Plateau languages

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The plateau languages form a subgroup of the platoid languages , a branch of the Benue-Congo languages , which in turn belong to the Niger-Congo .

The approximately 40 plateau languages ​​are spoken by around two million people in north-west and central Nigeria . Their distribution center is the central Nigerian Jos Plateau , after which they are named. The plateau languages ​​consist of four genetic units which are geographically divided into northwest, central, southeast and south plateau languages. The most important languages ​​are Berom (300,000), Kaje (300,000 speakers), Kwanka (220,000), Eggon (150,000), Katab ( 130,000 ), Jaba (100,000) and Mada (100,000) Thousand).

Position of the plateau languages ​​within the Niger-Congo

  • Niger-Congo
    • Volta Congo
      • South Volta Congo
        • Benue Congo
          • East Benue Congo
            • Platoid
              • Kainji
              • Northwest plateau
              • Central plateau
              • Southeast plateau
              • South plateau
              • Tarocoid
              • Jukunoid

Internal classification

  • Northwest plateau
    • North: Ikulu (50 thousand), Kadara (40 thousand), Doka, Iku-Gora, Kuturmi
    • west
      • northwest
        • Jaba: Jaba (100 thousand), Kamantan (10 thousand), Kagoma, Cori , Shamang, Zhire
        • Koro: Begbere-Ejar-Ashe (35 thousand), Idun, (10 thousand), Yeskwa (15 thousand)
      • southwest
        • Kwanka-Mada: Kwanka (220 thousand), Mada (100 thousand), Kuche (50 thousand), Ninzam (35 thousand),
          Numana-Nunku-Gwantu-Numbu (15 thousand), Kanufi, Kaningdon-Nindem , Bu (6,000), Ningye (4,000), Shall-Zwall
        • Eggon: Eggon (150 thousand), Nungu (50 thousand), Hasha (3 thousand), Ake (2 thousand)
  • Central plateau
    • North: Aten (40 thousand), Cara (3 thousand)
    • South: Kaje (300 thousand), Katab (130 thousand), Irigwe (40 thousand), Izere (Afusare) (50 thousand), Firan (1.5 thousand)
    • West: Nandu-Tari (4 thousand)
  • Southeast plateau : Fyam (12 thousand), Horom (1.5 thousand), Bo-Rukul (2 thousand)
  • South Plateau : Berom (300 thousand), Lijili (50 thousand), Tanjijili (8 thousand)

See also

literature

  • Bernd Heine , Derek Nurse (Ed.): African Languages. An Introduction. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 2000, ISBN 0-521-66178-1 . Inside: Kay Williamson and Roger Blench: Niger-Congo.
  • John Bendor-Samuel (Ed.): The Niger-Congo Languages. A Classification and Description of Africa's Largest Language Family. University Press of America, Lanham MD et al. 1989, ISBN 0-8191-7375-4 . In it: Ludwig Gerhardt: Kainji and Platoid.

Web links