Native speakers 130,000 (1993) | ||
Language family Niger–CongoAtlantic–CongoBenue–CongoMambiloidMambila–KonjaMambila–VuteMambila ISO 639-3 Either:mzk – Nigerian Mambilamcu – Camerounian Mambila | ||
Mambila is a Bantoid dialect chain stretching across Nigeria and Cameroon. Notable dialects are Barup, Bang, Dorofi, Gembu, Hainari, Kabri, Mayo Ndaga, Mbamnga, Tamien, Warwar (in Nigeria); Sunu Torbi (Torbi), Ju Naare (Gembu), and in Cameroun, Ju Ba and Langa. It goes by numerous names, which, besides the dialectical names, include Bea, Ble, Juli, Lagubi, Nor, Nor Tagbo, Tongbo, and the spellings Mabila, Mambere, Mambilla.
Tep is generally considered a dialect by those in Tep and by speakers of other varieties of Mambila, but though Tep speakers are ethnically Mambila, their speech is not intelligible to other varieties. In terms of linguistic classification it may be more accurate to call it a different Mambiloid language. See Connell references below.
Blacksmiths among the Mambila once spoke Somyev, a related Mambiloid language, though this is nearly extinct.