“This Child Is This Small Only on His Age”

Abstract

This paper examines the emic concepts pertaining to age in Ngəmba, a language spoken in the Western Region of Cameroon. It explores both the terminological concepts available in the language for talking about age and their usage in everyday speech. Drawing upon video recordings of spontaneous interactions obtained through ethnographic and linguistic fieldwork conducted between 2015 and 2023 within this community, I analyse how age disparities and similarities are negotiated through social interactions. This includes examining advice speech events and interactional routines such as turn taking, bodily actions, and linguistic behaviours during greetings and receiving gifts. The paper underscores the role of verbal and non-verbal indicators of power and familiarity in establishing relationships. By uncovering the age dynamics and the sociocultural significance of age in social interactions, this study makes a substantial contribution to the broader discussions on age negotiation and intergenerational dynamics. Furthermore, it addresses a notable gap in the existing literature on age-related topics in Ngəmba, paving the way for further exploration of the interplay between traditional values and evolving social dynamics concerning age within the Ngəmba community and beyond.

Keywords

• age dynamics and social roles
• conceptualisation of age
• social interactions
• Ngəmba
• Western Cameroon