Benue–Congo languages

Benue–Congo
East Benue–Congo
Geographic
distribution
Africa, from Nigeria eastwards and southwards
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo?
Subdivisions
Glottologbenu1247
The Benue–Congo languages shown within the Niger–Congo language family. Non-Benue–Congo languages are greyscale.

Benue–Congo (sometimes called East Benue–Congo) is a major branch of the Volta-Congo languages which covers most of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Subdivisions

Central Nigerian (or Platoid) contains the Plateau, Jukunoid and Kainji families, and Bantoid–Cross combines the Bantoid and Cross River groups.

Bantoid is only a collective term for every subfamily of Bantoid–Cross except Cross River, and this is no longer seen as forming a valid branch, however one of the subfamilies, Southern Bantoid, is still considered valid. It is Southern Bantoid which contains the Bantu languages, which are spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. This makes Benue–Congo one of the largest subdivisions of the Niger–Congo language family, both in number of languages, of which Ethnologue counts 976 (2017), and in speakers, numbering perhaps 350 million. Benue–Congo also includes a few minor isolates in the Nigeria–Cameroon region, but their exact relationship is uncertain.

The neighbouring Volta–Niger branch of Nigeria and Benin is sometimes called "West Benue–Congo", but it does not form a united branch with Benue–Congo. When Benue–Congo was first proposed by Joseph Greenberg (1963), it included Volta–Niger (as West Benue–Congo); the boundary between Volta–Niger and Kwa has been repeatedly debated. Blench (2012) states that if Benue–Congo is taken to be "the noun-class languages east and north of the Niger", it is likely to be a valid group, though no demonstration of this has been made in print.

The Benue–Congo branches of Nigeria and Cameroon

The branches of the Benue–Congo family are thought to be as follows:

Ukaan is also related to Benue–Congo; Roger Blench suspects it might be either the most divergent (East) Benue–Congo language or the closest relative to Benue–Congo.

Fali of Baissa and Tita are also Benue–Congo but are otherwise unclassified.

The Benue-Congo homeland and dispersal of the sub-branches

Branches and locations (Nigeria)

Below is a list of major Benue–Congo branches and their primary locations (centres of diversity) within Nigeria based on Blench (2019).

Distributions of Benue–Congo branches in Nigeria
Branch Primary locations
Cross River Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States
Bendi Obudu and Ogoja LGAs, Cross River State
Mambiloid Sardauna LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon
Dakoid Mayo Belwa LGA, Taraba State and adjacent areas
Jukunoid Taraba State
Yukubenic Takum LGA, Taraba State
Kainji Kauru LGA, Kaduna State and Bassa LGA, Plateau State; Kainji Lake area
Plateau Plateau, Kaduna, and Nasarawa States
Tivoid Obudu LGA, Cross River State and Sardauna LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon
Beboid Takum LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon
Ekoid Ikom and Ogoja LGAs, Cross River State; Cameroon
Grassfields Sardauna LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon
Jarawan Bauchi, Plateau, Adamawa, and Taraba States

Comparative vocabulary

Sample basic vocabulary for reconstructed proto-languages of different Benue-Congo branches:

Branch Language eye ear nose tooth tongue mouth blood bone tree water eat name
Benue-Congo Proto-Benue-Congo *-lito *-tuŋi *-zua *-nini, *-nino; *-sana; *-gaŋgo *-lemi; *-lake *-zi; *-luŋ *-kupe *-titi; *-kwon *-izi; *-ni *-zina
Kainji Proto-Northern Jos **iji (lì-/à-) *toŋ (ù-/tì-) *nyimu (bì-/ì-) *ʔini (lì-/à-) *lelem (lì-/à-) *nua (ù-/tì-) *nyì(aw) (mà-) *ti (with reduplication) (ù-/tì-) *nyi (mà-) *lia *ji(a) (lì-/sì-)
Plateau Proto-Jukunoid *giP (ri-/a-) *tóŋ (ku-/a-) *wíǹ (ri-/a-) *baŋ (ku-/a-); *gyín (ri-/a-) *déma (ri-/a-) *ndut (u-/i-) *yíŋ (ma-) *kup (ku-/a-) *kun (ku-/i-) *mbyed *dyi *gyin (ri-/a-)
Plateau Proto-Kagoro *-gi *-two *nii[ŋ] *-dyam *-nu[ŋ] *-suok *-kup *-kwan *-sii
Plateau Proto-Jaba *gu-su *gu-to[ŋ] *-gi[ŋ] *ga-lem *ga-nyu *ba-zi *gu-kup
Plateau Proto-Beromic *-gis *-toŋ *-ɣiŋ *-lyam *-nu *nì-ji *-kup *-kon *-sii
Plateau Proto-Ninzic *ki-sị́ *ku-tóŋ *ki-Nyin / *-Nyir *ì-rem *-nuŋ / *-n[y]uŋ *ma-ɣì *kù-kụp *ù-kon *a-ma-sit
Cross Proto-Upper Cross *dyèná *-ttóŋ(ì) *dyòná *-ttân *-dák *-mà *-dè; *-yìŋ *-kúpà *-tté *-nì *dyá *-dínà
Cross Proto-Lower Cross *ɛ́-ɲɛ̀n / *a- *ú-tɔ́ŋ / *a- *í-búkó *é-dɛ̀t / *a- *ɛ́-lɛ́mɛ̀ / *a- *í-núà *-ɟìːp *ɔ́-kpɔ́ *é-tíé *ˊ-mɔ́ːŋ *líá *ɛ́-ɟɛ́n
Cross Proto-Ogoni *adɛ́ɛ̃ *ɔ̀tɔ́̃ *m̀ bĩɔ́̃ *àdáNa *àdídɛ́Nɛ́ *m̀ miNi, *m̀ muNu *ákpogó *èté m̀ mṹṹ *dè *àbée
Grassfields Proto-Grassfields *Ít` *túŋ-li *L(u)Í` *sòŋ´ *lím` *cùl` *lém`; *cÌ´ *gÚp; *kúi(n)´ *tí´ *LÍb; *kÌ´; *mò´ *lÍa *lÍn`; *kúm
Grassfields Proto-Ring *túɛ̀ *túndé *dúì, *tɔ́ŋ *túŋɔ̀, *góìk *dɔ́mì, *dídè *dúɔ̀ *dúŋá, *káŋù *gúpɛ́ *kák`, *tíɛ́ *múɔ̀ *dúɛ̀ *dítɔ́, *gíd'
Bantu Proto-Bantu *i=jíco *kʊ=tʊ́i *i=jʊ́lʊ *i=jíno; *i=gego *lʊ=lɪ́mi *ka=nʊa; *mʊ=lomo *ma=gilá; *=gil-a; *ma=gadí; *=gadí; *mʊ=lopa; *ma=ɲínga *i=kúpa *mʊ=tɪ́ *ma=jíjɪ; *i=diba (HH?) *=lɪ́ -a *i=jína
Bantu Swahili jicho sikio pua jino ulimi kinywa damu (Ar.) mfupa mti maji la jina

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-10-31 23:36 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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