Cameroon

This dissertation describes the noun classes and the structure of the noun phrase in the Wushi language. It especially examines if and how agreement of the different modifiers with the noun class of a noun is marked. The modifiers which are discussed are demonstratives, adjectives, quantifiers, possessives and associative constructions. Special features of the Wushi language are that it has mainly noun class suffixes and that certain noun classes have A- and B-forms. The analysis is based on data gathered during a participatory workshop, eight texts from two informants, and additional data provided by different individual Wushi speakers. The theoretical framework used is Basic Linguistic Theory. The Wushi language is spoken in the Babessi village which is located on the eastern end of the Ndop Plain in the North West Region of Cameroon. The language has about 25,000 speakers. This paper aims to contribute to the documentation and the development of the Wushi language so that the rich heritage can be preserved and expanded through literacy.