inv.], from English

To die.
Le prof que tu no là est die dans un accident.
Die De Lap (DDL) /dai də làp/

Same in meaning as LOL (laughing out loud).
Diman /diman/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English this man, through Pidgin
A male person, especially an adult.
Le diman ci est un awacheur.
Dingis /dingis/ noun

Trouble.
Man ne nous bring pas le dingis ici.
Dire, from French

1. Greeting equivalent to “how are you?”
Ça dit quoi?
On dit quoi?
124
2. Telling off someone (vas dire).
Vas dire!
Allez dire.
3. Sign of lack of interest or concern (idiom).
Et tu nous dis?
4. Discourse marker.
Je dis hein.
Direct noun, from French

A blow straight into someone’s face.
Il m’a giv un direct.
Diva /dívà/ verb

To talk or speak.
On a diva pendant une heure.
Divers
Taper les divers (idiom). To chat
On tapais nos divers quand il est came.
Dix noun, from French and football playmaker

A dynamic person.
C’est un dix.
Jouer dix à quelqu’un (idiom). To act as facillitator for someone to obtain
something.
Gars, joues moi dix sur la nga là.
Djaff /djàf/ noun, verb

Food.
Gars, il y a la djaff là-bas chez toi?
To eat.
Came on go djaff le ndolè.
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Djague /dʒàg/ noun
A girl or lady.
Tu as vu la djague là?
Djam /dʒàm/ verb

To be lacking or missing.
Il y a les do qui djam ici.
Djaraba /dʒàràbà/ noun

Money.
Donne-moi mes djaraba.
Djièz /dʒjɛz/ noun

Any item of commercial value for sale.
J’ai un djièz là pour toi man.
Djiéser /dʒjeze/ verb

To sell something.
Il a djiésé les chaussures de son pater, massa!
Djimtete /dʒìntete/ noun, from Ghomàlà

A wealthy person.
Son pater c’est un djimtete.
Djinja /dʒíndʒà/ adjective

Difficult.
Le way là est djindja mon frère.
Djoss /dʒós/ verb, noun

To say or speak.
Je te djoss depuis tu ne comprends pas?
Someone’s words.
Dans ses djoss on sent qu’il n’est pas clair.
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Do /dú/ verb [doons, doais, doez], from English
To perform or carry out an action.
J’ai do un way grave a ma mater.
Do /dό/ noun [masc. plur.], truncation of English dollar

Money.
Ma rese m’a send les do hier.
Docta /dokta/ noun

A medical doctor.
Donc le pater là qui aime flop les nga est docta?
Don /dòn/ noun

A mature and nice person.
Le gars là c’est un don.
Un don quarter
A tough skinned and influential young person in a neighbourhood.
Donnons l’argent de la cigarette au mbom là, c’est un don quarter.
Donner verb, from the French donne

1. To be nice or cool.
La coiffure là donne sur toi hein!
2. To be on the move.
Gars ton business là donne hein!
Dormir verb
To be slow to action or lazy
Tu dors, ta vie dort.
Dormir la carte (idiom). To be sluggish or fail to act at the right time.
Si tu dors la carte tu vas perdre le buisiness ci.
Dormir au premier banc (idiom). To sleep in a position in which one ought
to be active or take advantage.
On ne dort pas au premier banc.
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Dos noun, from French
Taper dos (idiom). To sleep with the wife or girlfriend of someone you know
in secret.
Le gars m’a tapé dos.
Doser verb
1. To hit someone.
La nga là a dosé son gars j’ai confirmé.
2. To eat.
Je go doser mon BH à la piole.
3. To be okay, nice, cool.
Ta fête dose mon frère.
Dossier noun, from French

Any important issue or a girl or lady.
Mbom viens on va gérer le dossier là.
Drink /driŋ/ verb [driŋons, driŋez, driŋais], from English

To drink.
Abeg donne moi l’eau que je drink.
Dshang Shoes /tʃaŋ ʃus/ noun, from Dschang (a village in west Cameroon)
and shoes
Rubber shoes (see picture).
Il porte les Dschang shoes même pour aller à l’école.
128
Ducoutement adverb, formed from the French du coup
Suddenly.
Ducoutement il a frappe le djo.
Dunkof /dúŋkɒf/ adj./noun [inv.] from the German dummkopf

Foolish.
Je ne sais pas pourquoi les nga sont trop dunkof comme ça.
Dur adjective, from the French

Difficult.
Les maths sont trop durs.
Very close or nice.
Ca c’est mon dur pote.
Eau noun, from French

Cheating on an examination by obtaining the answers in advance.
Les gars ont eu l’eau du bac.
L’eau se mouille (idiom).
Someone good at something can also sometimes make mistakes.
Ecraser le pistache
To fuck/have sex.
Il a bien écrasé le pistache de la nga là.
Easy /izi/ adj. [inv.], from the English easy

1. Simple, understandable (mostly with academic exams).
Le compo là était quand même easy.
2. Calm down, slown down, don’t exaggerate (vocative).
Easy mon frère tu veux dire que tu es déjà go à mbeng?
Dans le easy (idiom). In a calm and serene manner.
Le gars a tout fait dans le easy jusqu’à voyager.
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Eat /it/ verb [itons, itez, itais], from the English eat
To eat food.
Moi je vais eat la chop là.
Eboa /ebwà/, from the name of the popular musician Eboa Lotin
A crippled person.
Ta nga c’est une Eboa, mon frère?
Echimbi /eʃímbi/ noun

Insult, a stupid person.
Echouer noun, from French

Someone who fails all the time; a failure.
Un echouer comme ca.
Ecole, from French

Someone who does not attend classes regularly at school.
Un fuir-l’école (expression).
On va voir les fuir l’école.
Ekie /e:kje:/ int., from Beti

See Akie.
Elan-Elan /elaŋ elaŋ/ adverb, from Beti

Poor and or shabby looking.
Quand je suis back de mbeng elan-elan les gars me lapaient.
Eleke man /eleke man/ noun

An arsehole.
Vois-moi un Eleke man comme.
130
Elobi /èlòbí/ noun [masc. inv.], from Beti
A marshy or swampy area.
Je vis dans un elobi, du côté d’émombo.
Emballer idiom
To wear tight trousers.
Massa, la go là a emballé grave.Emballer les lass.
Embless adv. [inv.], inversion of French ensemble

Together (usually said in conversations for leave-taking).
On est embless.
Embrouiller, from French

Trying to deceive a person to obtain some favours from them.
N’embrouilles pas la nga là, tu ne la ya pas mo.
Enjoy /injoi/ verb [inv.], from English

To rejoice or savour.
Je go moi enjoy à Doul.
Etre dans ses enjoy (idiom). To be lining it up.
J’étais moi dans mes enjoy quand la nga m’a call.
Entendre verb, from French

1. To accept something.
Je n’entends pas ca, je veux mon argent.
2. To be pretentious or be sure of one’s superiority over others.
Tu aimes trop entendre.
Erreur noun, from French

No make erreur (expression). A warning, the same as “be careful!”
Erreur for mbutuku na dame for ndoss (proverb). The smart and dishonest
take advantage of the mistakes of idiots.
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Etalage noun, from the French verb étaler
The act of publicly disgracing someone.
Etaler quelqu’un
Same as étalage.
Etounou /etunu/ noun, from the name of a title character in a series

broadcast on the Cameroonian national television in the 1990s
A very short person.
Les Etounou sont très dangereux.
Everyday /ɛvride/ adv. [inv.], from English

All days.
Comment tu veux la mbinda everyday non?
Fabriquer idiom
Je n’en fabrique pas, also Je fabrique (l’autre)? I have to enjoy it as much as
possible.
Pourquoi tu ne veux pas que je falla les nga, je n’en fabrique pas
See Moule.
Facaire /fàkɛr/ noun [com. inv.], from fac, truncation of French faculté
A university student.
Mon gars c’est un facaire.
Fafap /fàfàp/ noun

A gambling game of cards.
Il est tout le temps entain de juer au fafap.
Fafio /fàfió/ noun

Money.
Gars, il faut les fafio.
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Faim from French
Avoir faim (expression). To be poor and always looking for a way to extort
money from others.
Faire from French

Faire ça. To have sex.
Jure que tu n’a jamais fait ça
Fait-quoi fait-quoi. No matter what happens.
Fait-quoi fait-quoi je vais win le bac.
On fait comment? (idiom).Said to tell one’s interlocutor to make a decision
On va faire comment? (idiom). Said to mean that one has no choice or is
overwhelmed by a situation.
On va faire comment? Le Camer a les dents.
Fala /fàlà/ verb [falayons, falayez, falayais], from the English follow
1. To look for something or somebody.
Hier ton pot t’a fala ici.
2. To court or suit a girl.
Il fala la nga là parcequ’il la ya mo.
3. To trouble.
Ne me fala pas, tu ne peux pas gérer le retour.
Fala /fálá/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English father

1. A member of the clergy in any Christian church (derogatory).
Le fala là aime les do très mal.
2. A highly religious or moralistic person (derogatory).
Mon pote c’est un fala, il ne cherche pas lui les nga.
Fall /fɒl/ verb [follais], from the English fall

1. To descend, to drop from a standing position, to collapse.
Le caillou ci a faille me faire fol l’autre jour.
2. To accept the advances from a man.
La ngi là est finalement fol.
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Famla /fàmlá/ noun [masc. inv.], from Bamileke
Cult whose members make human sacrifices in order to get rich.
Vendre dans le famla (idiom). To sacrifice someone in order to get rich
On a vendu mon frère dans le famla.
Fann /fàn/ verb, from the English find

To look for something.
Gars, tu peux me fann kolo là-bas?
Fap /fáp/ num. [inv.], from the English five (five thousand francs CFA)
1. Fap cent. Five hundred Francs CFA.
Gars shu trouve moi fap cent là bas, je te bak ça for soirée.
2. Kolo fap. One thousand and five hundred Francs CFA.
J’ai nyang le pan là à kolo fap.
3. Fap kolo. Five thousand Francs CFA.
J’ai buy la shoes ci a fap kolo.
Farot(age) /faro(tàʒ)/ noun [masc. inv.], from West African French

The act of throwing bank notes at a performer as a form of encouragement or
simply the act of generously giving money to people.
Eto’o aime trop le farotage.
Faro-faro /faro faro/ noun

Same as farotage.
Faroter /farote/ verb [farote, farotons, farotez, farotais etc.]

To encourage performers by throwing bank notes at them.
J’ai faroté le comédien là hier.
Faroteur /farotœ/ noun [masc. faroteuse]

A person who is keen on financially encouraging performers.
Eto’o c’est un faroteur.
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Fastoche /fastoʃ/ from the French facile
Easy.
Tu know jouer au foot? Nooo est-ce que c’est fastoche alors?
Fatigué(e) idiom
1. To be old.
Mon père est déjà fatigue.
2. To be pregnant.
Ma nga est fatigue.
3. For a very long time.
On a wait fatigué.
Fatiguer quelqu’un/fatigue les Oreilles (idiom). To pester or annoy someone
with continuous talk.
Ne me fatigues pas les Oreilles, dis-donc.
Fax noun, from French

1. The word-for-word reproduction of class notes when writing an exam.
Le prof ci aime le fax.
2. A deceitful story.
Quand je l’ai vu, il m’a sorti un fax là.
Faxer, from French

To reproduce word-for-word classroom notes when writing an exam.
J’ai moi seulement faxé à la compo.
Fear /fjá/ verb [fearyons, fearyez, fearyais], from the English fear, through Pidgin
To fear or to be afraid.
Je fia le jo ci très mal.Il peut couper le feeling à quelqu’un.
Feeling, from English

Avoir le feeling. To be successful at a particular time or moment in the
course of an activity or to be in a state of enjoyment.
Gars, ne me coupe pas le feeling.
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Fendre/Fendre l’air verb
To vanish into thin air.
La nga a volé all ses ways elle a fendu l’air.
Fendre le derrière de quelqu’un (idiom). Pejorative, to have gay sex.
Fesses from French

Sex.
Aimer les fesses, demander les fesses (idiom).
Fesser verb
To have sexual intercourse.
On fesse la go ci toutes les nuits.
Fêtard noun, from the French fête

A fun or party-loving person.
Voilà un grand fêtard.
Feu idiom
Etre le feu. To be difficult.
La compo là était le feu!
Voir le feu. To face difficulties.
Gars je ne peux pas te back tes do maintenant, je vois le feu.
Feuille noun, from French

Ten thousand Francs CFA.
Gars, tu peux me trouver feuille là-bas?
Demie-feuille. Five thousand francs CFA.
Feuille et demie. Fifteen thousand francs CFA.
Mettre le feu. To accelerate.
Mon frère mets même le feu non ! Je suis pressé.
Le feu sort. Very or too much.
Le boy ci est intelligent le feu sort.
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Fey /fè/ verb [inv.], from the Bamileke fe’efe
To scam or swindle somebody.
On a fey mon repe l’année dernière.
Feyman /fèmán/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French faire

A scammer or swindler.
La plupart des feyman sont camerounais.
Fiasquer /fjaske/ verb [fiasque, fiasquons, fiasquez, fiasquais etc.]

To sigh.
Ma nga aime tellement fiasquer!
Ficham /fiʃam/ verb [inv.], from the Mbokotok afficheam

To display, present or brandish.
Ne forget pas de ficham all les way, que all le mot nyè mo.
Fika /fika/ verb [inv.]

J’ai fika sa nga plusieurs fois.
Fimba /fimba/ verb [fimbayons, fimbayez, fimbayais], from Pidgin

To look like, resemble.
Le muna ci ne fimba pas à sa reme.
Find /fán/ verb [inv.] from English, through Pidgin

To search or look for. See fann.
Je suis en train de fan un cam a Bonas.
Finir idiom
Finir avec quelqu’un. To achieve one’s goals.
J’ai fini avec la nga là hier.
Finir avec quelqu’un. To settle a problem, to pay a debt, to satisfy someone.
Mon patron a fini avec moi.
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Fionlon /fjɔ̃lɔ̃/noun [masc. inv.]
Same as Congolibon.
First /fœrst/ det. [inv.], from English

That which comes before or precedes others.
Le first we que j’ai do au day c’est brosser mes dents.
Flic /flik/ noun [masc,. flics], from the French argot

Policeman or gendarme.
Mon vieux c’est un flic.
Flo /flo/ noun

Cigarette.
Buy-moi u flow en revenant.
Flop /flɒp/ adjective [inv.]; det. [inv.], from the Pidgin flop full up
1. Full.
Kombi, je ne chop plus, mon ventre est déjà flop.
2. Many, much, a lot of.
Il y a flop de nga dans le kwat ci mon frère.
Flou, from French

Être flou. To act in an unclear or shady manner.
La nga-ci est flou mon frère.
Foché / foche /foʃ(e)/

To be broke or hard-up.
Je suis très foché ces derniers temps ci.
Fofole /fófól/ adjective, from the French folle

Behaving like or having an attitude of a crazy woman.
Chantoux est parfois un peu fofole.
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Foirage /fwàráʒ/ noun [masc. inv.], derivation of the French foirer
Having a lack of money. See ngeme.
Le foirage va me tuer.
Foirer verb, from Cameroonian Popular French

Etre foiré. To be broke.
Gars je ne peux pas comot, je suis foiré.
Folere /folèrè/ noun [masc. inv.] from Fulfulde

A locally made soft drink.
Avoir le folere dans l’oeil. To be cold blooded.
Les bandits de ce quartier ont le folere dans l’œil mon frère!
Fom /fóm/ verb [fomons, fomez, fomais]

Il faut fom la nga là très vite.
Force noun, from French

Avoir les forces (idiom). To have a lot or the necessary amount of money to
do what you want to do.
Je n’ai pas les forces pour aller en boîte ce soir.
Forget /fɒgɛt/ verb [inv.], from the English forget

To not to recall or remember.
J’ai forget de te tel que notre pot que tu no là est go a Doul.
Fort
Faire fort (idiom). To do an extremely great feat or act, or to do something
shockingly negative
Il a fait fort le tour-ci.
Fouiller idiom
Fouiller quelqu’un. To look for someone.
Hier je t’ai fouillé dans tout le kwat mais je ne t’ai pas nye.
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Foufoum /fùmfùm/ verb
To trick or deceive somebody.
Le gars m’a foufoum deux kolo hier.
Francanglais /fraŋkamglƐ/
An antilanguage based on Cameroonian Popular French, which mixes Pidgin
English and local languages.
Il n’écrit pas bien francais parce qu’il passé son temps à parler le
francanglais.
Fraicheur noun, from French

Being elegant or well dressed.
Le gar ci va nous tuer avec la fraicheur.
Franchement adverb, from French

Very well, very much, a lot.
Il a franchement bu hier à la fête.
Francho adverb, truncation of the French franchement

Honestly.
Francho, je ne suis pas content avec toi.
Frais adjective, from French

Elegant or well dressed.
Mon gars tu es frais.
Frappe, from the French frapper

Scam.
Mon pote ci aime la frappe.
Frapper verb
To scam.
Il m’a frappé deux millions.
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Frappeur noun
1. A crook, a scammer.
Tous les gars de ton kwat sont les frappeurs.
2. To go on foot.
Fréquenter
To be schooled.
J’ai arrêté de fréquenter depuis deux ans.
Free adjective/noun, from English

An easy-going or light-hearted person.
J’aime la nga là, elle est trop free.
Voilà mon type, c’est un free.
From /frɒm/ adverb [inv.], from English

Quite a long time ago.
De from que je te tell le way ci tu ne veux pas ya.
Front, from the French front de guerre

Aller au front. To embark on an activity that requires a lot of physical or
mental efforts.
Demain je go au front.
Fronter /frɔt̃ er verb [fronte, frontons, frontez, frontais], derivation of the

French front
To study (hard) or read.
Gars je go au campus fronter.
Fuck /fɒk/ verb [fuckons, fuckez, fuckais] from English

J’ai tcha le jo ci en train de fuck sa pote.
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Fumant idiom
Etre fumant. To be perfect in what one does.
Ne blague pas avec le man ci, il est fumant en maths.
Gagner, from French

Ca gagne? (expression). A derogatory way of telleing someone that you don’t
consider something necessary or important.
Viens on va voir le match des lions.
Ca gagne?
Gâter from French

Se gâter (expression). To express one’s anger in a noisy or agressive manner.
J’ai voulu me gâter là-bas, c’est son frère qui m’a arrêté.
Ca gâte ca gâte/faire le ca gâte ca gâte (idiom). To act or do something
without caring so much about the consequences.
Si tu continues à m’insulter on va faire le ca gâte ca gâte ici.
Gare, from French

Jusqu’à la gare (expression). Until the end.
Je suis avec toi jusqu’à la gare.
Garder verb
Garder quelqu’un. To give a present to someone upon return from, the
market, a journey, etc.
Gars garde moi seulement un pan de l’Allemagne.
Gauche, from French. To be awkward, clumsy or silly.
Les Anglophones sont toujours à gauche.
Gaz /gaz/ verb [inv.], from the English gas or truncation of the French gazer
To fart.
Il a gaz un silencieux terrible.
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Gazon
A place where contraband medical drugs are sold (esp. in Douala).
Les gars du gazon vendent les mêmes comprimés que ceux de la
pharmacie.
Genre, from French

Un genre un genre là/ un genre là (expression).
J’ai trouvé le gars de ta sœur un genre là.
Gérer
1. Gérer quelqu’un. To give attention and care to a person.
La fille ci ne me gère même pas.
2. Gérer les details. To be too concerned about unnecessary things.
Tu aimes trop gérer les détails!
3. Etre géré par la vie. To be facing difficulties, to be struggling.
Gars la vie me gère grave.
4. To not place any importance on something.
Je ne gère pas ca mon frère.
Gésier, from French a bird’s gizzard. This appellation is an analogy between

a bird’s gizzards and a woman’s vagina. The female vagina is supposed to look
like a gizzard. The gizzard is thus a metaphor for vagina. (See picture below).
La nga là a un bon gésier mon frère, c’est la magie!
143
Gettam /getàm/, from Pidgin English
To take, obtain or get.
J’ai gettam le way là chez mon pater.
Gueuler / faire la gueule

To make a lot of noise without necessarily being able to act.
Laisse la gueule mon frère, tu ne peux rien me faire.
Ghettosard /gètòzár/ noun [masc. ghettosard(e)s], from ghetto

A slum dweller.
Je suis un ghettosard.
Gi /gí/ verb [giyons, giyez, giyais], from the English give, through Pidgin
1. To hand something over to a person.
Il m’a gi son buk.
2. To cause something.
Le wé ci me gi les blems.
Gio /giò/ verb [inv.]

1. To play.
J’ai cessé de gio le ballon depuis.
2. Any form of profit gained from an activity.
Il n’y a même pas trop de gio dans le bisness là.
Gnass /ɲàs/ verb, from Pidgin English lass

To have sex with a lady.
Il a gnass all les nga du quat.
Gneibs /ɲɛbs/ noun [masc. inv.], inversion of French beignets

Doughnuts.
J’ai envie de chop les gneibs.
144
Gnole /ɲɒl/ noun [fem. inv.], truncation of French bagnole
Car, especially a luxury one.
Je ya mo la gnole du kombi ci.
Go /gό/ verb [goyons, goez, goais], from the English go

To move from one place to another, to depart.
Je go a doul demain.
Go /gό/ noun [fem. inv.], from West African French

See Nga.
God, from English

God.
Même God ne va pas te pardoner sit u do le genre de way là.
Godasses noun, from French

Social connections.
Avoir les godasses. To be socially connected to prominent people.
Au kamer sit u n’a pas les godasses tu ne peux pas win un concours.
Gombo noun, from French

Money, financial benefits.
Il fait tout ça pour le gombo.
Gombiste /gɒmbíst/ noun [masc. fem. gombistes], from gombo

One who is highly motivated by (often illegal) financial gain.
Le proviseur de notre lycée c’est un bon gombiste.
Gomme, from French

A type of slippers made with rubber.
Quand on était au kwat all le moto avait sa gomme.
145
Goût
Le goût de quelqu’un. Something or somebody one likes or prefers.
La Guinness c’est mon gout.
Grab /gràb/ exclamation

A rude way of telling someone to get away.
Grab, dis-donc!
Grain, from French

Lancer les grains. To make sexual advances towards a woman.
Gars il faut toi lancer les grains, on ne sait jamais.
Grand /Ma grand, from French

Form of address.
Il n’y a rien pour ton petit, ma grand?
Grasse, from French

Fat, overweight (females).
Le gars ci aime seulement les grasses filles.
Grattage, from the French gratter

Flattering someone for the purposes of receiving money from them.
Les artistes camerounais aiment le grattage.
Gratter
To flatter someone so as receive some money or other things from him.
Les rammaseur de ballon ont gratté Eto’o après le match.
Grave /grav/ adverb [inv.], from French

Very or too much.
J’aime la nana là grave.
146
Le gué /ge/
Cannabis.
C’est un grand tireur de gué.
Gun
A gun.
C’est vrai que aux states all le mot peut buy le gun?
Guerre, from French

Tu es mort en guerre (expression).
Said to mean that someone is in such a difficult situation that he will find it
difficult to get out of it.
Guitare idiom
Skin disease that causes itches.
Quand j’etais mbindi j’ai eu la guitare.
Ham /hàm/
1. Failure, disorder or a fight (noun).
La ham a begin quand l’arbitre a refusé le pénalty.
2. Often used in the passive form, “ca a ham…”. To cause a failure, disorder or
a fight (verb).
Elle devait go à mbeng mais ca a ham.
Hambok /(h)ambɒk/ verb [inv.], from the English humbug, through Pidgin.
To trouble, worry or disturb.
Mon gars me hambok déjà trop.
Hap /hàp/ adverb

Nothing.
Il crane comme ca alors qu’il n’a même pas hap dans sa poche.
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Haricot, idiom
Female genitalia.
Le haricot de la nga là est mo grave.
Haut, idiom
En haut.
1. Police station or court.
On a amené mon pote en haut parce qu’il a nack sa nga.
2. To enjoy a good event or situation.
Je suis en haut, ma rese est finalement go à mbeng.
Haya /haya:/ interjection, from Bamileke

An expression of surprise.
Haya, donc le gars là est finalement go à mbeng hein?
Hein père! interjection

An expression of surprise or admiration, made popular by the Cameroonian
artist Stanley Enow.
Helele /(h)élélé/ noun [masc. inv.], from Pidgin

An incredible or wonderful thing.
Le Bac cette année était le porpo helele.
Helep /(h)ɛlɛp/ verb [inv.], from the English help

To help or provide assistance.
Gars abeg came me helep a send le way ci.
Herbe noun, from French

Same as gué.
Fumer l’herbe (expression). To smoke cannabis.
High adjective, from English

To be high on drugs.
On est high père!
148
Higher (level) noun, from English
C’est le higher level man! (expression).
Said to mean that someone or something is extremely good or of the highest
quality
Hoha /hóhà/, from whole heart

1. An attitude similar to that of a bully (noun).
Tu aimes trop do le hoha.
2. Without any fear, hesitation or other considerations (adverb).
Elle m’a dit hoha qu’elle ne peut pas sortir avec un gars comme moi.
Hold /hόl/. verb [holais, holez], from English, through Pidgin

1. To grasp.
Hold mon phone que je go play avec les gars.
2. To catch.
Les niè ont hold le bandit là hier.
Hon hon hon /hón hón hón/ noun

Talking nonsense, not backed by the ability to take action.
Ce n’est pas le hon hon hon, si tu es fort, touches moi encore.
Hop-eye /ɒpai/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Pidgin open eye
The act of using force to make someone do something.
Mon ami tu ne peux pas me faire le hop-eye.
Horoscope adjective, from French

Uncertain, unreliable.
Webo c’est un joueur horoscope dis-donc, il joue trop l’horoscope.
Hot /hot/
1. To tease someone (verb).
Je n’aime pas ca, tu aimes trop me hot.
2. The act of teasing someone (noun).
Ce que la nga là t’a fait, c’est une terrible hot man.
149
How /hau/ pronoun [inv.], from English
1. How? How are you?
2. C’est how? Same as above.
3. How que? Why?
How que tu viens me hambok le shap comme çà non?
Ignorer, from French

Tu ignores quoi? (expression).
Said in reply to something someone has said to mean that someone should
already have been aware of something, or should not feign ignorance.
Tu vas faire le tour d’honneur avec qui à ton anniversaire?
Tu ignores quoi?
Iki /iki/ interjection

Same as ekie.
Inviter verb, from French

Faire le je m’invite (expression). To “crash a party” by attending without an
invitation.
1. Ca c’est même quelle nga qui aime faire le je m’invite comme.
2. Tu es un vrai je m’invite gars, tu fais quoi ici?
Jachère noun, from French

Etre en jachère (verb). To have spent a long time without having sex.
C’est sûr que le gars ci est en jachère.
Jaf /dʒàf/ noun [fem. inv.]; verb [inv.]

Food, to eat. See chop.
150
Jaise/dʒez/ noun
Any article of commercial value such as a telephone, a fashionable pair of shoes
etcetera that somebody has for sale.
Gars, montres-moi le jaise là voir, c’est combien?
Jaiser /dʒeze/ verb

To sell.
Le gars a jaisé sa montre là à trois feuilles.
Jaraba /dʒàràbà/ noun [masc. inv.], from Fulfulde

Money. See do.
Jazz, noun
Beans.
Il me faut manger le jazz demain.
Jazzer verb
To eat beans.
Gars bring moi jazzer chez mami makala non?
Je-m’invite /ʒəmɛṽ it/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], compound of French je, me and
invite
A person who attends an event without having been invited.
Il ya trop de je-m’invite à cette fête.
Faire le je-m’invite. To go to an event without having been invited.
Jembe /ʒɛmbe/ verb [inv.]

To reach climax during sexual intercourse; to ejaculate.
J’ai jembe en deux minutes seulement.
Jetons noun, from French

Coins, change.
Gars tu peux avoir les jetons là bas?
151
Jeter verb
1. To abandon.
Mon frère comment tu m’as jeté comme ça?
2. To alight.
Moto, jette moi au carrefour là.
Jim /dʒəm/ adjective [inv.], from Bamileke

Very big.
Le we là est jim mon frère!
Jo /dʒo/ noun [masc. inv.], from West African French

1. Guy, boy.
Le jo ci me derange trop.
2. Form of address to a young male person.
Djo, c’est comment?
Jong /ʒɒŋ/ verb [jong-ez, jong-ais]

To drink (alcohol).
Hier je suis go jong avec les potes.
Jongeur
Drunkard.
Jongman
Drunkard.
Johnny /dʒɒni/ verb [inv.], from Johnny Walker a famous Whiskey brand that
depicts a walking man on the bottle.
To walk for a long distance.
Chaque jour je Johnny pour go au school.
152
Jos /dʒɒs/ verb [josons, josez, josais], from the English just
1. To speak.
Le gars ci aime jos avec la nga là jusqu’à.
2. To tell.
Il m’a jos qu’il va travel a midi.
Joueur noun, from French noun

A way of addressing a friend.
C’est comment mon joueur?
Jouer verb, from French

Jouer la vie (expression).
To be fun loving, spending much money to have fun with other people.
Jum /dʒúm/ verb [jumais, jumez], from the English jump

1. To enter.
Il est jum dans la piole et a pris la machette.
2. To join or become part of something.
Ma rese est jum dans l’église là cette année.
Jus noun, from French

A bottle of any soft drink sold in bars in Cameroon.
Je ne prends pas la bière, prends-moi un jus.
Kaba, also kaba nyango/kaba ngondo/kaba cellulaire /kàbà njàŋgó,

ngóndó/, from the Pidgin English cover and the Duala nyango (a woman) and
ngondo (a traditional Duala ceremony)
A large gown worn by women.
Quand les femmes sont enceintes, ells portent le kaba tout le temps.
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Kalangwang /kàlàŋgwáŋ/ noun [masc. inv.]
A skin disease that causes itching. See camnogo.
Kama sutra /kàmàsutra/ idiom, from the title of a popular world movie
Any pornographic film.
Si tu veux buy le kama sutra go à la poste.
Kamer /kàmɛr/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of Kamerun

See Camer.
Kai /kài/ interjection, from Hausa-Fulfulde

Kai! Tu veux seulement me kill?
Kaolo /kaolo/ noun [masc. inv.]

1. Book or any other document.
Kombi pardon back moi le kaolo que je t’avais gi là.
2. The permanent residence permit of foreign country, usually a European or
American.
Il a attrappé un white pour son kaolo.
Kaolotiser /kaolotiser/ verb

The act of making or helping someone obtain citizenship or permanent
residence in a country.
J’ai trouvé mon blanc oh, il m’a kaolotisé.
Kaku /káku/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English cargo, through Pidgin
Goods, especially dresses or shoes.
Mon grand est back de la chine avec le kaku.
Kana /kànà/ from the Pidgin kana, via the English kind of
Type of.
J’ai déjà wanda sur la kana de groupe ci ou tout le monde est chef.
154
Kan-kan / kàŋkàŋ/ adjective, from the name of popular Cameroonian
comedian Jean Michel Kankan. Kankan is also the name of a soft aphrodisiac
usually eaten with meat called soya.
Stupid, funny or of low quality.
Le gars aiment de ces kan-kan ways ici dehors.
Kapa /kàpà/ verb [kapaons, kapayez, kapayais]

To take, catch or arrest.
Les nye ont kapa le bandit là devant nous.
Katéré zout /kàtere zút/, from the deformation of caterpillar (a brand of

tractor) and zout (buttocks in the Beti language)
Large buttocks.
La nga là a les katéré zout mon frère.
Katika /kàtikà/ noun [masc. inv.], from English caretaker, through Pidgin
A person who manages a betting business or movie hall.
Je suis katika d’un video club à Mokolo.
Le grand katika. The president of the Republic.
C’est le grand katika lui-même qui a lancé l’opération épervier.
Le grand katika. God.
Le grand katika va tous nous juger.
Kef /kɛf/ adjective [inv.]

Tired, exhausted.
Le type ci est kef à mort.
Kenge /kɛŋge/ noun [masc. inv.]

An idiot or a foolish person.
Je ne suis pas kenge j’ai le sense.
Ketouh /kətuh/ noun, from Ghomàlà

A policeman or a gendarme.
Les ketouh l’ont hold hier quand il était entrain d’opérer.
155
Kick /kik/ verb [kickons, kickez, kickais], from English
To steal or rob.
On a kick mon bord de maths.
Kin /kín/ verb

To steal. Same as kick.
Kill, killam /kil/ /verb [kilais, kilez], from English

To murder, to kill, to execute.
On a kill Ben Laden l’année dernière.
Kilombo /kilɒmbo/ noun [masc. inv.]

A person who gets paid to take an exam for somebody else.
On a arrêté un kilombo dans ma salle quand je faisais le bac.
Know /no/ verb [knowons, knowez, knowais], from English

To know, to be aware of something.
Tu know que Piro a finalement win le bac?
Kobo /kóbò/ pronoun [inv.], from Kobo, former Nigerian currency

Nothing or anything.
Je ne vais même pas te donner kobo.
Kola noun, from kolanut

Fendre la kola (expression). To have sexual intercourse with a woman.
Mon ami tu wait quoi pour fendre la kola de la nga là?
Partager comme la kola du deuille (verb). Relating to a woman’s sexual
habits, loose-living.
Mon frère, la fille là partage ca comme la kola du deuille.
Kolo /kòlò/ noun [inv.]

1. (Money) refers to a thousand.
Ma mater m’a gi kolo pour que je buy mes wé.
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2. (School) the grade which is given to students who have lower than
average in the Baccalauréat examination but are declared successful after
deliberations.
Moi j’ai win le bac avec kolo.
Kombo /kómbó/ verb [inv.]

Il faut kombo chaque jour pour être virile.
Kombi /kómbí/ noun [masc. inv.], from Pidgin

Young man, especially a friend.
Le kombi ci me wanda chaque jour.
Komot /kɒmot/ verb [komotons, komotez, komotais], from the English come
out, through Pidgin.
To go or come out.
Je vais komot de la piole tout de suite.
To date someone.
C’est Fally Ipupa qui komot maintenant avec Nathalie Koah.
Kong /kɒŋ/ noun [masc. inv.], from Beti

Witchcraft.
C’est le kong qui a tué le gars ci.
Kongolibong /kɔ̃gɒlíbɔ̃/ noun [masc. inv.]

Head shaved clean down to the skin.
Le kongolibon du kombi ci donne hein!
Kongossa /kɒŋgosá/ noun [masc. inv.], from Pidgin via Twi (a Ghanain
language: kokongsa)
Gossiping, back biting.
Faire le kongossa. To gossip.
les nga aiment faire le Kongossa.
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Kop niè /kop nie/ verb
To watch out, to be careful.
Mon frère, il faut kop niè, on va te hold.
Koppo /kópó/ noun

A close friend.
Kosam /kósàm/ noun [masc. inv.], from Hausa-Fulfulde

Yoghurt.
Il me faut drink le kosam avant de nang.
Ce n’est pas le kosam (expression). It is not as easy as you think.
Kosh /kɒʃ/ verb [koshons, koshez, koshais]; noun [fem. inv.], from the
English curse, through Pidgin
1. To insult or mock at someone.
Le gars ci m’a kosh correctement hier.
2. Playful insult or mockery amongst friends.
Tu aime trop la cosh.
Koss-koss /kos kos/ noun, onomatopoeia formed by imitation of the sound

high-heel shoes make when they hit a hard surface
High-heel shoes.
Mami nyanga, rouge à lèvre koss-koss!
Kossovo noun, from the name of an Eastern European country

A very poor neighborhood near a rich or well-to-do neighborhood.
Elle habite vraiement à BAstos ou au Kossovo?
Kotto /kótó/ noun, from Cameroonian musician Kotto Bass

A crippled person.
Tu as déjà coupé tous les genres de nga, il maque juste les blanches et le
kotto.
158
Kouakou /kwaku/ interjection, from the name of an educational children’s
magazine distributed in Cameroonian primary schools in the 1990s
Word play, said in reply to the question “quoi?” To tease or make fun of
someone.
Quoi?
Kouakou!
Krish /krìʃ/ verb [inv.], from the English crazy, through Pidgin
1. To get on one’s nerves.
Quand il m’a dit ça j’ai krish sur le champ
2. To behave uncontrollably because of anger.
Gars calme toi pourquoi tu krish comme ça?
Koubi /kubi/ noun

Any card of the hearts suit.
C’est toi qui a lance le cinq koubi?
Kout /kut/ verb

To have sex.
Il voulait kout la nga, elle a barré.
Kumba /kùmba/ noun [masc. inv.], from Kumba, a town in Cameroon.

A counterfeit birth certificate.
L’acte ci c’est le kumba.
Faire le Kumba. To change one’s birth certificate in order to reduce
one’s age.
Âge kumba. Fake age obtained by forging one’s birth certificate.
Aller à Kumba. Same as above.
Kumbu /kúmbù/ noun [masc. inv.]

Soup tureen.
Go buy les beignets avec le kumbu ci.
159
Kung-fu
Crafty strategy.
Gars ton kung-fu est très lent.
Kwa /kwa:/ noun [masc. inv.], from Badenkop (Bamileke)

Bag, especially a small one.
Mola, tu as bai ton kwa là où?
Kwat /kwat/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of the Pidgin kwata, from the
English quarter
District or neighbourhood in a city.
Je go moi au kwat.
Sous kwat. Poorly planned neighbourhood, slum.
Il long dans un sous kwat là à Obili.
Kwata /kwátà/ noun [masc., inv.], from the English quarter, through Pidgin
See kwat.
Kwench verb, from the English quench

To die.
Sa soeur a kwench man.
Lâcheté noun, from French

An unexpected blow.
Je lui ai give one lâcheté, il est tombé.
Làhkam /làhkàm/, from Bamileke languages, the secret forest for initiation
rites of traditional chiefs
One’s private home or any other secret place.
Je dois bring la nga ci dans mon Làhkam.
160
Lait, from French
C’est le lait? (expression). Said to mean that something is not that easy, or that
someone does something well
Je ne ne donne pas le lait/est-ce que tu donnes le lait? /C’est le lait que tu
donnes? (expression). Said to mean that someone is bent on doing something
and does not joke about it.
Laver verb, from French

Laver quelqu’un. To disgrace or pour scorn on a person.
J’ai lavé le gars là correctement.
L’eau noun, from French

Leaked examination questions.
J’ai vu l’eau du concours de l’ENAM.
L’eau-l’eau /lolo/ adjective [inv.], reduplication of the French l’eau

Liquid that is not thick enough.
Gars le kosam ci est trop l’eau-l’eau.
Lai /lai/ verb [laions, laiez, laiais], from the English lie
To tell a lie.
Le jo là m’a lie qu’il était en fac.
Lancer verb, from French

Lancer quelqu’un. To give someone money (often as a form or encouragement).
Mon pater m’a lancé.
Lancer quelqu’un. To praise.
Le ministre ci aime trop lancer le gouvernement.
Lang, also Langwa /làŋgwà/ verb [langwayons, langwayez, langwayais]; noun

[masc. inv.], from Bamileke
1. To read.
Il me faut go langwa mes cours maintenant.
161
2. To tell or narrate.
Il nous a langwa l’histoire de la go là de A à Z.
3. Reading, discussions, conversations.
Le gars ci ya mo le langwa.
Lap /lap/ verb [lapons, lapez, lapais], from the English laugh, through Pidgin.
1. To laugh, and often to smile
Quand je lui aid it que je la yayais elle a lap.
2. To mock at somebody or something.
Le jo ci me lap all les day.
Lapant from lap, adjective

Funny, ridiculous.
Tue es top lapant, man.
Las /làs/ adjective [inv.], from the English last

Occurring, taking place or arriving after others.
Je suis komot las de la classe.
Lass /lás/ noun [pl. inv.], from the English last, through Pidgin
1. Buttocks.
La nga ci a les las mon frère.
2. Private parts.
Elle a open ses las devant moi.
Lassa/ Lassa man /lásá man/ noun, from the Pidgin last
Term of abuse; a stupid person,
Ca c’est meme quell lassa man nohh?
Latcho /làtʃó/ adverb

En latcho (expression). Secretly or without drawing the attention of other
people.
Gars, viens on va gérer le PB en latcho.
162
Laver le ndolè figurative, from the French laver and the Duala ndolè
To have sex. See ndolè.
La petite là est venue, attends je vais laver le ndolè.
Léger noun, from French

A quick ejaculation.
J’ai donné un léger à la nga là ce matin.
Lent adjective, from French

Not efficient.
Ton modèle là est très lent tu ne peux pas t’en sortir.
Lep /lɛp/ verb [lepons, lepez, lepais], from English left, through Pidgin
To leave or release.
La police a finalement lep le bandit là.
Letch /létʃ/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of the English village

(Native) village.
Je vais go au letch demain.
Letchois / létʃwa/
A villager, or a not modern-looking person.
Level /lɛvɛl/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English level

1. Status, position or quality.
Je ne suis plus au même level que toi.
2. Type.
Donc ça c’est ton level de nga hein?
Higher level. Of high status, quality or type.
Ça c’est le higher level du film.
163
Lewa /lewa/ noun, verb
School; to learn.
Je go lewa.
Libérer verb, from French

Libérer le way. To give oneself sexually to a man.
Elle a finalement libéré le way là.
Lico /lícò/ noun [fem. inv.], from the French licence

Bachelor’s degree.
J’ai eu la lico il ya deux ans.
Life /láif/ noun [masc.inv.], from English

Life or existence.
La life ci me dépasse seulement.
Like /láik/ or /lɛk/ verb [inv.], from the English like

1. To like, to appreciate.
Je like la série ci quand même.
2. To be in love with somebody.
La go là le like grave.
Limer verb, from French

J’ai lime le dossier là hier soir.
Lion d’Or noun, from the name of a popular cheap whiskey brand in
Cameroon
Any cheap whiskey taken for courage or to get drunk.
Quand tu bois tes lions d’or il faut partir loin de moi mon frère.
164
Live /laif/ adverb [inv.], from the English live
1. En live. Occurring at the time of speaking.
Ce match est en live.
2. En live. In the presence of the object, victim of receiver.
Ma mater m’a kosh en live.
Lob /lób/ verb

To smoke marijuana.
Tu lob trop mon frère.
Lob Man noun

A drug addict.
Lober verb, from French

See frapper.
Loco /lòkò/ noun [fem. inv.], from the truncation of French locale
Home or house.
Mon heure est arrive, je dois go à la loco.
Lofombo /lòfòmbò/ noun [masc. inv.]

Sugared donuts sold in streets (often plural).
Mola, buy moi même les lofombo là non?
Lolo /lolo/ noun [plur. inv.], from Lolo Ferrari (an adult film star with large breasts)
Breasts, especially very large ones.
Gars pourquoi tu look les lolo de ma rese comme ça?
Miss lolo. A lady with very large breasts.
Voici la miss lolo de notre kwat.
Lom /lóm/ verb

To lie.
Il aime trop lom.
165
Long /l ɔ̃/ verb [loŋez, loŋais]; noun [fem. inv.]
1. To live or inhabit.
Je long maintenant à Douala.
2. House or home.
Mon pate rest à la long/au long.
Longo-longo /lɔ̃gɒlɔ̃gɒ/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French long

A very tall and skinny person (derogatory).
Le longo-longo là est venu te chercher tout à l’heure.
Longo-longo fil de fer. Same as above.
Look /lúk/ verb [lookons, lookez, lookais], from English

To look or see.
La façon qu’il lookais la nga là, j’ai know qu’il la ya mo.
Loss /lɒs/ verb [lossons, lossez, lossais], from English

1. To lose.
J’ai loss beaucoup d’argent l’année dernière.
2. To fail.
Mon pater a loss le bac plusieurs fois avant de win.
Lourd adjective, from French

Etre lourd. To have a lot of money on oneself.
Je sens que tu es très lourd.
Love /lɒv/ verb [lovais], from English

To love.
Je love la nga là à fond.
Lukot /lukɒt/ interjection, From the English look out, through Pidgin
A way of threatening someone.
Lukot hein, tu ne peux pas me dépasser.
166
Lyce /lais/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French lycée
Secondary school.
Les nga du lais là ne sont pas mo.
Mabongo /mabɔ̃gɒ/ adjective [inv.] from Duala

Having K-shaped legs.
Le fils de ma rese est mabongo.
Maboya /màboya/ noun [fem., inv.], from Beti

C’est pour les boy, les maboya et le nanga-boko (Dj Bobby).
Macabo from French, noun

J’ai ton macabo (expression). Said to mean you bear a grudge against
somebody.
Ma copine!, also Ma co!

Form of address amongst ladies or women.
Macro /makro/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French maquereau

Crook (abuse term).
Ton frère là c’est un macro.
Madiba /màdíbá/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

1. Water.
Gars send moi le madiba que je drink.
2. Leaked examination questions.
On a attrapé certain étudiants avec le madiba.
167
Magie noun, from French
Extremely good.
C’est la magie de la fête.
Magnan /manjàŋ/, from basaa

A way of addressing a friend or acquaintance.
Magnan, kem nye le way ci.
Main levée, from French

A generous gift of money.
Je lui fais des mains levées tous les jours.
Maîtrise, from French

Tchop maîtrise (idiom). To keep one’s composure.
La police a tout fait le gars a tchop maîtrise.
Mak /màk/ verb, from the Pidgin mark

To recognize, to recall.
Je mak le man-ci au lycée bilingue de Bafoussam.
Makam /màkàm/ verb, from Pidgin markam

Same as mak.
Mal
1. Avoir le mal de quelqu’un (expression). To be disgruntled, dissatisfied or
infuriated by someone.
Je ne sais pas ce que les Lions sont allés faire au mondial au Brésil. J’ai le
mal de l’équipe là.
2. Mal mauvais (expression). Very or too much.
La nga là me ya mal mauvais.
Très mal. Same as above.
168
Malambi /malambi/ noun
A trick intended to swindle someone.
Il est tombé dans le malambi des frappeurs, ils lui ont pris deux bâtons.
Malho /màló/ adj. [inv.], truncation of French malhonnête

A dishonest or unscrupulous person.
Le jo ci tu es un bon malho.
Mama, also Mama Sara /mà:ma/ interjection, from the French maman
Mama, donc le gars ci go a mbeng sans me dire hein?
Mama Sara /mà:ma sara/

Mama Sara! C’est quoi ca ?
Same as mama, made popular by Cameroonian pop star Stanley Enow.
Maman noun, from French

Something of very good quality.
C’est la maman du téléphone
Ma mami (eh) /mà:mami(é)/ interjection, from Pidgin

See Mama.
Mami /màmi/ noun [inv.], from the English mummy through Pidgin
Any female person, especially an elderly woman.
Mami Jeanne t’a cherché ici.
Mami-nyanga /màminjàŋga/ noun [fem., inv.]. A good looking lady.
Mami-nyanga tu vas me tuer.
Mami-wata /màmiwàta/ noun [fem., inv.], from Pidgin

1. A female water spirit.
Il y a les mami-wata dans le wouri.
2. A very attractive but cunning or ill-mannered woman.
La mami-wata ci a chop mes do correctement.
169
Man /man/ noun [masc. inv.], from English
1. A young male person, guy.
Le man ci me wanda meme hein.
2. Term of address for any male person.
Man, c’es comment?
Man Basaa /mánbasa:/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Basaa man
(male child)
A male person of Basaa origin.
Man basaa, viens me tell les news.
Manan /manɑ̃/ noun [masc. inv.], from French

An unknown young man, fellow.
Le manan ci se prend même pour qui non?
Mandarines, from French

A figurative way of referring to small breasts, especially those of early
teenagers.
Maintenant que tu as les mandarins tu te sens.
Manger, from French

C’est ca qu’on mange? (expression)
Said to express lack of interest or demean what some other
person has said.
Mangeable adjective, from French

Said of a woman considered old enough to start havings sex with.
La fille-ci est d´jà mangeable hein!
Mange-mille noun, from French

Policeman.
Gars fais attention, il y a les mange mil de ce côté.
170
Mangues noun, from French
A figurative way of referring to breasts.
La go ci a les mangues grave.
Manières noun, from French

Faire les manières/faire les chichi (expression). To act childishly.
Il aime trop faire les manières.
Map /màp/ noun

Same as fà-fàp.
Mapan /màpàn/ noun [masc. inv.]

1. Bush.
Prendre les mapan. To escape.
Les bandits là ont tous pris les mapan.
2. A secret love affair.
Aller au mapan. To go to a secret date.
Je suis go au mapane hier.
Maquis
1. A member of the underground military wing of the Cameroon People’s
Union in the late 1960’s.
C’est les maquis ont tué mon grand père.
2. A cruel or wicked person.
Mon frère tu est un maquis.
Mara /màrà/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of marathon

Prendre le mara. To run away.
Quand j’ai vu le policier là hein, j’ai pris un mara qui ne dit pas son nom.
Marabout noun
An undesirable person.
Quittes là-bas, marabout!
171
Market /maket/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English market, though Pidgin
A market, place meant for buying and selling.
Je go au market bai mes way.
Marque, from French

C’est quelle marque de…ça? What type of a…is this?
Masho noun
1. Term of address. Mother.
2. Any elderly woman, or one one old enough to be somebody’s mother.
La masho là vient faire quoi ici?
Massa /másá/ noun [masc. inv.]; Interjection, from the English master,
through Pidgin
1. A way of addressing a boy or man with whom one has an informal
relationship.
Massa, on fait comment pour le we là?
2. An expression of surprise.
Massa! Je n’ai jamais vu le genre ci.
Matanga /mátánga/ noun, a type of rubber shoes (see picture)
Comment tu viens jouer avec les matanga ?
172
Match noun, from French
Sexual intercourse.
J’ai match cette nuit.
Grand match. Pornographic film.
Les gars ont nye un grand match là hier.
Mater /màtɛr/noun [fem. maters], from the Latin mater

1. Mother.
Ma mater m’a call hier.
2. Any female person old enough to have children.
La mater ci me derange trop.
3. Term of address.
Mater, c’est comment?
Matériel noun, from French

Weapons used in a fight.
Gars on ne bagarre pas avec le matériel ici.
Matobo /matóbó/ noun

A local hair style (see picture).
Les matobo c’est pour les nga foirées.
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Mazembe /màzɛmbɛ/ noun [masc. inv.]
Thief or criminal.
Il y a déjà trop de mazembe ici au kwat.
Mbanga /mbáŋga/ noun [masc. inv.]

Indian hemp.
Mon pot ci fume le mbanga grave.
Mbangataire noun
A drug addict.
Il y a trop de mbangataires dans le secteur ci.
Mbass /mbàs/ noun, adjective

A b large or fat person.
La nga là est franchement mbass.
Mbeng /mbɛŋ/ noun [neut. inv.], from Duala

1. A European or North American country.
Mon big refre est go à mbeng hier.
2. Douala, the economic powerhouse of Cameroon.
C’est la voiture ci qui m’a amené à mbeng.
Mbenguetaire /mbɛŋgetɛr/ noun [masc. mbenguetaires]

Person of Cameroonian origin who resides in a European or North American
country.
La go ci a married un mbenguetaire.
Mbengueteur / mbɛŋgetœr/ noun [masc. mbengueteurs]

See mbenguetaire.
Mbenguiste /mbɛŋgist(ə)/
See mbenguetaire.
174
Mbéral / la mbéral
See mbere.
Mbere /mbere/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French béret

A member of the army, police or gendarmerie.
Mon frère c’est un mbere.
Mbinda /mbinda/ verb [mbindayons, mbindayez, mbindayais]

J’ai mbinda ma petite seulement une fois.
Mbindi /mbindi/ noun [masc. fem. inv.]; adjective, from Duala

1. Young person, especially a boy, kid.
Le mbindi là me wanda jusqu’à.
2. Younger brother or sister.
Ma mbindi m’a call pour me ask les do.
3. Small, tiny, younger etc.
C’est le mbindi way ci qui te fait cry?
Mbit /mbìt/ noun [masc. inv.]

Male genitalia.
Ton mbit est trop mbindi.
Mboa /mboa/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

Home country, Cameroon.
Le mboa23 ci a les dents.
Mbock /mbók/ noun, from the French bordelle

A prostitute.
Ca c’est le secteur des mbock!
175
Mboko /mbókó/ noun, from Duala
The outside world, night life.
Et comme les gars du mboko on dit “hein père!
A way of speaking, typical of people who do petty jobs.
Il speakait un genre de mboko trop compliqué là.
Mbom /mbom/ noun [masc. inv.], from Basaa or Duala

A way of addressing a young man.
Mbom on dit quoi sur le way là.
Mboma /mbòmà/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

Python.
Il y a un mboma dans vos toilettes.
Mbombo /mbómbò/ noun [com. inv.], from Bassa

1. A person who shares one’s name.
Je suis le mbombo de mon grand père.
2. A way of addressing a friend or someone of the same age.
Mbombo, c’est comment?
Mbomtolo /mbómtóló/ adjective

Fat.
La nga ci est franchement mbomtolo.
Mbourou /mbúrú/ noun

Money.
Le père ci a le mbourou, papa!
Mbra /mbrà/ noun, from the English bro (brother)

Term of address.
Le mbra-ci veut meme quoi nohhh?
176
Mbunga /mbúŋga/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala
See bifaka.
Mbut/ mbùt/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of Beti mbutuku

Idiot, foolish or coward.
On frappe mon kombi ci chaque jour, c’est un bon mbut.
Mbutman
Same as Mbut.
Mbutuku /mbùtúkù/ noun [masc. inv.], from Beti

See Mbut.
Meet /mít/ verb [inv.], from English

To see or look.
Came meet comment il joue au damier.
Meilleur noun, from French

Friendly form of address amongst peers.
C’est comment meilleur?
Meetup /mítɒp/ verb [inv.], from Pidgin

To meet.
J’ai meetup la nga là seulement une fois.
Meng /meŋ/ verb

To die, to kill, to be dead.
Je peux te meng hein petit.
Ma petite sœur est meng mon frère!!!
Merco /mɛrko/ noun [fem. inv.], from the German automobile brand Mercedes
A Mercedes or any luxury car.
Le pater du jo ci a une merco dernier cri.
177
Metoch /mètɒʃ/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], from the French métisse
A person of mixed racial ancestry.
Il y a déjà trop de metoch dans les Lions.
Meuf /møf/ noun [fem. meufs], inversion of the French femme, from argot
1. Young girl.
La meuf ci porte toujours les habits tendance.
2. Girlfriend.
Ma meuf est très jalouse.
Mifa /mífà/ noun, inversion of the French famille

Family.
Il y a trop de problèmes dans la mifa ci.
Mimba /mimba/ verb [inv.], truncation of the English remember

To remember or remind.
Mimba moi quand tu vas bak.
Mimba /mimba/ verb [mimbayons, mimbayez, mimbayais], from Pidgin via

English
1. To think, to pretend.
Il mimba qu’il est fort.
2. To brag, to show off, though one is not better off.
Le gars ci mimba trop.
Mimbayance /mimbajans/ noun [fem. mimbayances]

The act of bragging or showing off.
Tu aime trop tes mimbayances là.
Mimbo /mímbò/ noun [masc. inv.], from Pidgin

A drink, especially an alcoholic one.
Je go moi drink mon mimbo.
178
Mini-minor noun
A small-sized and beautiful lady.
J’aime seulement les mini-minor.
Mingili /miŋgili/ adj. [inv.]

Very small, tiny.
Un mingili type comme toi veut bagarrer avec lui?
Minutes noun, from French

Cinq minutes de folie (expression). From the popular belief that Eton people
have five minutes of uncontrolled outburst of anger every day. An often short
outburst of anger by someone.
Le pater a souvent ses cinq minutes de folie quand il est foiré.
Mitumba /mitúmbà/, from a local basaa meal with a long and slender form
Figurative, a penis.
Si tu vois mon mari, ne touches pas à son mitumba.
Mo /mó/ adverb [inv.], adjective [inv.]

1. Well, good or fine.
J’ai mo composé le bac.
2. Nice looking, beautiful.
La piole du jo là est très mo.
Ya mo. To like or be in love with.
Je ya mo la nga de mon pot.
Ya mo. To feel fine, to have some pleasure.
Quand tu nyas une nga tu ya mo.
Ya mo (ambiances) Il est dans ses Ya Mo.
Tchop et ya mo. Name of a chain of very popular restaurants in Yaounde.
Modèle noun, from French

Crafty attitude.
La nga là ne t’aime pas, c’est le modèle.
179
Faire le modèle / c’est le modèle / laisse-nous le model (regular expressions).
Petit model, same in meaning as mini-minor.
Mon vieux noun, from French

Of a women’s head; losing hair on the sides.
Ta nga a les mon vieux.
Moitié-moitié, also moitié-moi noun, from French

Fifty-fifty.
On fait moitié-moité.
Moussong /musóŋ/ from Basaa

A mystical illness which makes the body rot.
Lancer le moussong (expression).
To mystically attck someone, causing their body to eventually rot.
Fais attention hein, le pater là va te lancer le moussong !
Mofmide /mɒfmide/ interjection, from the Pidgin mof mi dey, move me there
An expression of surprise, anger, enthusiasm etc.
Mofmide! Tu veux me montrer quoi?
Mola /mòla/ noun [masc. inv.] from Bakweri, uncle

A way of addressing a man, especially a close acquaintance.
Mola, la vie est très dure.
Molo-molo /mòlómòló/ adverb [inv.]

Slowly and steadily.
Vas y molo-molo
Monstre /mɔ̃str/ adjective [inv.], from French

Very big, large or prominent.
Je vais organiser une bringue monstre ce mois.
180
Monter verb, from French
On monte on descend (expression). Come what may.
On monte on descend tu va me back mes dos.
Montrer verb, from French

Ca va te montrer (expression). It serves you right.
C’est toi qui a cherché les problèmes, ca va te montrer.
Mop /mɒp/ verb [mopons, mopais, mopez]; noun [fem. inv.], from the
English mouth, through Pidgin
1. To French kiss to somebody.
J’ai mop le jo là hier.
2. The act of French kissing.
La mop est mo jusqu’à.
Moronto /mórónto/ verb

To confuse or trick someone.
Code un peu ton langage pour moronto le pater.
Morrow /mórò/ adverb [inv.], truncation of English tomorrow

Tomorrow.
Je vais travel morrow.
Mort
A mort. Very or too much.
Le way ci est dur à mort.
La mort de… Something of very good quality or level.
Eto’o c’est la mort du joueur.
Etre la mort de quelqu’un. Something that a person is infatuated with.
La bière c’est ma mort.
Mot noun, from French

Placer le mot (expression). To make an amorous offer to someone.
Tu attends quoi pour placer le mot à la nga là?
181
Mot /mòt/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of the Duala moto
People or crowd.
All le mot know que le prési n’a pas win.
Moto /mòtò/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

See mot.
Mota /motà/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

Young man, guy.
Le mota ci veux quoi?
Motion /moʃɒn/ verb [inv.]; noun [masc. inv.], from English, through Mboko
talk
1. To scam or trick.
Je vais vous motion dans la piole ci.
2. A scam or trick.
Tu ne peux pas supporter mon motion.
Motiver verb, from French

To give money so as to boost someone’s morale.
Motivons les Lions c’est ce qui reste à faire. (Ngoye Jeca)
Motoh /mɒtɒ/ verb [inv.], from Duala

To excrete.
Gars j’ai tellement envie de motoh.
Mougnon /munjóŋ/ noun

Vagina.
La petite là a un bon mougnon mon frère.
Mougou /mugu/ noun, from Pidgin

A stupid or dull person.
N’importe comment un mougou va tomber.
182
Mougoutiser /mugutize/
To scam someone.
Il voulait me mougoutiser mais j’ai wise.
Mouilleur noun, from French

A footballer of poor skill or low quality.
Ah ! Le gars-là est devenu mouilleur.
Moule noun, from French

Je n’ai pas le moule. I have to take advantage of the opportunity I have.
Tu veux que que refuse les do ci que j’ai le moule?
Moumou /mumu/ adjective [inv.], from Hausa via Pidgin English

A very weak person, a coward.
Le jo de ma rese est un moumou.
Moumou dey lap ndiba dey carry him (proverb). What you don’t take
seriously is what may kill you.
Mousser verb, from French

To brag.
Le prof ci aime trop mousser.
Moutoumbou /mutúmbú/ noun

Music.
Lance nous du bon moutoumbou mon frère.
Mouv /muv/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of the French mouvement

Partying.
Le gars ci aime le mouv.
Mouvement.
See mouv.
183
Move /múf/ verb [moufais, moufez]; Interjection, from the English move
1. To remove or to take away.
J’ai move les do de mon compte pour nyang ma bunya.
2. Aterm of abuse, also used to mean “get away.”
Move! tu te prend meme pour qui?
3. An expression of positive attitude towards something, especially amongst
friends.
Move! mon gars tu es fort.
Mov me dey /mov mi de/ interjection, from Pidgin via English, move me
there
An expression of surprise or admiration.
Le gars m’a bastonné sa femme, ah mov me dey!
Moyo /mójò/ noun, from Bakweri, in-law

Form of address.
C’est comment moyo?
Moyo /mójó/ noun, truncation of the French moyen

Having financial means, possibility or success.
J’ai wash les voitures, il n’y avait pas moyo.
Mpoti /mpoti/ verb [inv.]

Having group sex. See rally.
Le rappeurs americains aiment mpoti
Mukuanye /mùkwaɲə/ noun [masc. inv.], from Bamileke

Cult where members mystically kill people so as to become wealthy.
Mon pater est jum dans le mukuanye.
Muna /muna/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], from Duala

1. A baby or child.
J’ai un muna depuis deux mois.
184
2. A girl, especially an attractive one.
La muna là veux me shu même quoi non?
Munatete /munatete/, also muna for tété or muna for capo

The son or daughter of a well-to-do person.
C’est un muna for tété.
Munyenge /munjɛg̃ ɛ/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

Pleasure, especially the kind felt during sexual intercourse.
Quand une nga goutte le munyenge elle ne veut plus laisser.
Mwa /mwà/ noun (always plural), from the French moyen

Financial means.
Il ne go pas au school parce que son pater n’a pas les mwa.
Mwa le niè /mwá lənie/ idiom

To betray someone, to act in a revengeful manner towards someone, or to
punish them for something they have done.
La nga est go me mwa le niè à la police.
Nak /nák/ verb [nakons, nakez, nakais], from the English knock, through
Pidgin
To beat or defeat.
Le real a nak le barça l’année dernière.
Nak les commentaires/divers (expression). To engage in a long and informal
talk with friends involving different topics.
Les grs nak les commentaries au bar tous les soirs.
Name /ném/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English name

Name or appellation.
Le name du we là c’est encore quoi?
185
Nana /nàná/ noun [fem. nanas], from the French argot
See nga.
Nang /nàŋ/ verb [naŋons, naŋez naŋais], from Duala

1. To sleep.
Je suis fatigué, il me faut go nang.
2. To be slow to action, lazy.
Tu nang trop mon gars il faut wok.
Nanga-mboko /nàŋgà mbókó/ noun, from the Duala nanga, to sleep, and
eboko, outside
A rascal, thief, street child, or irresponsible-looking person.
C’était le big réfré qui giyait toujours les dos aux bindi
nanga-mboko.
Nassara /nàsàrà/ noun [masc. inv.], from Hausa-Fulfulde

A whiteman.
Ce sont les nassara qui ont tué le pays.
Nat /nàt/, from the French national

The Cameroonian national football team.
On l’a call à la nat pour la coupe du monde.
Nathing /nating/ noun, from Pidgin via the English nothing

A nonentity.
La belle fille là fait quoi avec un nothing comme ca?
Nayo-nayo /nájɔnájɔ/ adverb [inv.], from Pidgin

Slowly but steadily, step by step.
Le wok avance nayo-nayo.
Ncham /ntʃàm/ verb [inv.]; noun [masc. inv.], from the Bamileke fe’efe
See blo.
186
Ndamba /ndàmbà/ noun [masc. inv.]
1. Football (soccer).
Mais qu’est ce qu’on va du s’il n’y a plus le ndamba? (Koppo)
2. Ball.
Send moi le ndamba là non?
Ndang /ndàŋ/ noun [fem.], from the truncation of the French carte d’identité,
via Pidgin English
La police l’a take parce qu’il n’avait pas de ndang sur lui.
Ndangwa /ndàŋgwà/ verb [ndangwayons, ndangwayez, ndangwayais] noun

[fem. inv.], from Duala
1. To walk.
Moi j’aime moi ndangwa pour go au school.
2. Walking.
La ndangwa c’est pour les pauvres.
Ndem /ndɛm/ verb [ndemons, ndemez, ndemais]; noun [masc. inv.],

from the Pidgin dem via the English them, and truncation of ndeman (see
explanations at ndeman)
1. To give up, to abandon (verb).
Ndem le way là, tu vas laisser ta tête làs bas.
2. To let somebody down (verb).
Gars tu m’as ndem très grave, tu n’es pas un pote.
3. To fail (verb).
Mon frère a ndem le probat.
4. To get mad (verb).
Le jo ci a commencé à ndem quand il a join la secte là.
5. Problems or trouble (noun).
Je suis dans le ndem, mes do sont perdus.
6. To stop bothering someone or to tell someone off (verb).
Gars, ndem moi dis-donc.
7. Bad luck (noun).
Le ndem me poursuit depuis un temps mon frère.
187
Ndemman noun, from the Pidgin dem (them) and man. Feussi (2006:639)
gives the following account to the origin of this word. It was initially used in the
Douala area to refer to traders of illicit drugs known as Gazon. To avoid being
arrested by the police, they would display empty cartons of medicines, and
hide their real stock elsewhere. They would then sit nearby and watch out for
potential buyers as well as for the police. Should a policeman come, they would
ask the seller-turned-bystander in Pidgin of the Francophone type: “wuside
dem man”(where is the man?/where is he). To this, the trickster vendor would
reply: “dem man no dey!”(the man isn’t around). Later, such vendors, to make
fun of the stupidity of policemen, would call each other “dem man”. The term
has however acquired several other shades of meaning as indicated above.
1. Someone who always finds himself in trouble.
Vous etes meme allé faire quoi là-bas avec le ndemman là?
2. Someone who is not reliable.
On ne peut même pas compter sur toi, tu es un vrai ndemman.
Ndemeur
Same as ndemman.
Ndepso, also ndep /ndɛpso/ noun [masc. inv.], from the argot dep, inversion
of pédé
A homosexual man, gay.
Il y a trop de ndepso au gouvernement.
Ndiba /ndiba/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

Water.
Gars donne moi le ndiba que je drink.
Ndo /ndó/ noun, from Bamiléké languages

Bad luck.
J’ai le ndo depuis un temps là.
Ndok /ndɒk/ noun [masc. inv.], from Beti, also Ndokmangolo

The act of excessively begging or coveting food.
L’enfant ci aime trop le ndok.
188
Faire le ndok (expression). To covet food.
Le ndok c’est le courage (expression). Only the courageous can beg for food.
Ndolè /ndolɛ/ noun [masc. inv.]; interjection

1. A friendly way of addressing an unknown young man.
Ndole, ça dit quoi?
2. A way of expressing surprise.
Ndole!
Ndole amer
1. Said in a situation in which something supposed to be nice turns out to be
bad.
Le ndolè du coach est amère.
2. Cameroonian (adjective).
Ce sont vraiment les ways ndolè.
On ne respecte vraiment pas le passeport ndolè à Mbeng.
Ndolo /ndóló/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

Love.
Le ndolo est très for entre les deux là.
Ndomo /ndòmò/ noun [fem. inv.]

Rubber, especially when used as a hunting tool; a catapult.
Gars shu moi la ndomo là que je go chasser.
Ndoshi /ndòʃi/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English dodge via Pidgin
A child’s game in which two people at two ends aim at someone in the middle
with a soft ball. The person in the middle dodges, hence the name dodging.
Si le football te dépasse, tu vas jouer au ndoshi mon frère.
Ndoss /ndós/ noun, from Duala

A thief or smart and dishonest person.
Proverb: erreur for mbutuku na dame for ndoss.
189
Ndutu /ndùtù/ noun [masc. inv.], from Duala
Misfortune or curse.
Je loss trop les way ces jours ci, le ndutu me poursuit.
Nerf noun, from French

Avoir les nerfs. To be angry.
Pourquoi tu as les nerfs comme ca?
Avoir les nerfs. To suffer from nerve pain.
J’ai les nerfs depuis trois mois.
Nerveux adjective, from French

1. Angry.
Papa, le prof ci est nerveux aujourd’hui hein!
2. To master something or to be perfect in it.
Le gars ci est nerveux en maths.
Nesbi /nesbi/, from the inversion of business

Same as bizgo.
New /nju/ adjective [inv.], from the English new

1. New, conceived, recently made or acquired.
Le jo ci a finalement buy une new bunya.
News /njus/ noun [plur. inv.], from English

News, information.
Je n’ai pas les news de ma mater depuis un an.
Nga /ngà/ noun [fem. inv.], from the English girl, gal
1. Young girl.
La nga là se sent vraiment hein?
2. Girlfriend or wife.
Ma nga a bon l’année dernière.
190
Ngang /ngàŋ/ noun, from Bamileke languages
Any hard or liquid substance provided by a fetish priest considered to have
magical effects.
Samuel Eto’o doit avoir un ngang très fort.
Ngas /ngas/ noun [inv.], from the Mbokotok ngata

Prison or any detainment facility.
Nelson Mandela a fait 26 ans au ngas.
Ngata /ngàtà/ noun [inv.]

See ngass.
Ngataman /ngàtàman/ noun [masc. inv]

Prisoner.
Lapiro de Mbanga aime chanter pour les ngataman.
Ngeme /ngémé/ noun [masc. inv.] adjective [inv.], from Duala

1. Poverty, suffering, being broke.
Je suis dans un ngeme qui ne dit pas son nom.
2. Poor, broke.
Mon pote ci est toujours ngeme.
Ngengerou /ngèngèrú/ Noun; adjective [masc., fem. ngengerous]

Derogatory term for albino.
Je ne veux pas seulement born un ngengerou.
Nges /ŋgɛs/ noun [fem. inv.], deformation of nga

See nga.
Ngi /ngì/ noun [fem. inv.]

See nga.
191
Ngola/ngóla/ also Ngo /ngó/, from the Beti Ongola
A local name of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.
Je suis maintenant à Ngola.
Ngoko /ngókó/ noun, from Mboko talk

Country, especially when referring to Cameroon.
Le ngoko ci est déjà gâté mon frère.
Ngoma /ŋgoma/ num. [inv.]

Fifty (when referring to money).
Quand j’étais mbindi, ma mater me giyais ngoma pour go au school.
Ngomna /ngɒmnà/ noun [masc. inv.], from English government

1. Government or state.
Le ngomna ne fait rien pour les jeunes.
2. State official.
Jean est maintenant un grand ngomna.
Ngondele /ngɒndɛlɛ/ noun [fem. inv.], from Beti

A young lady especially a beautiful and often lewd one
Les ngondele de ce quartier vont tout nous montrer.
Ngoum /ngum/ noun [masc. inv.]

Physical strength.
Le rugby c’est pour les gars qui ont franchement le ngoum.
Nguouon /ngwón/ noun [masc. inv.]

Show-off.
Les filles d’aujourd’hui aiment trop la ngouon.
Ngrimba /ngrìmba/ noun [masc. inv.]

1. Witchcraft or any magical practice.
La nga ci a fait le ngrimba pour chop mes do.
192
2. Something that cannot be explained logically.
C’est meme quel ngrimba ça, j’ai encore perdu mon argent.
Ngup /ngùp/ noun [masc. inv], from Bamileke

Muscles, physical power.
Le jo ci a le ngup papa!
Ngwati /ngwàtí/
Same as wish.
Nia /njá/ verb [inv.]

To come (old fashioned).
Nia salot la mater ci.
Niama /njámá/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.], from Fufulde

1. To eat.
J’ai niama les arachides quand j’étais au lech.
2. Eating or food.
La niama c’est ton activité principale.
Niama-niama /njàmà njàmà/ noun, from Bambara via Pidgin

An unimportant person or thing.
La nga là était bien mô, pas les niama-niama.
Niamangolo /njàmàngolo/ often niama noun [masc. inv.], from Bakweri

Snail; also used as an insult.
Les gars élèvent les niamangolo au sud-ouest.
Niangé /njànge/ noun, a truncation of Bayangi (a tribe in southwest

Cameroon of which there is general belief that there are many prostitutes)
A prostitute, especially one who originates from the English-speaking part of
Cameroon and works in any of the French-speaking zones.
Il me faut go chercher une niangé à l’auberge.
193
Nias /njás/ verb [niassons, niassez, niassais]; noun [masc. inv.], from Nigerian
Pidgin English
1. To have sexual intercourse.
J’ai finalement niass la nga là hier.
2. Sexual intercourse.
Gars attention, la niass n’est pas bien hein.
Niasseur /njàsœr / noun [masc. niasseuse]

A person who constantly has sexual intercourse, a loose-living man or
woman.
La go ci c’est une niasseuse, elle peut même tourner le porno.
Nicaise adjective, from Popular French

Nice or good-looking.
La nga là est franchement nicaise.
Nieman also niè /njɛman/ noun [masc. inv.]

A useless or silly person.
Tu es un nieman hein mon gars.
More often niè; a policeman.
C’est le niè qui est venu arrêter la bagare.
Only niè; not nice, bad or ugly (adjective).
Je n’ai pas aimé le coma là, c’était franchement niè.
Night /nait/ noun [fem. inv.], from English

Night.
Je n’ai pas nang la night.
Nioxer /njɒkse/ verb [nioxe, nioxons, nioxez, nioxais etc.], coining by the
musician Petit Pays
J’aime nioxer avant de go au work.
194
Niquer /nike/ verb [nique, niquons, niquez, niquais etc.], from French argot
Je vais niquer to nga ce soir.
Njambo /ndʒámbo/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Pidgin English gamble
A game (especially cards or ludo) that involves betting.
Les gars de Doul aiment trop jouer le njambo.
Njamboteur /ndʒàmbotœr / noun [masc. njamboteuse]

A person who bets when playing cards or ludo.
Tous mes potes sont des njamboteurs.
Njang/ Njanga /ndʒáŋgá/ adj. [inv.] noun [masc. inv.], from Duala
1. Small.
Il a pris un njanga we la et a open la porte avec.
2. A younger brother or person.
Mon njanga a travel hier.
Njangi /ndʒàŋgí/ noun [masc. inv.], from Pidgin

A cooperative.
Les bamileke aiment trop le njangi.
Njap /ndʒàp/ noun [masc. inv.], from Bamileke, meaning vegetables

Indian hemp.
Le gars ci fume le njap très mal.
Njaso /ndʒàsò/ noun [masc. inv.]; verb [inv.], from the famous footballer’s
nickname
1. Strongly-built calves or thighs.
Les njaso du gars ci me font peur.
2. To tackle, in football
Il a njaso le défenseur là très mal.
195
Njih /njíh/ noun, from Bamileke
A woman’s vagina. See pistache.
Njinja /ndʒíndʒà/ noun [masc. inv.]; adj [inv.], from the English ginger,
through Pidgin
1. A hot spice widely used for cooking.
Je go au market bai le njinja.
2. Hard or difficult.
C’est njinja mon frère!
Njoka /ndʒokà/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.], from Duala

1. To party.
Il me faut njoka correctement cette nuit.
2. A party.
La njoka de mon pote c’est demain.
Njokmassi /ndʒókmàsi/ noun, in colonial times this was the term used to
refer to forced labour
Any work or task that is not paid or is poorly paid.
Mon work ci c’est seulement le njokmassi!
Njomba /ndʒombà/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], from Duala

A person with whom one has an affair.
Le njomba de la nga là voulait seulement me kill.
Njong /njóŋ/ adjective

Stingy.
Le pater là est très njong avec les do.
Njoter /ndʒɒte/ verb [inv.], from the Duala njoh

To attempt to benefit from or make use of something without being allowed
to do so.
Tu as njoté ma chop non?
196
Njoteur /ndʒɒtœr/ noun [njoteuse, njoteurs], from the Duala njoh
A person who attempts to benefit from, or make use of, something without
being allowed to do so.
Le type ci c’est un njoteur.
Njoh /ndʒɒ/. adjective [inv.], from Duala

Free of charge.
La fac est njoh en Allemagne.
Njouksa /njùksà/ adjective

Old-fashioned in way of dressing, speaking or even walking.
La fille-ci fait toujours comme une njouksa.
Njunju /ndʒùdʒú/ noun [masc. inv.], from West African vernaculars via
Pidgin English
1. A monster, real or imaginary.
Je vais te donner au njunju, il va te manger.
2. An ugly or frightful person.
Le gars de la fille là c’est un njunju.
3. Very large or prominent (modifier).
Son oncle a un njunju poste au ministère.
Njunju kalaba /kàlàbá/, see meaning 1.
Nkap /nkáp/ noun [masc. inv.], from Bamileke

Money
Affaire nkap, affaire très sérieuse. Money matters are
very important.
Nkou /nku/ noun, from the Beti salt

Cocaine, and by extension any drug such as cannabis.
C’est le nkou qui a tué le petit là.
197
Njangi /njàngí/, from Duala
A local form of fund-raising in which members contribute a specific amount
of money which is given in turn to each member.
Je fais le njangi tous les dimanches.
Noir(e) adjective, from French

Dark in complexion
La nga de mon pote est noire!
La table était noire/noircir la table (expression). Said to mean
that people who went out to drink in a bar for example bought a lot
of alcoholic drinks and put them on the bar table all at once as a sign
of opulence.
Les gars avaient noirci la table à un niveau là que!
Noyaux noun, from French

1. Male genitalia.
Il a tire le ballon sur mes noyaux.
2. Testicles.
Les castrés n’ont pas de noyaux.
3. Insult.
Tes noyaux!
Noyer
A person who deceives.
Noyer quelqu’un. To deceive and cause somebody trouble.
Mon frère m’a correctement noyé.
NST /ɛnɛste/, acronym of Notes Sexuellement Transmissibles (Sexually

transmitted marks)
Marks awarded to female students as compensation for sexual intercourse
between them and lecturers.
Les nga ci ont passé à cause des NST.
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Ntangan /ntaŋgan/ noun [masc. inv.], from Ville Cruelle, a novel by Eza Boto
Person of European ancestry, a white.
Les ntangan on kil les camerounais en vrai.
Ntchèlè /ntʃɛlɛ/ noun

A homosexual.
Je crois qu’on doit chasser tous les ntchèlè de ce pays pour qu’ils aillent
vivre en Europe.
Ntong /ntɔ/̃ noun [masc. inv.], from Bamileke

1. Desire.
J’ai le ntong de komot avec la nga ci.
2. Luck.
Le jo ci win le pari foot all les day, il a vraiment le ntong.
Ntot /ntɒt/ verb [inv.]

Le gars est en train de ntot, ne le hambok pas.
Ntui /ntyí/ verb [inv.]

To have sexual intercourse
Il a finalement ntui la nga là.
Ntuma /ntuma/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.]

Je suis casse, j’ai ntuma toute la nuit.
2. Sexual intercourse.
Les camerounaises aiment trop la ntuma.
Num /num/ verb [inv.], from Yambassa

To smell.
La cam ci num trop, une souris est die ici.
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Numba /numbà/ verb [inv.]
Same as Num.
Number /nombà/ from English

Telephone number.
Tu as son number?
Nwa /nwa:/ verb

To steal or hide.
Le gars a nwa l’appareil photo de son cousin qui est came de mbeng.
Nwah /ŋwàh/ verb, from Bamileke languages

To write.
Il a nwah un way là en chinois, je ne pouvais pas lire.
Nyang /niàŋ/ verb [inv.]

1. To sell.
Il a nyang son ipad à fap kolo.
2. To betray or cause trouble to somebody.
Gars tu m’a nyang avec ton comportement là.
3. To mystically kill a person so as to become wealthy.
Mon voisin a nyang son muna pour buy la piole ci.
Nyang-nyang, also nyang /njáŋ njáŋ/ adjective

New.
J’ai buy ma voiture là nyang-nyang.
Nyanga /njàŋgà/ noun [masc. inv.] adjective. [inv.], from Pidgin English
1. The act of preening oneself to look good.
Les femmes aiment trop le nyanga.
2. To be beautiful, nice or good looking.
La piole ci est très nyanga.
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Faire le nyanga (expression).
1. To adorn oneself.
Les filles aiment faire le nyanga!
2. To play hard to get.
La nga ci me fait le nyanga.
Nyango /niàŋgó/ noun [fem. inv.], from Duala

Way of addressing a girl or woman.
Nyango, on fait comment alors?
Nyap /njàp/ verb [inv.], from Bamileke

To fix or decorate.
Tu as vu comment il a nyap sa voiture?
Nye /niɛ/ verb [inv.] noun [masc. inv.]

1. To see or perceive.
Tu as nye le wé là où?
2. Misfortune.
Gars tu as trop le nye
3. Any uniformed man.
Les jeunes nye là se prennent trop la tête.
Nyongo, also nyong /njòngò/ verb

To run away or to escape.
Il a take mes dos et il a nyongo.
Nzam-nzam, also nzam /nzàm nzàm/, from Duala

Any fat person.
Le gars là c’est un vrai nzam.
Nzolo /nzɒlɒ/ noun [masc. inv.]

Dribbling an opponent by making the ball pass between his/her legs in football.
Eto’o a mis un nzolo que personne n’a compris à Desailly.
201
O
Okokolo, also Oko /ókókóló:/ interjection

Onkal /ɔ̃kál/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French oncle

Uncle.
Mon onkal a rish le kamer hier.
Onze, from French

I am broke.
Je suis onze devant onze (expression).
Open /open/ verb, from English

To disvirginize a woman.
Comment tu open une petite fille comme ca?
OPEP /òpɛp/ noun [masc. inv.], acronym of Organisation des Pays

Exportateurs de Poussière (Organisation of Dust-Exporting Countries), a
parody of Organisation des Pays Eportateurs de Pétrole (OPEC)
Illegal taxis, mostly found in rural areas.
Pour arriver dans mon village; il faut prendre l’opep.
Option noun, from French

Téléphone avec options. Multimedia phone.
Téléphone optionné. Same as above.
Oranges noun, from French

A figurative way of referring to breasts.
J’aime tes oranges là hein!
Organiser quelqu’un
To manipulate someone.
Le gars nous a organisé, on a payé la facture là.
202
Os, from French
Said to request a handshake from a friend.
Tcha moi l’os (expression).
Over, prefix from Pidgin English

Over done (noun).
One who overly does something (pejorative).
Tu aimes trop mimba le overdone.
Over sabi noun

One who likes giving the impression he knows better than others (pejorative).
Over sabi, perika laisse ca!
Owooh /owo/ interjection

A sign of surprise or amusement.
Paf /páf/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English pap, through Pidgin
Corn pap, often eaten with dough nuts or bread.
Le paf de la mater là ne me mo pas.
Paire, from French

Leather shoes (as opposed to sneakers).
Gars moi je n’ai même pas les paires, j’ai seulement les tens.
Pala-pala /pàlà-pálá/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Portuguese palava

A group fight, especially one amongst women.
Il y avait un pala-pala monstre au kwat hier.
Confused or disorderly.
La nga ci est toujours pala-pala.
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Pambè,
See bambè.
Pampambé /pàmpàmbe/, from a song by a young music group called

Rhumta in the 1990s in Cameroon
A young and inexperienced or immature person.
Zap la fille-là man, c’est une vraie pampambé.
Pan /paŋ/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of French pantalon

Trousers.
C’est quel genre de pan que j’ai buy comme ça?
Pantacourt /paŋtaku:t/ noun, blend of panta (pantalon) and court.

Short trousers.
J’ai gi un pantacourt à mon gars.
Papa /pàpà/ interjection

A sign of admiration or surprise.
Papa, tu es fort!
Paple /pà:plè/ adjective [inv.]

To lack self-control, to be agitated or crazy.
La nga ci tu es paple hein!
Para /pàrà/ verb, from Pidgin English

To steal by pick pocketing.
On m’a para au marché central.
Pardon /pardɔ̃/ adverb [inv.], from French

A polite way of expressing a request.
Pardon, envoie moi le way là.
204
Parpaing noun, from French
A very big cellular phone.
Achète-moi un bon telephone, pas un parpaing.
Pash /paʃ/ verb [pashons, pashez, pashais], from the English pass
To be superior to, or above something.
Toi même tu know que je te pash en maths non?
Pasho /páʃò/ noun [masc. inv.], from Spanish

See pater.
Passe, from French

Faire la passe (expression). To facillitate a situation or something for someone.
Gars, fais-moi la passé sur la nga là.
Sango pasto, also pasto /sàŋgó pàstó/

A pastor, especially a crookish one (humorous).
Le type qui habitait ici est devenu sango pasto mon frère!
Pater /patɛr/ noun [masc. inv.], from Latin

1. Father.
Mon pater m’a send les do pour m’inscrire.
2. Any man likely to have children of a certain age.
Le pater ci aime la sappe!
Pauvre, from French

A respectful or flattering way of addressing or greeting someone.
Il n’y a rien pour les pauvres?
PB /pébé/ noun [masc. inv.], from the syllable initials of problème

Problem, matter.
Je n’ai pas de PB avec toi.
205
Pédé noun, from French
A homosexual.
Tu as écouté la chanson, «Les Pédés» de Petit Pays?
Pemcale (from Pem and Décaler), also Pem /pɛmkale/ verb [pemons, pemez,
pemais]
To run away.
J’ai pem quand les nye sont came.
Penia /penjá/ adjective [inv.], from Duala

New, good looking.
La shoes du kombi ci est penia.
Pepper /pepe/, from Pidgin

Show le pepper (expression).
To be very tough or difficult.
Ca va te show le pepper.
Percer verb, from Ivorian Popular French

To succeed.
Le gaou veut percer!
Peri /perí/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French petit, through Mbokotok
Younger boy or brother.
Peri viens me shu les way que tu tum là.
Perika /períka/ noun [masc. inv.], from Mbokotok

See peri.
Peser verb, from French

To be well-to do.
Son pater pèse, c’est pour ca qu’il mousse comme ca.
206
Personne, from French
Ma personne. A friendly form of address.
C’est comment, ma personne?
Peter l’air/jetter l’air/fuir l’air, from the French verbal expression

Said to refer to a crazy attitude someone has.
La tête du gars là doit peter l’air.
Petit, from French

Petit-modèle. A short (and skinny) person.
Tu parles du petit-modèle là?
Mon petit. A friendly form of address.
Comment tu vas mon petit?
Petite, from French

Girlfriend.
Je ya mo ma petite.
Pet /pet/ noun, from the French pétard

Problems or trouble. See PB.
Pet-Pet /pet pet/ noun, from the French pet, a fart

Rubbish or stupid talk.
Ce que tu racontes là, ce sont les pet-pet.
Peteuse, from the French pet

Term of abuse: A dirty, lousy or unattractive lady.
Regardez-moi une péteuse comme ca!
Piak /piàk/ verb [piakons, piakez, piakais], from Bamileke languages

To run away.
Le way là m’a dépassé et j’ai moi piak.
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Pian /piàŋ/ interjection, from Ivorian sitcoms
Immediately, without any waste of time.
Je l’ai gifflé une fois, pian!
Pick /pik/ noun [masc. inv.], from English

A card that when played compells the opponent to rdraw more cards and
therefore delays his victory.
Pick two. Card number seven of any suit, which causes an opponent to draw
two cards.
Pick four. Joker card, which causes an opponent to draw two cards.
Tu ne paux pas me win, j’ai deux pick two et un pick four.
Pièce
One hundred (when referring to money).
J’ai buy la ten ci à quinze pièces.
Pied, from French

C’est ton pied mon pied (expression).
Usually said in a situation when in a relationship one partner wants to
abandon the other to mean that no matter what they do, they will remain in
the relationship.
Tu ne pars nulle part, c’est ton pied mon pied.
Piffer verb, from Popular French

To love.
Je piffe les go brunes.
Pima adverb, from Pidgin English

Mami pima (expression). Extremely good.
Le Real a un nouvel attaquant là qui est fort mami pima.
Pineco noun, inversion of the French copine

A girlfriend.
208
Piaule /pjɒl/ noun [fem. inv.]; verb [int.], from the French argot
1. House or home.
Je go moi à la piaule.
2. To live somewhere.
Tu piaule où?
Pipo /pípò/ noun [fem. inv.], from the English people

A loose-living girl or woman.
La go de mon pote ci c’est une pipo.
Piquer, from French

Ca pique dans ma tête/ Quand ca va piquer dans sa tête… (expression). Said
to mean that when one will soon lose patience.
Quand ca va piquer dans ma tête je vais tout gâter ici.
Pistache /pistaʃ/ noun [masc. inv.], from French

Female genitalia.
Ecraser le pistache. To have sexual intercourse.
Il a écrasé le pistache de la petite fille là.
Pistacher
To have sexual intercourse
Il aime trop pistacher les mineurs
Plantain noun, from French

Penis.
Ce gars a un plantain monstre mon frère!
Placer verb, from French

To sell.
Il a placé ca à feuille.
209
Plastique noun, from French
Condom.
Il faut toujours bok le plastique quand tu tuma.
Plaquette de chocolat noun, from French

A well worked-out stomach.
Mon gars a les plaquettes de chocolat.
Plein
Être plein. To be full.
Gars je suis plein, jai tellement chop.
Pleurer quelqu’un, from Popular French

To miss someone.
Sa mere le pleurt beaucoup depuis qu’il est die hein!
Plumer, from French

Plumer quelqu’un. To lose one’ s money or entire property
from gambling.
Je n’ai plus d’argent, ton pote m’a plumé.
Pointage noun, from pointer

A job especially, a temporary and informal one.
Gars je go au pointage.
Pointer verb
To hustle, so as to make some money.
Pointer sa journée. To have made enough money for a given
working day.
J’ai pointé ma journée, je peux maintenant back.
Pointeur noun
A hustler.
210
Pompe, from French
Faire les pompes. To have sexual intercourse.
Si tu ne veux pas que ta nga go, il faut faire les pompes everyday.
Ponda /póndá/ noun, from Duala

Money.
Parce que les go aiment jos, c’est le ponda qu’elles loss.
Popaul /pópól/ noun, from Paul, the name of the Cameroonian Head of State
Popaul est trop fort, il va put to uses anciens potes à Kodengui.
Popo /pɔpɒ/ noun [fem. inv.] adverb [inv.], from a popular calculator brand
1. La popo. Refers to a good which is original and of excellent quality, not a
counterfeit.
Mon phone ci c’est la popo.
See baba; chinois.
2. A way of expressing seriousness or truth, truly, indeed.
Popo, je suis en retard, je dois go.
Porter le sac, from Popular French

To act in an obsequious way towards someone.
To ami là c’est un porteur de sac dans notre équipe.
Position, from French

Avoir la position, also le tio c’est la position (expression).
In a party, sitting at a strategic place where you can eat before other guests
and as such eat to you are full.
Au tio du sous-prefet, j’avais la position mon frère je suis back avec deux
bouteilles de champagne.
Poste, from French

Etre en poste. To be where one usually finds oneself (house, work place etc.).
Gars, je suis en poste je n’ai pas travel.
211
Poster
Aller poster une lettre. To go to the toilet and have a bowel movement.
Depuis hier je n’ai pas posté de letter, je suis constipé.
Poteau noun, from French, referring to electric poles on the streets

1. Place where second-hand books are sold.
Il me faut go au poteau buy mon bord de maths.
2. Prostitution.
La fille ci a vu que c’est le poteau qui donne les do.
Poter, from French

Prendre un pot. To drink with friends.
On a poté samedi jusqu’à minuit.
Poum /pum/ verb

Same as pem.
Pousser
On pousse on met la cale (expression).
Said to mean one is doing their best to succeed.
Comment tu vas mon frère?
Gars, on pousse on met la cale.
Poussière
Soulever la poussière (expression).
To show-off.
Son gars mbengiste a soulevé la poussière ici en décembre, il a mis tout le
monde en haut.
Prendre verb, from French

To drink an alcoholic beverage.
Viens on va prendre une.
212
Prend-prend /pràŋ pràŋ /, from the French prendre
Of low quality or standing.
La nga là c’est une prend-prend dis-donc.
Préparer, from French

To mystically prepare or make somebody fit.
Je know le pater qui prépare les joueurs de la nat, il est à New Bell.
Presi /prezi/ noun [masc.inv.], truncation of président

President. Form of address and respect.
C’est comment presi?
Preso /preso/ noun [masc.inv.], from truncation of preservatif

Condom.
Il faut toujours boro le preso avant de ntuma.
Prevenir, from French

Ca ne previent pas hein (expression). Said in a situation in which someone is
acting strangely, to suggest they should control themselves.
Prêt, from French

To be physically fit, rich, etcetera.
Voici un mbom prêt.
Probat /probat/ noun [masc. inv.], truncation of French Probatoire

Official examination in the Francophone system of education that conditions
admission to the Terminale, the last class of secondary education.
J’ai write le probat cinq fois avant de win.
Propre adjective, from French

Well-dressed and fresh-looking.
Le gars est back de mbeng étant très propre.
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Protéger
To steal.
Tu as négligé ton book et quelqu’un l’a protégé.
Pum /pùm/ verb [pumons, pumez, pumais]

To lie.
Le gars ci pum trop.
Pumeur
A liar
Puscam /puskám/
A university campus
Je go au puscam.
Put /pút/ verb [putais, putez], from English

To place or position.
Il a put le we là où ?
Putam /pútám/
Same as put.
Qualité, from French

Type or kind.
Je n’aime pas la qualité de nga là.
Quelle qualité? (expression). Said as a negative reply to a question or to refute
something someone has said.
C’est ton gars là-bas?
Quelle qualité ma chérie?
214
Quoi, from French
Moi quoi là dedans? (expression). What has that got to do with me?
Il y a quoi non?
Said to mean “take it easy.”
Rafalle /ràfál/ verb

To dismiss someone from a secondary school.
Il schoolyait à Nkol-Eton, mais on l’a rafalle.
Rage, from French

Il/elle a fait rage or elle/il a fait fort. Said to mean someone has done
unexpectedly well or sometimes bad.
Tu as fait fort le tour-ci mon frère.
Rally /rali/ noun, from the name of a racing sport popularly known as rally in
Cameroon
Many boys having intercourse with a single girl.
On a fait le rally sur la muna là la semaine dernière.
Recevoir, from French

To entertain people, usually guests, with food and drink.
Il nous a bien recu.
Recto-verso, from French

See bilingue.
Reach also Reacham /ríʃàm/ verb, from Pidgin

To arrive or to reach.
Quand on est reach au letch il fesait encore jour.
215
Rebegin, from the French prefix -re and the English start
Quand il aura faim il va rebegin a cry.
Reme /reme/ noun. [fem. inv.], inversion of the French mère

1. Mother.
Ma reme m’a send les do hier.
2. Any woman old enough to have children.
Les muna de la reme ci sofa trop.
Big reme. Grand mother or elderly woman.
La big reme de Pierrot est dai.
Refre /refre/ noun [masc. inv.], inversion of the French frère

Brother or young man.
Le refre ci est à l’ENS de Maroua.
Repe /repe/ noun [masc. inv.], inversion of the French père

See pater.
Réponse, from French

Tu pose la réponse? (expression).
Said to mean that something is obvious and should not be asked.
Le Brésil a gagné?
Tu poses la réponse?
Rese /rese/ noun [fem. inv.], inversion of the French soeur

Sister or young girl.
Ma rese kem a Yaoundé demain.
Rester, from French

Faire le viens on reste (expression). To live maritally, though not being married.
Rester par derrière (expression). To do in hiding or stealthily.
Quand son pote est go à mbeng, il est resté par derrière draguer sa nga.
216
Retour noun, from French
Gérer le retour (expression).
To face the negative consequences of an action.
Rien adverb, from French

Dans rien / dans n’a rien (expression). Without any backing.
Il fait la geule dans rien.
Rince-rein
A loose-living woman with whom one has casual sex.
Toutes les nga de ton quartier sont les rince-rein
Rond noun, from French

Money.
Mola, je n’ai pas les ronds pour buy le way là.
Run /rɒn/ verb [ronais, ronez], from English

1. Move on foot at a high speed.
Je runais quand je suis tombé.
2. To run away, to escape.
Il a run son pays pour venir se refugier ici.
Rythmer verb, from French

To escort or entertain a woman.
Je ne veux plus que tu rythme ma rese.
Rythmeur noun, from French

Someone who has a non-sexual relationship with a girl or woman.
Tous le gars de Baf sont les rythmeurs.
217
S
Sabitou /sàbìtú/ verb [com. inv.], from a name in the Mamadou et Bineta
textbook
Someone who pretends to know everything.
Mon gars est un sabitou.
Sabotage noun, from French

1. The act of impounding poorly-parked vehicles.
Le sabotage donne beaucoup d’argent à la Communauté Urbaine.
2. Back-biting.
Le voisin ci aime trop le sabotage.
Saboter, verb
1. To block the tyres of a poorly-parked vehicle so as to later impound it.
On a saboté ma voiture hier.
2. To back-bite.
Il a correctement saboté son père ici.
Sac adjective, from French

Good or very good.
Mbami c’est un sac de jouers.
Saccager verb, from French

To have sexual intercourse with a woman.
J’ai saccagé la fille là cette nuit.
Saigner verb, from French

To spend a lot of money on something.
J’ai saigné dix batons pour acheter la voiture ci.
Saignement, from saigner

The act of spending a lot of money on something.
Le saignement était de taille.
218
Saka /sáká/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.], from the English shake
1. To dance.
Le repe ci aime saka jusqu’à.
2. Dance.
La saka c’est ton activité préferée.
Salaka /sálákà/ noun [masc. inv.], from Fufulde

See sasaye.
Salot /salot/ verb [inv.], from the English salute, through Pidgin
To greet.
Je voulais seulement te salot.
Sancon, also sans confiance /sàŋkɔ̃/ noun [fem. inv.], from the French sans
confiance
Flip-flops, thongs.
Moi je porte les sankon car je n’ai pas les do.
Sang, from French

C’est le sang (expression). Said to mean something is tough, difficult or
simply not easy.
Le terrain à Yaoundé maintenant c’est le sang.
Avoir le sang à l’œil (idiom). To be cold blooded.
Mon ami ne blague pas avec moi, j’ai le sang à l’œil.
Sanguinaire, from the French sang

An inborn habit or talent.
Le football est sanguinaire chez Messi.
Sans, from French

Said in reply to a question to mean “yes” or “of course.” Always in the
interrogative form.
– Il sort avec la vieille fille là?
– Sans?
219
Sans payer noun, from Popular French
A police car.
Le sans payer l’a pri parce qu’il n’avait pas de carte d’identité.
Santé noun, from French

An activity to keep fit, especially a friendly football encounter.
Jouer la santé. To play a friendly match.
On va jouer la santé dimanche.
Faire le club santé. To run effortlessly in a competition.
Le jour du sport du bac, j’ai moi seulement fait mon club santé.
Sapack /sàpàk/ noun

A term of abuse.
Quitte là, sapack!
Sape /sap/ noun [fem. inv.], acronym of the Société des Ambianceurs et des
Personnes Elégantes
The act of dressing well.
Ma mater aime la sape!
Saper /sape/ verb [sape, sapons, sapez, sapais etc.]

To dress well.
Il a vraiment sapé aujourd’hui.
Sasaye /sàsàje/ noun [masc. inv.]

Faire le sasaye. To throw money or other valuable things to a crowd.
Quand j’étais mbindi un type venait faire le sasaye dans mon school.
Sat /sát/ verb [satais, satez], from the past tense form of the English sit
To sit (down).
Sat là bas, je vais kem te retrouver.
220
Sauf adverb, from French
Used for emphasis, usually in the form, que sauf or sauf que.
Tu me wanda que sauf.
Je suis sauf que sur ca.
Sauveteur noun, from the French sauvette

A hawker.
Les sauveteurs de Mokolo ont encore grêvé aujourd’hui.
Sauveur, le noun, from French

A nother name for tapioca (figurative).
Sawa /sawa/ noun [masc. inv.], from Sawa, a coastal tribe in Cameroon
An educated, refined and boastful person.
Ce gars c’est un vrai sawa.
Say /sé/ verb [inv.], from English

I say hein. A way of capturing one’s attention.
I say hein, kem me gi la chop non!
I say hein. An expression of surprise.
I say hein, le gars ci a bai une porsche hein!
Schlap/ʃlàp/ verb, from the English slap

To slap.
Sa nga la schlap devant all le mot.
School /skúl/ noun [masc. inv.] verb [skulais, skulez], from English
1. A institution of learning.
Je dois go au school, je suis en retard.
2. To study or to be schooled.
Tu school où?
221
Scinder verb, from French
To discriminate.
Quand il fallait choisir ceux qui allaient voyager, les gars m’ont scindé eux.
Sciencer verb, from French

To think deeply.
C’est pour ca que je dis que avant de do un way il faut toujours sciencer.
Secret noun, from French

Quality clothing.
Gars vends-moi même un de tes secrêts là non?
Secteur, from French

Neighbourhood.
Je suis né dans le secteur ci.
Secto /sɛktò/ noun [masc. inv.], from the French secteur

See secteur.
Sekele /sɛkɛlɛ/ verb [inv.], from Duala

1. To dance.
Ça fait longtemps que je ne suis pas go en BT, il me faut sekele.
J’ai sekele avec la go là toute la nuit.
Send /sɛn/ verb [senais, senez], from English

To send.
Ma mater m’a send au marché.
Sense, from French

Dans le bon sense (expression). Said to mean that one has first-hand
experience of something.
On m’a awash à Mokolo, moi-même j’ai confirmé dans le bon sens.
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Sense /sens/, from English
Intelligence.
La nga là a le sense mon frère.
Sentir verb, from French

To have a bad smell.
La bouche de la nga là sent mon frère!
Sentir quelqu’un. To see, or have news of somebody.
On ne sent même plus le jo là ici au kwat hein!
Se sentir. To be boastful.
Le jo ci se sent trop.
Serpent, from French
Le serpent se renverse (expression).
Said to mean a highly qualified person can at times perform poorly.
Serré-serré adjective, from the French serrer

Tight-fitting.
C’est quel gars qui porte les pantalons serré-serré comme une femme?
Serrer
Je porte mon calecon/pantalon ca te sert? (expression). Said to mean “mind
your business.”
Seul-seul adverb, from French

All alone.
Tu aimes trop rester seul-seul.
Seulement adverb, from French

Used to intensify.
Le match Real-Barcelone là, c’était la magie seulement.
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Sexy Maquereau noun, from French
Said to refer to people who are always well-dressed.
Le gars-là c’est un sexy maquereau, chaud à mort!
Shaba /ʃàbá/ noun [masc. inv.], from Shaba, a province in Democratic

Republic of the Congo and also a stand in the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium
The back of a classroom; backbenchers.
Les élèves assis au shaba font trop de désordre.
Shabayeur /ʃàbajœr/ noun [masc. shabayeuse]

A student who sits at the back of the class.
Tous les shabayeurs sont des délinquants.
Shake /ʃek/ verb [shekais, shekez] ; noun [fem. inv.], from English
1. To dance.
Tu shake comme DJ Arafat.
2. A dance or dancing style.
Ta shake là ne donne pas.
Shap /ʃàp/ adjective, from the English sharp

Difficult.
La compo là était shap hein, massa.
Shiba /ʃìba/ verb [inv.]

1. To go down, to descend.
On dit que jesus est shiba du ciel pour sauver les hommes.
2. To criticize, mock, or scornfully treat somebody or something.
Ateba Eyene aime trop shiba le RDPC.
Shap /ʃáp/ adjective [inv.]; adverb [inv.], from the English sharp
1. Hard or difficult (adjective).
La laif est shap grave.
224
2. Nice (adjective).
La montre de mon jo est quand même shap hein!
3. Early in the morning, also le sharp (adverb).
Je suis komot de la piol shap.
Shoes /ʃus/ noun [fem. inv.], from English

Shoes.
La shoes ci me mo grave.
Show /ʃo/ noun [masc. inv.], from English

A public spectacle.
Jean a fait le show hier
Shwa /ʃwà/ verb

To steal.
Les gars ont shwa mes dos ici.
Shu /ʃù/. verb [inv.], from the English show

1. To present for people to see.
Shu moi ton book là.
2. To give somebody something.
Mon pater ne me shu plus les do.
Shuan /ʃuan/ noun [inv.], from the English swine,

through Pidgin
An abuse term, same as idiot.
Va t’en, shuan!
Siffler verb, from French

To drink, usually alcohol, fast and much.
Le gars a sifflé un casier de bière devant nous.
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Sia /sià/, from Pidgin English
Dans le sia (expression). Stealthily.
Il mangeait l’argent de la fille dans le sia.
Simple, from French

Tu es simple ?/ Le jo-ci n’est pas simple (expression). Said to suggest
someone is weird or acting weirdly.
Simplifier verb, Ffom French

To underestimate, despise.
Il ne faut pas simplifier le dibo là hein!
Sincou, from cousin

A male cousin.
Sinecou, from cousine

A female cousin.
Sisia /sìsjà/ verb [sisiayons, sisiayez, sisiayais]; noun [masc. inv], from the
English seizer
1. To use force to oblige one to give or do something.
Le Kombi là a sisia le gars de sa rese.
2. The act of doing the above.
Le sisia n’est pas bien.
Sissongho /sísóngó/ noun

Entrer dans les sissonghos (expression). To vanish into thin air.
Il est jump dans les sissonghos avec mon argent.
Sky /skai/ noun

Low-quality whiskey.
Buy-moi deux sky à la poste en rentrant.
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Soche /sóʃ/ verb, from the English see
To see.
Quand tu soches chez les whites à la télé, est-ce qu’on suffer même du ngé?
Sock-sock also sock /sók sók/ adverb

A lot.
Il y avait les nga sock-sock.
Sonner verb, from French

To con someone.
Les frappeurs ont sonné un bâton à mon pater.
Sortir la nuit
To practise mystical or magical activities, believed to be carried out mainly at
night. A way of calling attention to the fact that someone has done something
really weird (pejorative).
C’est quoi ca mon frère, tu sors la nuit?
Speak /spík/ verb [spikons, spikez, spikais], from the English speak
To speak or to have a conversation with someone.
L’anglais me dépasse à speak.
Spirit /spírìt/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English spirit

Behavior, often a die hard.
Le jo ci a le spirit d’un gars de Doul.
Sponsor /spɔ̃sɔ/ noun [masc. inv.], from English

A sugar daddy or benefactor.
Mon sponsor m’a sen les do pour bai mes we.
Suffer /sofa/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.], from English, through Pidgin
1. To suffer or face difficulties (verb).
Les nanga-mboko suffer trop.
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2. Sufferings (noun).
Je digère colère et suffer.
Solfège noun, from French

European accent.
Tu crois que ton solfège là va attirer les go.
Solféger, verb
To speak with European accent.
Il a seulement fait six moi à mbeng, mais il veut ya qu’il solfège.
Sopré noun, inversion of préso (préservatif)

A condom.
Buy-moi les sopré là-bas en revenant.
Soya /sója/ noun [masc. inv.], from Hausa-Fulfulde

Barbecued beef sold at roadsides at night.
Je go buy le soya à ma nga.
Stationnement noun
Car park.
Si tu veux go au letch il faut être au stationnement très tôt.
Statois /stètwá/ noun [masc. statoise], from the English state

An American citizen or any person who lives or has been to the United
States.
Les statois veulent dominer le monde.
Stay /sté/ verb [stayons, stayais, stayez] from English

1. To remain or tarry.
Stay ici je kem.
2. to live or dwell.
Je stay à mokolo.
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Sticmyc /stìkmík/ adjective [inv.], inversion of the French mystique
To be complicated.
C’est sticmyc d’avoir une nga quand tu n’a pas les do.
Suffer /sɒfa/ verb [inv.]; noun [fem. inv.], from English, through Pidgin.
1. To suffer, to face difficulties (verb).
J’ai tellement sofa pour avoir les do ci.
2. Suffering (noun).
Je digère colère et suffer.
Tacler/tacleur verb, from the French tacler

To tout at customers, or someone who touts at customers.
Il tacle au marché Mokolo.
Taco also takesh /tákó/, /tàkeʃ/ noun [masc. inv.], from taxi
Taxi.
Je cha le tako pour go au school.
Hold le taco/takesh. To board a taxi.
Take /ték/ verb [tekons, tekez, tekais], from the English take
1. To take.
Take le we ci tu go gi a Paul.
2. To board.
Je vais take le taxi pour bak.
Tanner verb, from French

Tanner une fille. To have sex with a woman.
J’ai tanné ma nga toute la nuit.
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Tantale, from the French tante
Aunt.
Ma tantale est came du letch avec la tchop.
Taper
Taper les commentaries (expression). To involve in an informal chat about
many different topics of interest.
Il doit être entrain de taper les commentaires là-bas au bar.
Taps /tàps/ also Tapioca

A cassava-made cheap carbohydrate soaked into water and eaten with sugar
and sometimes groundnuts (see picture below).
Tara /tàrá/ noun [masc. inv.], from the Beti tara, father
A way of addressing a person of one’s age or friend.
Tara, ç’a dit quoi alors?
Tayam /tàjàm/ verb, from Pidgin English via the English tie
To have total control of someone, preventing them from acting freely.
Je suis cass mal, les mimbo d’hier me tayam mal.
Tatik /tàtík/ verb

To wonder.
Je tatik sur le man ci hein.
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Taxi noun, from French
A loose-living woman.
Gars pourquoi toi tu ya seulement les taxi non?
Tas adverb, intensifier, from French

Very large.
C’est un tas de mouilleur.
Tchamako also Tchama /tʃàmákó/

Je te give le tchama mon frère (expression). Said as a sign of respect or admiration.
Tchaka /tʃàkà/ noun

Shoes.
Il me faut me buy d’autres tchaka.
Tchaka /tʃáká/ noun

Playing cards, any card of the club suit.
Tchakala /tʃákálá/
1. Disorderly (adjective).
L’enfant-ci est trop tchakala.
2. To cause disorder (verb).
Le gars a tchakala la fête.
Tchango /tʃángó/ noun

A rivalry over a woman.
Voilà ton tchango sur la nga là.
Tchapia /tʃápiá/ verb, from Pidgin English

1. To clear grass on a farmland using a cutlass.
Demain on go au tchapia.
2. In football, to violently tackle an opponent.
Song a tchapia un attaquant.
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Tchinda/tʃíndá/ noun, from Bamileke languages
An obsequious guy.
Voilà le tchinda de Eto’o.
Tchoko /tʃòkò/ verb [tchokoyons, tchokoyez, tchokoyais]

1. To bribe.
Il a tchoko avant de win le concours de l’ENAM.
2. To give somebody money.
Gars tchoko moi ngoma là bas non!
Tchomer/tʃóme/ verb
To wear quality clothing.
Ton pote là tchome franchement.
Tchoronko /tʃórónkó/ noun

A counterfeit telephone.
Il vend la tchoronko à l’avenue Kennedy.
Tchoukam pass /tʃukàm pas/, from Pidgin English

A loose-living girl or woman.
J’ai hold une tchoukam pass à mini-ferme.
Tchouk me I die /tʃúk mi a dai/, from Pidgin English

A hard or ugly looking pair of shoes.
Tchouker, from Popular French

To withdraw money from an ATM.
Il me faut go tchouker, je n’ao plus d’argent.
Tchouking /tʃúkiŋ/
Tomber dans le tchouking (expression). To fall headlong to a trap set by
someone.
Tu es tombé dans le tchouking ma sœur.
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Té /te/ verb
To forcibly put an end to an acivity.
Je joue ou ca té.
Tell /tèl/ verb [tellons, tellez, tellais], from English

To tell, to inform.
Il m’a tel que le prezi est dai.
Témoigner verb
To give a comfirmation or an opinion.
Viens témoigner le way-ci voir.
Ten /tɛn/ noun [fem. tens], truncation of tennis

Sneakers.
La ten que j’ai buy hier est perdue.
Ten /tɛn/ num [inv.], from English

Ten, mostly used when referring to money.
Il m’a donné ten kolo hier.
Billet de ten!
Tensionner verb, from the French tension

To get on somebody’s nerves.
Si tu continues à le tensionner, il va dégammer.
Témé /teme/ verb

To kill.
C’est le SIDA qui a témé le pater là.
Temps
Dans le temps (expression). A long time ago.
Dans le temps les enfants respectaient leurs parents.
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Tester verb, from French
To take for granted.
Ne me testes pas.
Terma, from the inversion of mater (mother)

See mater.
Terpa, from the inversion of pater

See pater.
Terre, from French

A place where people, especially youths, meet to play gambling games.
Les gars ont créé un nouveau terre derrière le BH.
Tete /tete/ noun [masc. inv.], from Bamileke

A rich man.
Le père du dibo ci c’est un tete.
Jimtete. A very rich man (see Jim).
Think /tink/ verb

To think.
Tu think que tu es trop sage?
Tiercé noun, from the name of a horse-gambling game promoted by the

French company Paris Mutuel Urbain Camerounais (PMUC)
Used to refer to what depends on pure luck.
L’affaire de visa là, c’est le tiercé man.
Tif /tif/ verb [inv.], from the English thief, through pidgin
To steal.
On a tif ma shoes là hier.
234
Tika /tíká/ verb, same as té
Quand le gars est venu, le match a tika.
Tintin noun, from the popular cartoon “Tintin au Congo”

A clownish or unserious person.
Mon gars est trop tintin.
Tingé /tínge/ noun

Clothing.
Tu n’as que les vieux tinge.
Titulaire noun, from French

A girl with whom a boy has a stable relationship.
Parmi toutes mes nga, voici la titulaire.
Titus /tìtys/ noun [masc. fem. inv.], from the truncation of the French
titulaire
See titulaire.
Tobassi /tòbasí/ noun

A charm used to make someone fall in love with you.
Je la ya mo comme ci elle m’a give le tobassi.
Tochmé /tóʃme/
Same as métoch.
Toc-toc /tók tók/ noun, from the onomatopoeia toc-toc

A ceremony during which a man who wants to marry a woman officially
presents himself to her parents.
Je fais mon toc-toc dans deux semaines.
Today /tude/ adverb

Today.
235
Tof /tɒf/ noun [fem. inv.], truncated inversion of photo
Photograph or picture.
Les tof de la nga ci sont très mo.
Tok /tɒk/ [tokons, tokez, tokais], from the English talk

To talk, to chat (verb).
Elle aime tok avec le gar là
A mobile phone (noun).
Mon talk derange man.
Toli /tòli/ noun [inv.]; verb [inv.], from the English story, through Pidgin
1. Gossip, casual information (noun).
Gars quel toli t’amène ici.
2. To chat (verb).
Tu vas toli jusqu’à.
Tok-tok /tòk tòk/ noun, from the English talk via Pidgin English
A stupid fellow.
Voilà un vrai tok-tok.
Tomahawk /tomahok/ noun

A penis (figurative).
Tu as vu le tomahawk du père là?
Tongo /tòngò/ verb

To drink, usually an alcoholic drink.
Le gars a franchement tongo avant de venir ici.
Ton-ton /tɒntɒn/ verb [inv.], from Pidgin, the reduplication of the English
turn
To keep on giving fake appointments.
Gars pourquoi tu me ton-ton comme ça, donne moi mes do.
236
Top adjective, from English
Nice.
C’est trop top.
Tourner verb, from French

See ton-ton.
Topo /tɒpɒ/ verb [inv.]; noun [masc. inv.], from Duala

1. To speak or say (verb).
Il a topo jusqu’à moi-même j’ai confirmé
2. The act of speaking (mostly arguing), language (noun).
Les gars ci aime le topo
Toto /toto/ noun

An incompetent person.
Tu es un bon toto.
Touch /tɒʃ/ verb [toshais, toshez], from English

To touch.
Il a touch un petit we et ça a waka.
Tour, from French

Le tour-ci. Said to mean “this time.”
Tu as mal fait le tour-ci.
Tourne-dos
A local restaurant where cheap food is sold.
On était dans un tourne-dos au niveau d’Obobogo.
Tra /trà/ verb, from the English try

To ask someone out.
Il a tra toutes les filles du quat.
237
Tracer verb, from French
To escape.
Il a tracé avant qu’on arrive.
Train /trén/ noun [masc. inv.]; verb [trainons, trainez, trainais],

from English
1. Sports training or practice.
Je go au train chaque matin.
2. To practice or train.
Gars ci tu ne train pas tu ne peux pas jouer au foot.
Traiter verb
To deal harshly or ruthlessly with somebody.
Tu crois que tu peux me dépasser? Je vais te traiter.
Travel /travɛl/ verb [inv.], from English

1. To move from one town to another.
Tu ne pouvais pas le nie parce qu’il a travel.
2. To go abroad.
Gars tous les camerounais veulent travel.
Trembler verb, from French

To be afraid.
Tu trembles?
Trembleur noun
Someone who lacks courage
Tu es un gros trembleur hein!
Trong /trón/ adjective, from the English strong

Difficult.
La compo là était bien trong.
238
Tsuip interjection
Sign of disrespect, lack of interest, or said as an insult.
Tsuip! Vas chier au bord!
Tuer verb
J’ai tué la nga toute la nuit.
To like very much.
Ca me tue seulement!
Tum /tùm/ verb [tumais, tumez, tumons], truncation of the Duala tumbulane
To sell.
Je tum la friperie à Mokolo.
Type noun, from French

A way of addressing an unknown young man
Type, came nye le phone ci.
Valise noun, from French

Dernière valise. One’s best clothes.
Ca c’est ma dernière valise.
Casser la valise. To put on one’s best clothes.
Gars, tu as cassé la valise.
Vanish /vàniʃ/ verb

To disappear into thin air.
Le gars a vanish avec mes dos.
Vaps /vàps/
Être dans les vaps de quelqu’un. To be attraced to someone.
Je suis dans les vaps de la fille-ci.
239
Vass /vàs/ verb [inv.], from the English wash
1. To wash.
Go vass la voiture de ton repe.
2. To bathe.
Je me suis vass avant de came.
Venir verb, from French

Venir mal/venir fort. To act irrationally.
Ne viens pas mal!
On t’a vendu? (expression). Pejorative, said to ask someone if they are in their
right senses.
Verber verb, from the French verbe

To sweet-talk a lady.
J’ai verbé la petite, maintenant il fallait la couper.
Vex /veks/ verb; adjective, from the Pidgin English

To get angry.
Ne vex pas pardon.
To be angry or annoyed.
Je sais que tu es vex.
Vèrè noun, from VR (vas rendre)

The habit of asking to wear other people’s clothes.
Les gars de ton quat aiment trop la vèrè.
Verser verb
To urinate.
Je peux go verser où ici?
Verser le manioc / verser le tapioca (expression). To perform disappointingly
poorly in an activity.
Les Lions Indomptables vont verser le manioc au Brésil.
240
Vie, from French
Excusez ma vie, excusez mon séjour (expression). Said to ask people to mind
their own business.
Viveur noun (masc.), from vie

A fun and pleasure-loving person, who spends a lot of money
to have fun.
Voilà alors un grand viveur.
Villageois.
See vilaps.
Vilaps / villacon/vilaps/ adjective [inv.], from the truncation

of villageois
A poorly-mannered person.
Le gars cit tu es un vilaps, tu ne no pas manger avec
la fourchette?
Vin noun, from French

Any alcoholic drink.
Tu aimes trop le vin mon frère.
Voyageur noun
A widely travelled person, especially one who goes regularly
to Europe.
Vrai idiom
En vrai. Truly, verily, sincerely or seriously.
Il a tappé sa femme en vrai.
Vrai vrai adverb

Really.
Vrai-vrai tu ne lui a rien fait?
241
W
Wadjo /wàdʒó/ (fem. wadjas) /wàdjàs/

Someone from northern Cameroon.
Son pater n’aime pas les wadjo.
Wah /wà/ noun

A girl or girlfriend.
Je suis entrain d’attendre une wah pour finir avec elle.
Wait /wet/ verb [waitons, waitez, waitais, waitiez], from English

To wait.
Wait moi ici je came.
Wait /wáká/ verb [wakayons, wakayez, wakayais] from the English walk,
through Pidgin
To slowly move on foot, to stroll.
Je wakayais ma chose au Boulevard du 20 Mai (Koppo in Emma).
Waka /wàkà/ noun [fem. inv.], from the English walk, through Pidgin
A loose living girl, a prostitute.
C’est pour les waka, et les nanga mboko (DJ Bobby in C’est pour les boy).
Wanda /wanda/ verb [wandayais, wandayez], from the English wonder,

through Pidgin
1. To surprise or to be surprised.
Le comportement de la go de mon pote m’a wanda très mal.
2. To wonder, to ask oneself.
Je wanda meme pourquoi il se comporte comme ça.
Wandayant /wàndàjàn/ adjective

Surprising.
C’est quand même wandayant.
242
Wandaful also wandafout /wandaful/ interjection, from the English
wonderful
Expression of surprise, amazement, despair etcetera.
Wandaful, les camerounais vont me tuer!
Wangala /wàngalà/ noun, deformation of bangala

A penis.
Oumarou, montres-lui le wangala.
Wash /wàʃ/ verb [washons, washez, washais], from the English wash
See vass.
Wassa-wassa /wasa wasa/ adjective; adverb

Said to men that something has been poorly done.
C’est quell genre de maison ca? Ils ont construit ca wasa-wasa.
War /wà/ verb, from the English war. War is equated with hardship and
suffering.
To suffer.
Mon pater a franchement war quand il était petit.
Wat /wát/ noun [com. inv.], from the English white

1. Person of European descent, white.
Les wat exploitent trop l’Afrique.
2. Way of addressing a fair-skinned person or an albino.
Wat, c’est how?
Way /wé/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English way

Used for referring to something when you do not know or do not want to say
the name of it
Donne moi le way là.
243
Wee /wɛ:/ interjection, from Duala
An expression of pain, compassion and also approval.
Wee, la fille là est elle dai.
Weke /wɛ:kɛ:/ interjection, from Duala

See wee.
Wekop /wékɒp/ verb [inv.], from the English wake up, via Pidgin
1. To wake up.
Il est kem me wekop à 4 heures du matin.
2. To get into erection.
Le gars là ne wake-up pas.
Whitiser /waitize/ verb [waitisons, waitisez, waitisais], derivation of the

English white
To speak with a European accent.
Le jo ci aime waitiser quand il speak avec les nga.
Win /win/ verb [winons, winez, winais], from English

1. To win.
Le barça a win la liga.
2. To succeed.
Mon mbindi a finalement win le beco.
Wise /wais/ adjective, from English

Smart.
La nga là est wise, tu ne peux pas la mbinda.
Wish /wìʃ/ noun [masc. inv.], from the English witch, through Pidgin
See ngrimba.
Wolowos /wòlòwos/ noun [fem. inv.], from Beti

Il y a trop de wolowoss à mini ferme.
244
Work /wɒk/ verb [wokons, wokez, wokais]; noun [masc. inv.], from the
English work
1. To carry out an activity, to work (verb).
Je work au ministère du travail.
2. Activity being carried out or to be carried out (noun).
On m’a donné beaucoup de work.
Wounded /wùnded/ adjective

Nervous.
Fais attention avec le BIR, ils sont wounded.
Write /ráit/ verb [rations, raitez, raitais], from the English write
To write.
Ma nga m’a rait une lettre d’adieu.
Ya /yá/ verb [yayons, yayez, yayais], from the English hear, through Pidgin.
1. To hear or understand.
Ya moi les ways!
2. To like or love something or somebody.
Je ya les cérises très mal.
Tu aimes trop ya (expression). You are too full of yourself.
Yamo /yàmó/ verb

To like something or someone, or to love them.
Man la mbindi de mon dur complice me yamo, je do how?
Yayances noun
A boastful attitude.
Tu es dans tes yayances.
See mo.
245
Yaa /jɑː/ interjection
An expression of disapproval.
Yaa, tu mens!
Yong /jón/ verb

To regret.
Elles refuses de born, et quand elles deviennent stériles elles begin à Yong.
Yémalé /jemale/ interjection

An expression of grief or great deception.
Yémalé, qui m’avait envoyé?
Yes, Yesoo /jes/ interjection

Said to signify approval or admiration.
Yes mon frère, tu es fort.
Yeush /jøʃ/ interjection

An expression of disgust.
Yeush! tu me dépasses.
Yich /jiʃ/ interjection

See yeush.
Yotass /jotàs/ noun

Money.
Envois-moi les Yotass.
Zapper, from French

To break up or end a relationship.
J’ai zappé le gars là depuis.
246
Zeke-zeke /zeke-zeke/ noun
Sex.
Entre le riz sauté et le zeke-zeke, je choisis zeke-zeke.
Zen adjective, from French

Able to keep one’s composure.
Je suis très zen.
Zinc /zíŋ/ noun

In a game of fà-fàp any card of the diamond suit.
J’ai joué le trois zinc.
Zingué /zɛg̃ e/ noun

A popular danse close to makossa.
Tu know shake le zingué?
Zion /zajon/ adjective

To be high on drugs or alcohol.
Hier le gars était zion.
Zuazua /zuàzuà/ noun [masc. inv.], from Igbo

Illegal fuel.
On a interdit la vente du zuazua au kamer.
Zoze /zóz/ noun [masc. inv.]

Male genitalia; a penis.
Le gars ci a un très gros zoze.
247
Appendices
This part of the dictionary presents elements that show how Camfranglais as a
sociolect is used in different online forums by Cameroonians, especially youths.
Appendix 1 is a candidate’s self-presentation for a beauty pageant organised by
the Facebook group “Ici on Topo le Camfranglais: le Speech des vrais Man du
Mboa.” Appendices 2 and 3 are posts in other Cameroonian online aforums in
Camfranglais.
249
Appendix 1: Miss Camfrangleurs
250
Appendix 2: “I love you” in Camfranglais
251
Appendix 3: Camfranglais versions of “lol’’
252
Appendix 4: Sample texts from a Camfranglais competition
organised by the Facebook blogger «Un Mbom Prêt» on his
Facebook page «ca se passe ici». 11. August 2014
TEXT A.
======================
The Writer Poule D, Kongolibon no stress d’Angleterre
======================
Massaah je vais mem write quoi ici? Jài flex pendant des jours ou qui màvait
meme envoye oooooh je sais? Quand jài meme seulement see les pseudos des
autres jài failli deposer les armes eihn passeu ce nèst pas easy de tcham contre
les sauveteurs, Hokague,pichichi, presi et autres! Jài flex jouskaaaa tara choisir
le sujet mà pash donc siouplait lis seulement ce que jài malaxe comme ca dion!
Dans mes flex jài dàbord pense a speak soit de la nyama, la ntouma ou alors
le ndamba. Jài fia quèn parlant d ntouma on peut me gui une censure pour
expressions ntoumalogiques excessives et repetees l`Homme prudent see le
ndem a distance, donc je suis moi quitte dans ca. le ndamba ces derniers temps
hum, rehum,rerehuuuuum tu me vois humtiser comme ca ce nèst pas pour rien
oooh. Cèst passeu histoire de ndamba la ces derniers temps ca me loss surtout la
derniere #CDM. Ceadire que il ya eu flop de comportements palapalatiques qui
mònt wandifie, il ya les joeurs qui ont encaisse au terrain tu ya nan? Certains
se sont fait alexsongtiser, assouter dàutres meme suareziter. Nessa me voila qui
speak avec ma niece de 4ans dernierement au phone, je lui ask q “ma mere ya
quoi pourquoi tu pleures” elle me tell q “ceiiin pas Edy, passeu je yui yai pas
donne mon gato ima ayesande chon” je dis “assia eihn, tu as rendu?” “nohooooo
je yai seuyeument di ayesande chon dans sa GROSSE TETE” Jài eclate de lap
parle mà depasse euuuuye meme les mouna sont durs durs dans les Alexandre
Song? On va meme arriver? jài moi lep le sujet du ndamba la, je ne veux pas take
un Alexandre Song dans mon writing. Pour la nyama eihn quand je bigin avec ca
je ne màrrete plus donc beta je lep, je vais meme dàbord speak de nyama que
esseu cèst mitoumba TV ici? Si tu veux trop djoss d la nyama go sur ma page
“piment na sugar” tu vas nyai mes recettes kongobolisees la bas.
After alors nessa jài voulu jouer un peu a lìntello et speak d làctualite le conflit
Israelo- Palestinien qui fait rage ou alors les avions qui fall ces derniers temps coe
les mangues en saisons pluvieuses. Mais alors…. On dit que mbit cèst mbit mais
253
a moto jài confirme q “le mbit du cheval ce nèst pas l mbit du lapin” tu ya nan
chacun a son niveau dans la life. Seulement pour prononcer”Isrealo-Palestinien”
ma langue danse la pinguiss,si le name me pash déjà comme ca imagine un peu
la suite? Un wes qui est meme write dans la Bible maaaassah ca a bigin d from
eihn !! #UMP va speak d ca l jour ou il voudra, moi je ne suis pas oversabi! Voila
meme le Boko Haram qui continue d hambock et le virus Ebola qui run dans
notre direction waiiiiikai je dis eihn on va meme sènsoktir??
Toi meme tu meet comment jài sofa nan? finalemnt jài moi see que le plus
fastoche c serait seulement d tell pourquoi je suis came tcham ici !! Quand je dis
tcham cèst pas les tcham du primaire la eihn, la ou on te montre la main et on
dit “la personne qui veut tcham tape ici”. Comme au CM1 avec mon camarade
Essomba qui aimait awash mes bics, jàvais tell a la mater elle mà dit que ce
nèst pas son bleme, mais que si je ne back pas avec mes bics je vais planter les
choux et elle va me nack correctement et bien jusquà me cosh quàvec gros et
long front comme le bus de Socatur. Le jour la après le school on est go au lieu
de tcham, nos camarades ont forme le cercle, jài trace la ligne au sol en disant
au mbom que si tu es un garcon traverse la ligne ci tu vas voir!! Cèst la tcham
que tu voulais voir? A l`époque jètais encore prete eihn tara!! Je suis back avec la
trousse dÈssomba, la tenue poussiereuse et dechiree et lèpaule qui faisait mal,
et malgre ca la mater mà quand meme chicotte tsuiiiiiip.
En tout cas ici ce nèst pas les bitchakala mabobe de tcham eihn ici cèst une
tcham internationale tu ya nan, cèst la tcham de la PRETITUDE ! ! Je te dis que
la tcham ci cèst pas la nimportequoisierie (si tu ne know pas cèst ton koki non
cuit,) flop le motto ndem ici eihn si tu crois q j te lom go ask a tito il va te tell nessa
cèst un redoublant? Attends alors j te do un mbindi tori eihn il parait que Tito
Diapason oui le mignon gars au cigar qui quand tu lis la publication du mbom tu
lap tu penses meme que tes laps sont bohle mais après tu lis son commentaire et
tu te pambeleh encore dans les laps. On dit que son ndem de lànnee passee lui a
do bahat soteeeeeh le djo est devenu “chauffeur dàrachides” je te dis eeeeh reste
la tu blagues, le djo a creer sa part d profession djoukoutement.
Bon revenons a moi eihn, jài déjà trop kongosse dion!! Faut meme dàbord
know que je ne suis pas ici pour la pretitude eihn, pretitude pretitude esseu on
mange ca tsuiiiiiiiip!! Je suis came ici pour mes CINQUAN EUROS!!! Oui membre
CINQUAN EUROS tu crois q je devais see les djaraba toquer a ma porte comme ca
et je lep go? Aaaah maaaaf mide “longue na mussima” la vie cèst la chance, l tour
254
ci eihn no lactose, euyeuuuuh 32 797,85fcfa (32800fcfa) tara esseu jài le moule?
2800f cèst pour la tournee generale au beignetariat de mami awa #BHB les gens
farotent en euros moi j farote en #BHB a chacun son level na waiti?. Nessa Samy
farotait Nathalie en Rolex,ca a empeche quoi? Today nessa lui meme il see que “le
bissonda cèst pas le soya” nan. Je chou a la big reme 30000f pour son gaz passeu
depuis que le prix a grap de fap cent la, mamamieeeh tu call pour ask comment
cèst passé son RDV chez le docta, elle te repond que sa bouteille de gaz va bientot
bohle!! Eihn mbombo ou est le rapport? Vrai vrai le grattage nà pas dàge perika!!
Hmmmmm… Jài une derniere raison je te dis? tsuiiiiiip toi aussi eihn tu
exageres, how q tu aimes trop le kongossa comme ca? Donc depuis que tu lis la tu
nès pas cass? Ma derniere raison eihn cèst le MBOM!!! Quel mbom comment??
toi aussi esseu il ya 18 mbom prêt ici?? Ouiiiiii je te parle de #UMP mais q ca
reste entre nous eihn passeu on se know jvais te do mon tori now et puis tu vas
go me niang apres!! L mbom est prêt tu ya nan? Je te dis meme physiquemnt!! Il
est pian pian a mon gout, donc ma participation cèst une #TAP (si tu n know
pas cèst ton #knc) comme ca il confirme ma pretitude et apres tous les 2 on va se
“pretiser” tu ignores quoi? #jdica_jnyongo. Bon mon gars a déjà envie de… je go
einh refre on s prend. Alexandre Song sur le clavier du cafaragnon qui va tell que
cèst long on tà fokce? Hum abeck ma grand je blaguais eihn ne boude pas ma
publication passeu je tài traite de cafaragnon cèst juste que ma main nà pas
d frein tara. Bref eihn faisons la paix sur une citation du grand President BOBO
“lòiseau sur le baobab ne doit pas oublier quìl a porte des lunettes”.
Kongolibon no stress aka la go pimentee aka la go du gossip (oui tout ca pour moi,
ton piment la dedans pique ou?? Je shake mon mapouka et cèst ton ndombolo
qui do bahat?? Mekde alors!!).
255
TEXT B.
6th August 2014
=========================
The Writer Poule C, Ardinho Doofenshmirtz du Cameroun
=========================
Titre: Eglise Réveillez-vous. Auteur: Ardinho Doofenshmirtz alias”Man For

Kwatta” (M.F.K).
Yéééééééééééééééééééééééh l’affaire là est vrai!!! On disait je refusais! père vrai

vrai c’est vrai! Oui mbom! on parle comme ca des Eglises réveillez vous. oui père!
Le genre qui bahate que tu nang moh là Le genre qui attend seulement minuit
pour prier là Le genre d’Eglise que lorsque tu go au ndjoka, tu pêches une baby et
bring à ta piol, à 3h lorsque tu veux verser un dernier coup les gars commencent
à crier: « par le feu, par le feu, ne le laisse par faire, ne le laisse pas faire, trouble
le, trouble le, trouble le jusqu’à ce qu’il abandonne… «
Hein!!? c’est quoi? père laisse ta part là! c’est quel genre de coïncidence tous les
jours? d’abord laisse ta par là, si tu es dedans c’est ton problème, je vais sauf que
parler! Oui!! Père comme je disais là non? les Eglises là ont pris le pouvoir dans
nos kwatts et comme ça ne suffit pas, ils ont aussi pris le pouvoir sur nos ngas.
Oui père je te dis, ils ont pris le pouvoir sur nos ngas.Les gars ont eux sat sur
all les ngas du kwatt même les rémés père! Voilà alors une nga du secteur qui
se name Michou, père je te tell que la nga est top maaaal! mbindi manequaine
brune comme ca, le genre de nga à qui tu peux back tous tes économie avant de
stay cry par derrière. Tu vois le genre là noor?
Holy day la nga passe devant ma piol je tell que je vais try, quelque chose fait je
tremble. Le lendemain la même chose, elle passe je veux me lancer quelque chose
fait je tremble toujours. Voilà alors one day j’ai signé que today na today. Elle
passait devant ma piol comme d’habitude, j’ai salote elle a répondue, j’ai une fois
commencé à ndagwoa avec elle en speakant nooor père. Voilà on a speak jusqu’à
un carrefour, elle me tell qu’elle va take le mbenskin pour vite arriver chez sa
sister. Je lui ai dont lep en lui donnant rendez-vous pour moh speak, nessah elle
a win et m’a chou son number que j’avais ask. Père en backant j’étais fièèèèèèèèr,
je tremblais alors qu’il y’avait pas danger. Voilà le day du rencar, étant déjà dans
les lieux du rencar je fone la nga qui décroche et me tell qu’elle est en route. 15
256
minutes après un mbenskin gare à 5 mètres de moi et la nga chiba, se dirige vers
moi puis me back deux bises aux joues(père je yahais déjà le ton nooor?).
On est go sat sous un arbre et j’ai begin a speak des faux faux wait genre «
comment était ton weekend?; ça c’est bien passé chez ta sister?; oooooooh c’est
monté, oooooooh c’est descendu” (père entre temps dans mon cœur je cherchais
le courage et les mots pour lui tell que je la yah moh). Au bout de quelque
minutes, n’est ce pas les mots là sont came dans ma bouche. « Michou, comme tu
vois la, je te yah moh. Au début je me suis dis que c’était l’affection que j’éprouvais
mais non. C’est bien l’amour que j’éprouve pour toi. Michou je t’aime « Lorsque
j’ai borlè de speak comme ça non, j’ai senti comme mon corps faisait un genre et
puis mon coeur a commencé à battre fort fort.(I say hein? arrêtez même de vous
moquer de moi non?) Quelque secondes après, la nga a begin çà part avec un
souris aux lèvres: « Man for kwatta, tu es un garçon très gentil, tu es cool, tu ne
fais pas comme les autres gars qui passent leur temps à draguer toutes les filles
qui leur tombent sur les yeux,tu ne traîne pas avec les voyous…”Père lorsque la
nga là a commencé à me back les points comme ça j’étais fier jusqu’à ce qu’elle
ajoute: « … MAIS…”éééééééééééééééééh!!!! papa! c’est comme ci on venait de
me doser avec un pilon. Mon coeur a chiba dans mon ventre une fois noor. Ma
tête tournait comme çà comme si j’avais les vertiges. « … Mais, je ne peux pas
sortir avec toi parce que tu n’est pas dans la même Eglise que moi. Le pasteur
a dit que nous devons appartenir à une même Eglise pour parler amour ceci
pour éviter des tiraillement du genre:pourquoi dans mon Eglise… Mon pasteur
a dit… Je vois qu’il a raison parce que j’ai lu dans la Bible:…”Mbom!! la nga a
begin à me réciter les versets biblique le feu sort. Ma tête faisait seulement que
mwang, mwang, mwang dedans. Et comme çà ne suffisait pas, elle ajoute: « si
tu m’aimes vraiment comme tu viens de me le dire, viens dans mon Eglise, c’est
situé à… si tu fais vraiment çà, ça serait la preuve que tu m’aimes vrai vrai”. j’étais
estomaqué mbon! Je parlais même encore? On est stay quelques minutes sans
speak puis un mbindi qui passait a fait un bête geste on a begin à lap et c’est
comme ça que la speak des faux faux ways ont commencé jusqu’à ce que vint
l’heure de notre séparation. N’est ce pas elle a take son mbenskin et m’a donné
encore deux bisous aux joues! éééééééééééééééééééh! je comprends maintenant
pourquoi mon répé me disait chaque fois: « ndolo na tropou « (traduction
l’amour c’est les problèmes)! Voilà alors one day j’ai décidé de go dans le chusie
là. éééééééééééééh! papa! c’est pas que je parle pour parler hein lorsque j’étais
près de la porte d’entré de l’Eglise là, mon corps a commencé à trembler quand
j’ai vu la décoration ooh ba rideau rouge ooh, blanc oooh, violet oooh étaient
dedans, chaises différentes…
257
Je voulais piak père, un mbom m’a coincé par derrière en disant: « bienvenue
frère, tu as pris la bonne décision « Mbom il y’avait plus moyen de piak, je
suis une fois ndjoum avec lui, il m’a montré un coin où il y’avait les chaises en
plastique de couleurs blanches(tu vois le genre qu’on trouve aux funérailles là
non? voilà c’est le genre là), je suis go près d’une qui était à coté de la porte,
comme les autres, je suis stay debout mais entre temps mes yeux guettaient la
porte de sortie pour me rassurer qu’il y’a pas embourtellage genre si ça ram je
piak une fois(père j’étais prêt).
Voilà alors le pasto a commencé à parler. Mbom!! c’est comme si on avait trahit
mes secrets au pasto là.Tout ce qu’il disait je me voyais dedans « ooooooooh! mon
frère, toi qui n’arrive pas à trouver d’emploi! toi qui a l’argent aujourd’hui, demain
tu n’as plus 5 francs de cette argent et ne sais pas ce que tu as fais de cette argent!
toi qui a mal au ventre depuis des années et n’a pu trouvé de guérison, même à
l’hôpital on n’a rien trouvé après de nombreux examens!… aujourd’hui je vais te
délivrer, tu es libre…» Les problèmes ont begin lorsque le pasto là a commencé à
toucher la tête des gens. J’ai seulement vu comme certains tombaient en s’agitant
par terre comme ça, mon cœur a commencé à battre fort fort dedans que toup
toup, toup toup, ma tête aussi faisait un genre, comme ci ça augmentait de poids.
j’ai donc décidé de piak, lorsque j’ai jeté un coup d’œil à la porte j’ai vu un type
devant la porte avec la Bible qu’il secouait en disant Amen! Amen! est ce qu’il
y’avait encore moyen de piak? nooooh!! n’est ce pas voilà alors le pasto là qui est
arrivé où j’étais et a engagé avec moi « sort de cet enfant esprit démoniaque! libère
le au non de Jesus! je te commande de sortir! sort! sort! sort… « C’est comme ça
que le type là dosait ma tête avec la Bible qu’il avait dans sa main droite.Toujours
comme ça jusqu’à ce qu’il est allé chez mon voisin de droite. Lorsqu’il a fini, il
a regagné son siège et a demandé qu’on sat. J’ai encore guetté la porte le mbom
là était toujours là, j’ai une fois arrêté mon pantalon comme pour dire que c’est
grave avec les urines j’ai trop séré. Je suis allé vers lui et lui a ask: « - frère, j’ai envie
de pisser où sont les toilettes? - Prend le couloir à ta gauche, tu verras une petite
case collée à l’Eglise, ce sont les toilettes - Merci ! «
Père une fois dans les toilettes, j’ai cover la porte, j’ai guetté par un petit trou qui
était sur la porte pour voir si le mbom là m’a suivie. Il y’avait personne, je suis
ressorti et j’ai piak par la petite brousse qui était à coté. Père les herbes méchants
me piquaient est ce que je yahais la douleur? noooor!! dans ma tête je voulais
seulement m’éloigné le plus vite possible de l’Eglise là.N’est ce pas j’ai fini par
commot en route de l’autre coté, j’ai une fois take le mbenskin.
258
Depuis ce jour là lorsque je salote la nga elle répond un genre, parfois elle fait
comme ci elle ne yahais pas, c’est lorsque j’insiste qu’elle repond. One days alors
je l’a phone et lui ask que c’est how que je te salote tu répond un genre? Parfois tu
ne réponds même pas, pareil pour les sms que je t’envoie? La nga me tell qu’elle
n’a pas envies de retourner dans le pêché, ooooh! qu’elle a donné sa vie à Jésus
et parce que je suis encore dans le monde c’est pour cela qu’elle m’evite. Je lui tell
que comment ça je suis dans le monde nessah je suis aussi Chrétien comme toi?
je pars aussi à l’Eglise comme toi non? La nga me parle seulement des faux faux
ways. Lorsque je lui ask que pourquoi elle ne peut pas aussi laisser son Eglise
pour came dans mon Eglise. Père tu sais ce que la nga ma tell? « c’est toi qui a fait
le premier pas, voilà pourquoi c’est toi qui doit venir dans mon Eglise et non moi.
« Lorsqu’elle a vu que je parlais un peu un genre, elle a racroché. C’est la nga de
quoi nooor père? J’ai moi supprimé son number dans mon phone. Si c’est comme
ca avec toutes les ngas maintenant je préfère stay seul. Mais entre temps si parmi
vous membres du jury, il y’en a qui n’est pas du genre « vient d’abord dans mon
Eglise… « qu’elle me fasse signe, parce que je suis moi sans nga comme vous
voyez là. Merci comme vous avez lu et cliquez sur le bouton j’aime. Ceux qui n’ont
pas cliqué sur j’aime, vous me tamponez en route ne tentez pas de me salote. Les
Grècs comme ça!!
Ardinho Doofenshmirtz du Cameroun
259
Appendix 5: Sample extract from Facebook chat group
Comment dit-on”faire l’amour” en Camfranglais?? A vos claviers…
Narcisse Wandji Gyme: La nyasss
Ivan Le Mack Teyo: Nyass
Chrispat Tassy: Mbinda
Gordon Keane Mbofung: tipo
Chrispat Tassy: Hein @Gordon?
Tsafack Patrick Porké K-poral: borche, piner
Milli Djoda: nyass
Osva Sansador: mbida,nyass,tué
Oumarou Malam: nyass
Justin Barthson: Bolè
Bambe Bayang: la quindim
Chrispat Tassy: Nack-mbit!!
Robert Momnougui Ndongo: combo
Bolingo Pokam: Nyass bien sur
Robert Momnougui Ndongo: combo
Girest Chassu: fuck
Claude Djila: touma sur sur
Claude Djila: touma sur sur
260
Suzanne Essamba: Boub-lè
Well Nadine: Mbinda
Duval Tchouamo: concasé
Ruben’s Mouko Angelus: a bien voir personne ici ne know sa
Cousln Tosba: toumma ou nyass dc c sa
Rodrigue Eko: nakmbit
Yabin Deinou: Fouop
William Moyo: niass
Stephan Yona: tuer,faire mal,touma,appuier,etc…
Eric Michel Penka: le mot de l’heure c’est ‘’foendem’’
Abe Franco: Do le wé
Tristan Ebelle: ntouma, nyass, kombo,
Lamard Mj: Gar c gnass
Jacques Emile Tonye: fom
Gilles Tcheumgno Tchemgou: C touma ou fombo
Kedjea Monique: Touma ou mbinda
Jabea Cedric Landry: #Touma..#mbida…#nyass..#tapez l kona…#netoyé_le_

gezié ou le #caburateur
Berthold Sparrow: levé le conard
Rosny-cantien Mengue Mengue: c’mbida
Berthold Sparrow: fendre
261

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107

This book is a simple and clear presentation of the lexis of Camfranglais, an

Hector Kamdem Fonkoua · A Dictionary of Camfranglais

DUISBURGER ARBEITEN ZUR SPRACH-

Hector Kamdem Fonkoua is a Junior Fellow at the Bayreuth International Grad-

DUISBURG PAPERS ON RESEARCH

Herausgegeben von /edited by

Notes on the quality assurance and peer review of this publication

Prior to publication, the quality of the work published in this series

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kamdem, Hector Fonkoua, 1985-

Peter Lang Edition is an Imprint of Peter Lang GmbH.

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any

4 Lexical elaboration of Camfranglais.....................................................33

5 The poetic making of Camfranglais.....................................................49

6 The construction of youth identities in discourse practice.........65

7 Camfranglais in a historical perspective.............................................67

2 From https://www.facebook.com/groups/iciontopolecamfranglais. Accessed on April

Accordingly, for Kouega Camfranglais is a “language variant” (of French or

From all the definitions of Camfranglais discussed above, it is clear that

The link between Camfranglais and Popular French (“francais courant” as de

Map 1: Major Plantation Agriculture Zones in Littoral and Southwestern Cameroon

7 These middle-men go by the name “kokseur” or “corseur” in places such as Loum.

9 Lapiro de Mbanga’s songs can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

2.1 Field research

10 “C’est le ndem que tu veux voir? De l’insolite interrogation en camfranglais” to be

2.3 The Making of the Dictionary

2.4 Overview of the dictionary

Sociolinguistically speaking, Camfranglais is viewed as (1) a register and (2) a

3.1 Camfranglais as a youth language

Table 1: The social profile of speakers of Camfranglais

User group Predominantly adolescents

3.2 Knowledge, use and attitudes

Camfranglais lexical items can be grouped into different semantic domains. As

4.1 Humans and Social Relations

4.1.1 Socio-professional roles

4.1.3 Men and Women

4.1.4 Descriptions of Everyday Life Situations

4.3 Sex and Sexuality

4.4 Evaluation & Measurement

4.6 Economy and money

4.7 Experience and feeling

4.8 Violence, illegality and trouble

4.9 Sports & Entertainment

4.10 Forms of Address, politeness and Respect

4.12 Geography and places

4.13 Crime & police

4.14 Drugs and Alcohol

4.17 Diseases, Medicine & Witchcraft

As previously discussed, Camfranglais is essentially a phenomenon of l­exical

Table 3: Some unmodified borrowings in Camfranglais

Words Origin and original meaning Camfranglais meaning

However, it should be said that maintaining an unchanged, original form does

5.1 Metaphorical Source Domains in Camfranglais

5.2 Semantic manipulation in Camfranglais

• Cass, to be exhausted < From the French cassé, to be broken down.

The following other examples of onomastic synecdoche have been identified in

5.5.1 Semantic positivization

To round off the discussion of semantic manipulation in Camfranglais, the dif-

5.6 Morphological manipulation in Camfranglais

Map 1: Major Plantation Agriculture Zones in Littoral and Southwestern Cameroon

As previously discussed, Camfranglais is essentially a phenomenon of lexical

Other miscellaneous examples of dummy affixation include: métoch for métisse,