Noni
RegionCameroon
Date2005–2008
Refe18
FamilycolorNiger-Congo
Fam 2Atlantic–Congo
Fam 3Benue–Congo
Fam 4Southern Bantoid
Fam 5Eastern Beboid
Fam 6Noni
Dia 2Ncane
Dia 3Mungong
Dia 1Noone
Lc 2ncr
Ld 2Ncane
Lc 1nhu
Ld 1Noone
ScriptLatin
Glottonoon1243
GlottonameNoone
Glotto 2ncan1245
Glottoname 2Ncane-Mungong
Glottorefname 2Ncane-Mungong

The Noni language, also called Noone, is an Eastern Beboid language of the Niger–Congo family in Cameroon. The Noone, Ncane, and Mungong varieties are sometimes considered three distinct Noni languages. Ethnologue reports that Ncare is 88% lexically similar with Noone, and 84% with Saari (Nsari).

Noni is the native language to 40,000 people in the country, particularly in the North West Province, the Bui Division and the northwest Kumbo Subdivision. Noone proper was used as the secret language in Indiana Jones.[citation needed]

Relevant literature

  • Boutwell, Richard. 2020. A grammar of Nchane: A Bantoid (Beboid) language of Cameroon. University of Leiden: PhD dissertation.
  • Hyman, Larry M. 1980. Noni (Misaje group). L’expansion bantou. Paris: SELAF (no. special 9), 259–274.
  • Hyman, Larry M. 1981. Noni grammatical structure, with special reference to verb morphology. Southern California: Occasional Papers in Linguistics 9. Los Angeles: University of Southern California.
  • Lux, David 2003. Noni provisional lexicon. ms. Yaoundé: SIL
  • Richards, Russell M. 1991. Phonologie de trois langues beboides du Cameroun: Noone, Ncanti et Sari. Thèse pour le doctorat (Arrête du 23 Novembre 1988), Livres I. et II. Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III.