Dr. Nyindem Nancy Sirih-Nagang and Dr. Eric Anchimbe on linguistic dynamics during the ongoing crisis in Cameroon

Abstract

Abstract: In this episode of the Cluster Conversations, fellow Dr. Nyindem Nancy Sirih-Nagang talks with her host Dr. Eric Anchimbe about her research on the linguistic dynamics in the ongoing violent crisis in Cameroon. It exposes the creation of new lexemes and describes the linguistics and non-linguistic techniques employed in communicating through the labelling of concepts, individuals, or situations by the ruling government and the secessionist fighters or activists of the two Anglophone regions in Cameroon.

People & roles

Guest(s): Sirih-Nagang, Nyindem Nancy; Anchimbe, Eric

Origins & context

Title: Dr. Nyindem Nancy Sirih-Nagang and Dr. Eric Anchimbe on linguistic dynamics during the ongoing crisis in Cameroon
Language: English
Podcast series: Cluster Conversations
Date: August 23, 2025

Rights & access

Extent: 39 minutes, 45 seconds

Identifiers & sources

has URL: https://www.africamultiple.uni-bayreuth.de/en/1_4-Public-engagement_-engagement1/Podcasts/ClusterConversations/Episode-26/index.html

Further details

Episode number: 26

Full text

[music] Speaker 1: Cluster Conversations, a podcast by Africa Multiple. [sound effect] Speaker 1: Hello everyone, welcome yet to another episode of uh Cluster Conversations. Um this is part of the podcast of the Africa Multiple cluster of excellence here at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. I am Eric Anchiimbe, I'm a linguist in the English department, a member of the Institute of African Studies here at the University of Bayreuth and also a principal investigator with the cluster of excellence that's Africa Multiple. Today I would be in conversation with Doctor Nancy Sirinangang Nyindem from the University of Bamenda, Cameroon, who I have had the pleasure to host here at the University of Bayreuth as part of the cluster academy fellowship program. Nancy, welcome to Bayreuth once again and thanks for making time um for this conversation. Speaker 2: Thank you very much Prof. Chimbé. Speaker 1: Good. Now before we go into more serious issues maybe first of all I introduce who Doctor Nyindem is. Um Nancy holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Buea, Cameroon. Um her previous work was on language description and documentation of endangered languages or unwritten Cameroonian languages. Um from two thousand and six to two thousand and eight she worked on the description of Bantu languages or Bantu Cameroonian languages like um Isu and Wovea. And in two thousand and ten, in the context of her PhD thesis, um she documented folk knowledge of plants and animals in two endangered Coastal Bantu languages of Cameroon, the same languages I just mentioned, Isu and Wovea. And I say get it, it was quite an interesting experience, right? Speaker 2: Very. Speaker 1: Uh and this um research was part of the Documentation of Endangered Languages programme called DOBES which is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation. As part of that project, Nancy was also the principal investigation for the language documentation project on the Isu language. Um um for this and… Read the full text about 5,634 words