Plateau languages
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
- Platoid
- East Benue Congo
- Benue Congo
- South Volta Congo
-
Volta Congo
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
- northwest
- Central plateau
- 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.