Native speakers 2,000 (1996) | ||
Region South West(s) within the above country(s) Ethnicity Ndir defined by the language Language family Niger–CongoAtlantic–CongoVolta-CongoBenue-CongoBantoidSouthern BantoidTivoidCentral Tivoid ATiv-EvandTiv-Iyive-OtangaIyive | ||
Iyive is a Bantoid language also referred to as Uive, Yiive, Ndir, Asumbo. This severely endangered language is spoken in Nigeria and Cameroon. The ethnic group defined by use of this language is the Ndir.
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General information
Iyive is an indigenous Tivoid language of the Cameroons close to Tiv proper. It is spoken in the South West region in the Manyu division, northeast of Akwaya town on Nigeria Border, Yive village. Although they live in Cameroon, the majority of Iyive’s linguistic population has been forced to relocate to Nigeria due to conflict.
Official status
The Bantu language Iyive is severely endangered and has been classified as moribund as the language is only spoken by the older generation of Ndir and not passed down to younger generations. Iyive is not supported by any government bodies or institutions.
Writing system
Iyive is written using Latin script.