Eggon
| Eggon | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Spoken in |
Nigeria ( Nassarawa , Kaduna , Benue and Abuja ) | |
| speaker | 140,000 (1990) | |
| Linguistic classification |
Niger Congo |
|
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-3 |
ego |
|
Eggon (also Egon , Ero , Mo Egon , Mada or Mada Eggon ) is a platoid language spoken in Nigeria .
The language is spoken by 140,000 people in Nassarawa state , central Nigeria, in the Local Government Areas of Akwanga , Lafia, and Nassarawa-Eggon .
The exact number of Eggon speakers was estimated to be a little less than 200,000 in 1985. In the 1920s, a total of 41,276 residents of the British colony Nigeria spoke Eggon. In 1971, 52,000 people spoke the Eggon.
Eggon is divided between 25 mutually understandable dialects and a twenty-sixth idiom Madantara , which is not understandable without special learning (similar to between the West German or Austrian dialects and Swiss German ). The Kagbu is the main dialect. The language 'Madantara' is spoken by a group of Eggon east of Nassarawa-Eggon and is sufficiently different from the other dialects that it forms its own language.
The earliest written material in Eggon dates back to 1937. The dialect chosen for the Bible translation is based on the Wana dialect, although it is supplemented by forms of other dialects and in a kind of artificial Eggon which is not based on the spoken language based on a specific group. A hymn book, reader, and primer were prepared, and the translation of the New Testament was completed in 1974. The spelling from 1974 onwards is slightly different from previous publications.
Eggon was used in churches for a long time, but recently only in the more isolated regions, as it is being replaced more and more by the Hausa language and, above all, by the official language English in all facilities along the traffic areas. There is a small movement that wants to revive the Eggon language. Evidence of this is the recent publication of new material in Eggon: a book on history and customs and a women's magazine designed to be published regularly.
One problem with this is that there is no established writing system and such publications are not as easy to read as it may seem at first glance. Still, it is possible that Eggon may aspire to become an important language for literary development. The Eggon is one of the plateau languages .
literature
- CG Ames: Gazetteer of The Plateau Province (Nigeria). Jos Native Administration, Jos, Nigeria 1934, OCLC 2538618 . (Reprint: 1972)
- L. Gerhardt: The classification of Eggon: Plateau or Benue group? In: JWAL. 13, 1983, pp. 37-50.
- T. Ludzi: The syntax of Eggon. BA Essay, Department of English, University of Jos, 1981.
- I. Maddieson: The Benue-Congo languages of Nigeria. Mimeo, Ibadan 1972.
- I. Maddieson: Verb-nominal contraction in Eggon. Mimeo, Ibadan.
- I. Maddieson: The Noun-class system of Eggon. Mimeo, Ibadan.
- I. Maddieson: Unusual consonant cluster and complex segments in Eggon. Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement 8, 1982, pp. 89-92.
- L. Sibomana: A phonological and grammatical outline of Eggon. In: Africa and overseas. 68, 1985, pp. 43-68.
- WE Welmers: Checklist of African Language and Dialect Names. In: CTL7. 1971, pp. 759-900. Ed. TA Sebeok. Mouton,