Cameroonian French

Cameroonian French (Français camerounais; language tag fr-CM) comprises French varieties used in Cameroon, especially in eight predominantly Francophone regions, not French in Equatorial Guinea. Cameroon’s Constitution gives French and English equal official status and requires bilingualism and promotion of national languages. French is learned as a second language and serves as a lingua franca, while increasingly becoming a city first language used in government, education, media, and commerce. Local vocabulary and meanings draw on Cameroonian languages, Cameroon Pidgin English, English, and internal innovations; pronunciation and grammar vary with region, education, first language, and setting, so there is no single Cameroonian accent. Formal writing follows international standard French, while informal urban speakers may use Camfranglais, a youth practice mixing resources from French, English, Pidgin, and national languages that is not identical with Cameroonian French as a whole.