Pius Wuchu Akumbu

Pius Wuchu Akumbu is a Director of Research (DR2) in African Linguistics at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), working at the LLACAN laboratory (UMR 8135), which focuses on Language, Languages and Cultures of Africa. He previously held academic positions at the University of Bamenda (2017-2018), University of Buea (2008-2017), and has been a Visiting Scholar at several institutions including the University of Missouri (2021), University of Hamburg (2019-2021), University of California, Berkeley (2015-2016), and Kyoto University (2013).

He earned his PhD in General Linguistics from the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon in 2007, following a DEA (2001), Masters (1999), and BA (1997) in Linguistics from the same institution. He also holds a Diploma for Secondary School English Teaching (DIPES II) from the Higher Teacher Training College at the University of Yaoundé 1 (2000).

Akumbu's research focuses on Grassfields languages of Cameroon, with particular expertise in language documentation, comparative and diachronic linguistics, rural multilingualism, and language policy and planning. His work emphasizes community-based approaches to language documentation, particularly for endangered African languages. He has conducted extensive fieldwork on Babanki (Kejom), Bum, and other Grassfields languages, examining their phonological, morphological, and syntactic structures within their sociolinguistic contexts.

His recent publications reveal a strong focus on documenting and analyzing the grammatical structures of Grassfields languages, particularly Babanki, with growing attention to broader issues of language revitalization, decolonization of linguistics, and the role of indigenous languages in education and public health. His work spans theoretical linguistics, language documentation, sociolinguistics, and applied linguistics, demonstrating both depth in specific language analysis and breadth across linguistic subfields.

• Georg Forster Research Fellowship from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2019-2021)
• Fulbright Visiting Scholar (2015-2016)
• DAAD Researcher (2011)
• Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) Major Documentation Project grant (2024-2027)
• LABEX-EFL grant for Bantoid languages conference (2024)

Akumbu has successfully supervised three PhD students to completion and currently advises one doctoral candidate. He has secured numerous research grants from prestigious organizations including the German Research Foundation (DFG), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Fulbright Program, and multiple endangered languages funding bodies. His organizational leadership is evident in directing major conferences including the First and Second Conferences on Bantoid Languages and Linguistics, and the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL47).

He leads the LLACAN laboratory's efforts in African language documentation and serves on multiple national and international committees including the CNRS National Committee (2024-2025), UNESCO's Expert Committee for the World Atlas of Languages (2024-2025), and the Scientific and Strategic Council of UMIFRE (2024-2028). His work bridges academic research with community language revitalization efforts, particularly through his involvement with the Endangered Languages Project.