Plateau languages

Group of Benue–Congo languages of central Nigeria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Plateau languages

The forty or so Plateau languages are a tentative group of Benue–Congo languages spoken by 15 million people on the Jos Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Nasarawa State and in adjacent areas in central Nigeria.[citation needed]

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...
Plateau
Platoid
Geographic
distribution
Plateau, Kaduna, and Nasarawa states, Nigeria
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo?
Language codes
Glottologbenu1248
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The Plateau languages shown within Nigeria
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Berom and Eggon have the most speakers. Most Plateau languages are threatened and have around 2,000-10,000 speakers.[1]

Defining features of the Plateau family have only been published in manuscript form (Blench 2008). Many of the languages have highly elaborate phonology systems that make comparison with poor data difficult.

Branches and locations

Below is a list of major Plateau branches and their primary locations (centres of diversity) based on Blench (2019).[2]

The Plateau languages are highly typologically and lexically diverse. For instance, Roger Blench (2022) notes that Beromic is more internally diverse than all of West Chadic A3.[3]

Classification

Summarize
Perspective

Little work has been done on the Plateau languages, and the results to date are tentative.

Blench (2018)

Blench (2018:112) gives the following classification of the Plateau languages.[4]

Blench (2008)

The following classification is taken from Blench (2008).[5] Most of the branches are discrete constituents, though Central is a residual grouping and there are doubts about some of the purported Ninzic languages. Plateau languages as a whole share a number of isoglosses, as do all branches apart from Tarokoid.

Glottolog adds the Yukubenic languages.[6] Blench, however, places Yukubenic in the Jukunoid family,[7] following Shimizu (1980).[8]

Gerhardt (1983)

Classification of Plateau languages by Gerhardt (1983),[9] based on Maddieson (1972):[10]

  • Plateau
    • Plateau 1a, 1b (Kainji languages)
    • Plateau 2
      • Yeskwa, Lungu, Koro
      • Kamanton, Kagoma, Jaba cluster, Nandu-Tari
      • Afuzare, Kaje, Iregwe
      • Kagoro, Ataka, Katab (including Kachicheri, Kafanchan), Marwa
      • Kadara, Kuturmi, Ikulu, Idong, Doka, Iku-Gora-Ankwa
    • Plateau 3
      • Migili (?, L. G.)
      • Birom (including Aboro, Afango)
      • Aten
    • Plateau 4
      • Ayu
      • Kwanka-Boi-Bijim-Shall-Zwall
      • Ninzam, Mada, Gwantu, Numana-Nunku, Nindem, Kaningkon, Kanufi
      • Rukuba
    • Plateau 5
      • Yashi
      • Eggon, Nungu, Ake, Jidda-Abu
    • Plateau 6
      • Pyam
      • Horom
    • Plateau 7
      • Tarok (= Yergam)
      • Bashar
      • Pai
    • Plateau 8
      • Mabo-Barkul
    • Plateau 9
      • Eloyi
    • Plateau 10
      • Turkwam, Arum-Chesu

Note: Plateau 1 languages, consisting of Plateau 1a and 1b, are now classified separately as Kainji languages.

Language list

List of Plateau languages given by Blench (2018):[4]

  • Plateau
    • Northwest
      • Eda
      • Edra
      • Acro
      • Obiro
      • Mwaghavul
      • Ẹjẹgha (Idon)
      • Doka
      • Ẹhwa (Iku-Gora-Ankwe)
    • Beromic
    • West-Central (area)
      • Izeric
        • Izere of Fobur
        • Icèn, Ganàng, Fəràn
      • Rigwe
      • Southern Zaria (now Southern Kaduna)
      • Tyapic
        • Jju
        • Tyap
        • Gworok
        • Takad (Attakar)
        • Tyecarak (Kacicere)
        • Sholyio
        • Fantswam (Kafancan)
        • Tyuku
      • Koro
        • Ashe
        • Tinɔr (Waci-Myamya)
        • Idũ, Gwara
        • Nyankpa-Barde
      • Hyamic
        • Shamang
        • Cori
        • Hyam
        • Zhire
        • Shang
      • Gyongic
        • Gyong (Kagoma)
        • Nɡhan (Kamanton)
    • Ninzic
      • Ninzo
      • Ce
      • Bu-Niŋkada
      • Mada
      • Numana-Nunku-Gwantu-Numbu
      • Ningye-Ninka
      • Anib
      • Ninkyob
      • Nindem
      • Nungu
      • Ayu
    • Ndunic
      • Ndun (Tari)
    • Alumic
      • Toro, Alumu-Təsu
      • Hasha
      • Sambe
    • Southern
      • Eggonic
        • Eggon
        • Ake
      • Jilic
        • Jili
        • Jijili
    • Southeastern (?)
      • Fyem
      • Horom
      • Bo-Rukul
    • Tarokoid
      • Tarok
      • Pe (Pai)
      • Kwang-Ya-Bijim-Legeri
      • Yaŋkam (Bashar)
      • Sur (Tapshin)
    • Eloyi

Nisam is a presumed Plateau language once spoken in Nince Village, Kaduna State, but its place within the Plateau branch cannot be ascertained due to the lack of linguistic data. In 2005, there was only one speaker of Nisam.[11]

Morphology

Proto-Plateau nominal prefixes:[4]

  • *ni- (corresponding to Bantu noun class 9 *n- for animals and inanimate objects)
  • *V- for person, *bV- for people
  • *N- prefixes, homorganic with the following consonant
  • *nV- ~ *mV- (both singular and plural), which mark liquids, mass nouns, and abstract nouns

Only some of the languages have nominal classes, as the Bantu languages have, where in others these have eroded. In many Plateau languages, many CV- prefixes have become fossilised, replaced by V- prefixes, or disappeared altogether.[4] The large numbers of consonants in many languages is due to the erosion of noun-class prefixes.

In Plateau languages, adjectives and possessive forms generally follow the noun.

Reconstructions

Some Proto-Plateau quasi-reconstructions proposed by Roger Blench (2008) are:

More information No., Gloss ...
No.GlossProto-Plateau
1.tree#ku-kon V-kon
2.leaf#(g)yaNa
4.dew#-myeŋe
12.wind#-gbulu
21.hunger#igbyoŋ
25.ear#ku-toŋ(ɔ)
26.mouth#ku-nyu
30.female breast#ambɛŋ
31.navel#i-kumbu
32.bone#-kupu
35.blood#-(n)ji
64.twelve/ten#isok-
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Numerals

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Perspective

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:[12]

More information Classification, Language ...
ClassificationLanguage12345678910
SouthLijililō̥àbē̥àtʃé̥ànàró̥àsó̥mìnzímútárúnó̥zàtʃé̥zàbè̥
BeromicAten (Iten)dáytàt / tʃàtnàːstàːrànìtànàràsdùːdʒàŋdùːbɔ̀
BeromicBerom (Birom)ɡwīnìŋ / (d)īnìŋ (Roots)-bā-tāt-nāːs-tūŋūn-tī̄ː mìn-tāːmà (5+ 2)-rwīːt (5+ 3)syāː-tāt (12- 3)syāː-tāt (12- 2)
Central, South-CentralIrigwe (Rigwe)ˀzrúˀʍʲèˀt͡sʲɛ̀ˀniˀt͡ɕʷòôrít͡sʲɛ́nat͡sʲɛ́klaǹvàkruvájáʃʷá
Central, South-CentralJju (Kaje)əyriŋəhwaətatənaaiəpfwɔnəkitat (2 x 3)ətiyriŋənaimbvwakəkumbvuyriŋswak
Central, South-CentralTyap (Kataf)əɲiuŋ/ ʒyiuŋəfeaŋ/ sweaŋətat/ t͡satənaai/ ɲaaiəfwuon/ t͡swuonətaaənatatəninai/ ərinaiəkubunyiuŋswak
NorthernIkulu (Kulu)íńjííńpààláíńtááíńnāāíńcūūíńcúnútɔ́ɔ̀pāāníǹnāā (2 x 4) ?tɔ́ɔ̀llāānùkɔ̄p
SoutheasternFyam (Pyem)kʲéŋportáárnaastóóntáárintámortʃíníttéresdukút
TarokoidTarok (Yergam)ùzɨ̀ŋùpàrɨ́mùʃáɗɨ́ŋùnèɗɨ́ŋùtúkúnùk͡pə́ɗɨ́ŋùfàŋʃátùnə̀nnèùfàŋzɨ́ŋtɨ́ŋùɡ͡bə́pei
Western, Northwestern, HyamicHyam (Jabba)ʒìnìfe̠ritaatnaaŋtwootwaani (5+ 1) ?twarfo (5+ 2) ?naaraŋ (2 x 4) ?mbwan kɔb (10 - 1)kɔ́b
Western, Northwestern, KoroYeskwa (Nyenkpa)ènyíènvàèntâtènnàèntyúòèncítònvàtóndáttyúôráókóp
Western, Southwestern, AMada (Madda)ɡyə̄rywātarnlyɛ̄tuntānnɛ̀ntāmɡ͡bātāndàtīyārɡùr
Western, Southwestern, ANinzojírtárnə̄(s)ʈʷítānìtāŋɡ͡bātāndàrtīr(s)wūr
Western, Southwestern, ARukuba (Che)ɡyín-hàk-tát-nàs-túŋtàiŋtaŋbáktaːrattaːrasuwùruk
Western, Southwestern, BEggon (1)ákiə́nàhàààtrááùɲíòtnóùfín (5+ 1)àfóhà (5+ 2)àfóté (5+ 3)àfúúɲí (5+ 4)ókpo
Western, Southwestern, BEggon (2)òríɔ̀hàɔ̀cáòɲìɔ̀tnɔ̂ə̀fĩ́ (5+ 1)ɔ̀fɔ́hà (5+ 2)ɔ̀fɔ́tɛ́ (5+ 3)ɔ̀fɔ̂ɲí (5+ 4)ɔ̀kbɔ́
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