Edo language (original) (raw)

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Edoid language spoken in Nigeria

Not to be confused with Ido.

Edo
Bini
Ẹ̀dó
Native to Nigeria
Region Edo State
Ethnicity Edo
Native speakers 2 million (2020)[1]
Language family Niger–Congo? Atlantic–CongoVolta-CongoVolta–NigerAkpes-EdoidEdoidNorth-CentralEdo–Esan–OraEdo
Writing system Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-2 bin
ISO 639-3 bin
Glottolog bini1246
Location of Edo speakers in Nigeria.

Edo (Ẹ̀dó [ɛ̀.dó]; ,[2] locally: /ˈedo/),[3] also known as Bini, is the language spoken by the Edo people in Edo State, Nigeria. It was the primary language of the Benin Empire and its predecessor, Igodomigodo. It is the majority language spoken in Edo State, particularly in Benin City, and the surrounding local governments and senatorial districts in the Southern parts of the State.

Most of the Edo language-speakers live in the Southern parts of Edo State, Nigeria. The current state: Edo State derives its name from the Edo speaking people of the state. A smaller number of Edo speakers are also found in Delta State and Ondo State and in other parts of Nigeria.

Edo is an Edoid language. These languages are also spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

There are seven vowels, /i e ɛ a ɔ o u/, all of which but /e o/ can also occur nasalised.[4][5] Additionally, all vowels are phonetically nasalised in the immediate vicinity of a nasal consonant or vowel.[6]

| | Front | Central | Back | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | oral | nasal | | | Close | i | ĩ | | | u | ũ | | Close-mid | e | | | | o | | | Open-mid | ɛ | ɛ̃ | | | ɔ | ɔ̃ | | Open | | | a | ã | | |

Edo has a rather average consonant inventory for an Edoid language. It maintains only a single phonemic nasal, /m/, but has 13 oral consonants, /r, l, ʋ, j, w/ and the 8 stops, which have nasal allophones such as [n, ɲ, ŋʷ], and nasalized allophones [ʋ̃, j̃, w̃] before nasal vowels.[7][8]

| | Labial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labio-velar | Glottal | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Nasal | m | | | | | | | | Plosive | p b[pm bm] | | t d[tn dn] | | k ɡ[kŋ ɡŋ] | k͡p ɡ͡b[k͡pŋ͡m ɡ͡bŋ͡m] | | | Fricative | | f v | s z | | x ɣ | | ɦ | | Trill | | | r | | | | | | Close approximant | | | ɹ̝̊ ɹ̝ | | | | | | Open approximant | | ʋ[ʋ̃] | l[n] | j[ɲ] [j̃] | | w[ŋʷ] [w̃] | |

The three rhotics have been described as voiced and voiceless trills as well as a lax English-type approximant. However, Ladefoged & Maddieson (1996) found all three to be approximants – with the voiced–voiceless pair being raised (albeit with very little frication) and perhaps at a slightly different place of articulation compared to the third – and none as trills.[9]

There are three tones.

Syllable structure is simple, being maximally CVV, where VV is either a long vowel or /i, u/ plus a different oral or nasal vowel.

The Edo alphabet has separate letters for the nasalised allophones of /ʋ/ and /l/, mw and n:

A B D E Ẹ F G Gb Gh H I K Kh Kp L M Mw N O Ọ P R Rh Rr S T U V Vb W Y Z
/a/ /b/ /d/ /e/ /ɛ/ /f/ /ɡ/ /⁠ɓˠ⁠/ /ɣ/ /ɦ/ /i/ /k/ /x/ /kp/ /l/ /m/ [ʋ̃] [n] /o/ /ɔ/ /p/ /r/ /ɹ̝̊/ /ɹ̝/ /s/ /t/ /u/ /v/ /ʋ/ /w/ /j/ /z/

Long vowels are written by doubling the letter. Nasal vowels may be written with a final -n or with an initial nasal consonant. Tone may be written with acute accent, grave accent, and unmarked, or with a final -h (-nh with a nasal vowel).

  1. ^ Edo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student's Handbook, Edinburgh
  3. ^ "Edo". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 September 2024. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. ^ Emovon 1979, pp. 46–47.
  5. ^ Adénéyì 2007, p. 6.
  6. ^ Emovon 1979, p. 46.
  7. ^ Emovon 1979, pp. 87–95.
  8. ^ Evbuomwan 2025, p. 2.
  9. ^ Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. p. 241. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.

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