Doyayo language


Doyayo is a language of the Duru branch of Adamawa languages spoken in Cameroon.
Doyayo is spoken by the Dowayo ethnic group.

Names

According to ALCAM, Doayo, which has 18,000 speakers, is the main language of the northern part of Poli commune.
Taara is spoken in the mountains west of Poli, and Marka in the plains further northwest in Tcheboa commune, Bénoué department.
The term Namchi, which means "crushed ones" or "those who crush " in Fulfulde, is a cover term that refers not only to the Doayo, but also its neighbors Duupa and Dugun.
Joseph Greenberg's "Sewe" is in fact a variety of the Doayo language documented by Griaule. The name comes from the informant's village, Sewe.

Dialects

Doyayo dialects are:
  • Markɛ
  • Tɛ̰ɛ̰rɛ of Poli
  • Southern Tɛ̰ɛ̰rɛ
  • Sewe
Blench considers the Sewe dialect to be a separate language, no more closely related to Dowayo than to Koma and Vere.