What's In a Language Name?  

A Language and the people group that speaks it do not always have the same name. The French people speak the French language, but citizens of the USA call themselves Americans and most call English their mother tongue. The ethnic group in Cameroon that speaks the Ngomba (pron. ung-GOHM-bah) language call themselves the Ndaa (pron. nn-DAHH) people. (Pronunciation TIP: hold on to the “n” like you do the “m” in a phrase like “Mm, that smells good!” ).

The name “Ngomba” for the language comes from a phrase in it that means ‘I said even…’. It is what an Ngomba speaker usually says to get his listener’s attention in a conversation, so you hear it a lot. Many of the official language names in Cameroon have a similar meaning and function.

Now the word “ndaa” in Ngomba seems to mean ‘gentle’ or ‘easy’.  This word is often heard as an expression of encouragement or concern, meaning ‘take it easy!’. You might hear someone say it to a person who is working hard in his/her field or carrying a heavy load on his/her head.