Dialects BuluBene Glottolog bulu1251 | Native speakers 860,000 (2007) ISO 639-3 bum | |
Language family Niger–CongoAtlantic–CongoBenue–CongoSouthern BantoidBantu (Zone A)BetiBulu | ||
Bulu is the language of the Bulu people of Cameroon. The language had 174,000 native speakers in 1982, with some 800,000 second language speakers in 1991. Colonial and missionary groups formerly used Bulu as a lingua franca in the region for commercial, educational, and religious purposes, though it is today becoming less frequent in those spheres. Dialects include Bene, Yelinda, Yembana, Yengono, and Zaman.
Bulu speakers are concentrated primarily in Cameroon's South Province, with the largest number at Ebolowa and Sangmélima. Some speakers live in the Nyong-et-Mfoumou division of the Centre and the Haut-Nyong division of the East.
Bulu is a Bantu language. It is a dialect of the Beti language and is intelligible with Eton, Ewondo, and Fang.