Le verbe en yambɛta : de la description a l’enseignement

Abstract

This study, entitled “The Verb in Yambɛta: From Description to Teaching”, focuses on the analysis of the verb in Yambɛta, a Bantu language (code 520) spoken in the Kon Yambetta sub-division, in the Mbam-et-Inoubou Division of the Centre Region of Cameroon. More than a mere descriptive analysis, the study pursues a dual objective: first, to elucidate the structure, classification, functioning, and inflectional relations of verbs within the system, based on a structuralism approach; second, to transpose the linguistic knowledge into teachable content, in light of the socio constructivist and competency-based approaches. The study is structured into six chapters. The first chapter presents the Yambɛta language and culture through its geographical location, etymology, people, way of life, structure, and writing system. The second chapter outlines the theoretical and methodological framework, exploring linguistic and pedagogical approaches, along with key grammatical and didactic concepts. Chapters three and four focus respectively on the analysis of infinitive forms, to identify the verb‘s isolated structures, and on the various forms it may take in actual usage. Chapter five, entitled "Didactic Transposition", marks the transition from academic knowledge to teachable content. Finally, chapter six proposes teaching and learning materials for the Yambɛta verb. Findings reveal that the Yambɛta infinitive is marked by the morphemes |ko-| or |ku-| and extended through suffixes such as |–Vn| (–an, –ɛn, –ɔn, etc.). Verbs may be high- or low-toned, monosyllabic, disyllabic, or, more rarely, trisyllabic. Yambɛta has five tenses that all conjugate in the indicative mood, while not all appear in the conditional, imperative, or subjunctive moods. The language distinguishes two aspectual categories: perfective and imperfective, the latter including habitual, iterative, and continuative aspects. Negation in Yambɛta is variable depending on tense and mood, though its root is |dɛ-|. Based on these findings, a pedagogical grammar was designed, relying on didactic considerations and the principles of didactic transposition. The grammar includes accessible lessons and rules for both native and non-native speakers. Structured in modules, the lessons move from texts to examples, from rules to exercises, in order to facilitate language acquisition. Beyond its status as an additional subject alongside official languages, Yambɛta could eventually serve as a language of instruction.