The Kainji Languages of Northwestern and Central Nigeria (original) (raw)

The East Kainji languages of Central Nigeria

Afrika und Ubersee, 2021

The paper is an overview of current scholarship on the East Kainji language group of Central Nigeria. It reviews the existing published and manuscript sources and describes recent research, as well as the development of orthographies for some languages. Many East Kainji languages are severely threatened and some have gone extinct with the period under review. The paper presents an internal classification and briefly discusses the external relationships of these languages. On the basis of existing data, a review of the basic phonology and noun class prefix systems is given.

Gyem: an endangered east Kainji language of Northern Nigeria

The paper analyses preliminary data on the Gyem language, an endangered East Kainji language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Although thought to be threatened, as it has only a small number of speakers, it is still spoken and transmitted to children. The data consists of a wordlist of some 350 items, and the phonology which can be deduced from the transcribed list. Some differences emerge from the much shorter list presented in collected by Shimizu in the mid-1970s. Gyem has a rich noun morphology, but not much of it is not inherited from a putative proto-East Kainji, as it has undergone considerable renewal of the affixes which have produced incipient semi-vowel alternations. There are many uncertainties and Gyem represents a suitable opportunity for more detailed research.

AN ATLAS OF NIGERIAN LANGUAGES

2019

A listing and introduction to the languages of Nigeria. 2019 edition of a document first published in 1976 as 'An Index of Nigerian Languages'

Zora: a highly endangered East Kainji language of Northern Nigeria

This paper analyses preliminary data on the Zora language, an endangered East Kainji language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. Zora is moribund, only spoken by a small number of old men, and many lexical items no forgotten. The data consists of a wordlist of some 300 items, and the phonology which can be deduced from the transcribed list. Some differences emerge from the much shorter list presented in collected by Shimizu in the mid-1970s. There are many uncertainties and Zora represents an opportunity to recover more data before it finally is forgotten.

The Kwaŋ language of Central Nigeria and its affinities

2021

This is an introduction and annotated wordlist of the Kwaŋ language, spoken in Jan[n]eret village in Plateau State, Nigeria. Kwaŋ is a Plateau language, part of the Bijim-Yaa cluster and ultimately part of Tarokoid. Kwaŋ has a reduced nominal prefix system marking number in nouns, as well as fossil suffixes on verbs indicative of an extension system. The annotated wordlist in the final section includes comparisons with a wide range of Plateau languages.

An introduction to Mәgang, a South Bauchi language of Central Nigeria

2021

This paper presents basic data on the Məgang (=Bolu, Pelu) language spoken northwest of Bauchi town in some eight villages. Previously the language was known only from a short wordlist. Məgang is closely related to Gyaazi, part of West South Bauchi. It has a reduced consonant inventory compared with some neighbouring South Bauchi languages, the usual six vowels with length contrast, and three tone heights. A brief section compares the lexicon of Məgang with related languages.

Introduction to a preliminary dictionary of the Fɨran language of Central Nigeria

2024

This is the introduction to a preliminary dictionary of the Fɨran language [fir], posted separately, which is spoken in Kwakwi and surrounding hamlets in Ganawuri District, Riyom LGA, Plateau State, in central Nigeria. Fɨran is an Izeric language, one of the subgroups of Plateau and ultimately of Benue-Congo. Fɨran is a noun class language with alternating prefixes marking number. The system of alternations is described briefly.

AN INTRODUCTION TO JAKU [jku], A BARELY DOCUMENTED JARAWAN BANTU LANGUAGE OF CENTRAL NIGERIA

2024

This is an introduction to the Labɨr [jku] or Jaku language, spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Jaku is almost completely undocumented, with only short wordlists in the literature. Jaku is a Jarawan Bantu language, part of the branch of Bantu which migrated north and west. The paper presents a basic phonology, a brief grammar sketch. It includes recommendations for orthography. It should be used together with a lexicon of Jaku, presented separately.

A grammar and lexicon of Kam (àŋwɔ̀m), a Niger-Congo language of central eastern Nigeria

2020

Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales École doctorale n°265 Langues, littératures et sociétés du monde LLACAN UMR8135 THÈSE présentée par Jakob LESAGE soutenue le 25 juin 2020 pour obtenir le grade de Docteur de l'INALCO en Sciences du langage : linguistique et didactique des langues A grammar and lexicon of Kam (àŋwɔm), a Niger-Congo language of central eastern Nigeria

Nominal affixing in the Kainji languages of north-western and central Nigeria

Paper prepared for a volume edited by John Watters on Benue-Congo nominal affixes, 2015

The Kainji languages of northwest and central Nigeria remain little-researched and sparsely described. Their nominal morphology strongly resembles Bantu typologically, but finding segmental cognates remains problematic. They show systems of alternating prefixes and alliterative concord, as well as diminutive and augmentative prefixes and CV- prefixes with underspecified vowels, where the -V of the prefix harmonises with the stem vowel. The limited segmental cognates point to radical restructuring through affix loss and renewal. Indeed one language, Shen, has lost all nominal morphology and it is severely reduced in some branches. Reshe is typologically similar to other Kainji languages, but the affixes seem to have been completely restructured. The paper gives and overview of the literature on Kainji and then describes the nominal affixing in individual branches. It concludes by suggesting what assumptions can be made about Kainji as a whole, with a focus on the nasal prefixes (or their absence).