Eastern Sudanic languages

In most classifications, the Eastern Sudanic languages are a group of nine families of languages that may constitute a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Eastern Sudanic languages are spoken from southern Egypt to northern Tanzania.

Eastern Sudanic
(disputed)
Geographic
distribution
Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Congo (DRC)
Linguistic classificationNilo-Saharan?
  • Eastern Sudanic
Subdivisions
ISO 639-5sdv
GlottologNone
Eastern Sudanic languages:
* Group k (orange)
* Group n (yellow)

Nubian (and possibly Meroitic) gives Eastern Sudanic some of the earliest written attestations of African languages. However, the largest branch by far is Nilotic, spread by extensive and comparatively recent conquests throughout East Africa. Before the spread of Nilotic, Eastern Sudanic was centered in present-day Sudan. The name "East Sudanic" refers to the eastern part of the region of Sudan where the country of Sudan is located, and contrasts with Central Sudanic and Western Sudanic (modern Mande, in the Niger–Congo family).

Lionel Bender (1980) proposes several Eastern Sudanic isoglosses (defining words), such as *kutuk "mouth", *(ko)TVS-(Vg) "three", and *ku-lug-ut or *kVl(t) "fish".

In older classifications, such as that of Meinhof (1911), the term was used for the eastern Sudanic languages, largely equivalent to modern Nilo-Saharan sans Nilotic, which is the largest constituent of modern Eastern Sudanic.

Güldemann (2018) considers East Sudanic to be undemonstrated at the current state of research. He only accepts the evidence for a connection between the Nilotic and Surmic languages as "robust", while he states that Rilly's evidence (see below) for the northern group comprising Nubian, Nara, Nyima, Taman and Meroitic "certainly look[s] promising".[1] Glottolog (2023) does not accept even a Surmic–Nilotic relationship.

Internal classification

There are several different classifications of East Sudanic languages.

Bender (2000)

Lionel Bender assigns the languages into two branches, depending on whether the 1sg pronoun ("I") has a /k/ or an /n/:

Eastern 
Sudanic 
Northern
 (k languages) 

Nubian

Nara

Nyima

Taman

Southern
 (n languages) 

Surmic

Eastern Jebel

Temein (Nuba Hills)

Daju

Nilotic

Rilly (2009)

Claude Rilly (2009:2)[2] provides the following internal structure for the Eastern Sudanic languages.

Eastern 
Sudanic 
Northern 
Eastern Sudanic

Nyima

Taman

Nara

Meroitic

Nubian

Nilotic

Surmic

Jebel

Temein

Daju

Starostin (2015)

Starostin, using lexicostatistics, finds strong support for Bender's Northern branch, but none for the Southern branch.[3] Eastern Sudanic as a whole is rated a probable working model, pending proper comparative work, while the relationship between Nubian, Tama, and Nara is beyond reasonable doubt.

Eastern 
Sudanic 
NNT

Nubian

Nara

Taman

? Nyima

? Surmic

? Jebel

? Temein

? Daju

? Nilotic

Nyima is not part of the northern group, though it appears to be closest to it. (For one thing, its pronouns align well with the northern (Astaboran) branches.) Surmic, Nilotic, and Temein share a number of similarities, including in their pronouns, but not enough to warrant classifying them together in opposition to Astaboran without proper comparative work. Jebel and Daju also share many similarities with Surma and Nilotic, though their pronominal systems are closer to Astaboran.

Inclusion of Kuliak and Berta is not supported. Similarities with Kuliak may be due to both being Nilo-Saharan families, whereas Berta and Jebel form a sprachbund.

A similar classification was given in Starostin (2014):[4]

  • Tama-Nara-Nubian branch
  • Surmic branch
    • Northern Surmic (= Majang)
    • Southern Surmic
      • Southwest Surmic
      • Southeast Surmic
  • Nilotic branch
    • Northern Nilotic
      • Western Nilotic
      • Eastern Nilotic
    • Southern Nilotic
  • Daju
  • Nyimang
  • Temein
  • Jebel

Blench (2019, 2021)

Roger Blench (2019)[5]:18 and (2021),[6] like Starostin, only finds support for Bender's Northern branch. Blench proposes the following internal structure, supported by morphological evidence.

East 
Sudanic 

Nilotic

Surmic

Eastern Jebel

Daju

Temein

Northeast Sudanic 

Nubian

Nara

Taman

Ama

Dimmendaal & Jakobi (< 2020)

Dimmendaal & Jakobi (2020:394),[7] published in 2020 but written some times earlier, retains Bender's Southern branch; they also accept Berta:

Eastern 
Sudanic 
Northern

Taman

Meroitic

Nubian

Nara

Nyima

Southern

Berta

Jebel

Daju

Temeinian

Surmic

Nilotic

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages (excluding Nilotic and Surmic languages):[8]

ClassificationLanguage12345678910
NaraNara (Nera)dōkkūūàriɡáàsāānáʃōōnáwiitadáátàjāāriɡáà (5+ 2)  ?dèssèná (5+ 3) ?lùfūttá-màdāā (10–1)  ?lùfūk
Nubian, WesternMidob Nubianpàrciə̀ddítáasíèejítéccíkórcíòlòttìídíyíúkúdí / úfúdítímmíjí
Nubian, NorthernNobiin (1)weː˥ru˥wwo˥tu˥sko˥ke˥mso˥di˧dʒɡo˥rdʒo˥ko˧lo˧di˥dwo˥o˧sko˧ddi˥me˥
Nubian, NorthernNobiin (2)wèer/ wéerúwwótúskú / tískókémsódìj / dìjìɡórjókòlòdídwóòskòd / òskòdidímé
Nubian, Central, Hill, Kadaru-GhulfanKadarubèèòrótèɟɟúkkèɲɟútìccʊ́kɔ́rʃʊ́kɔ́ladʊ́ɪ̀d̪d̪ɔ́wìɪd̪ɔ́bùɽè
Nubian, Central, Hill, Kadaru-GhulfanGhulfanbɛróratóǰukkɪ́ɲuʈiʃúkwúrʃukwalátɪ́dduwìítbuɽé
Nubian, Central, Hill, UnclassifiedDillingbeeoreetujjuŋ j = dʒ or ɟ ?kimmiɲiticci c = tʃ or c ?kʷarcukʷaladɪddɪwitbure
NyimangAfittiàndáàrmákàcúpkòrsíkmúlmàndármàrámdùváàdìsólòtúmbùrà
NyimangAma (Nyimang)ɲálāārbāāsákùd̪òmūlkūrʃkūlād̪èd̪òwìèd̪òfòɽó
Tama, MararitMararit (Mararet)kára~kún / karrewarɪ / warreètte~ítí / atayekow / ɡawmáai / mayetúur / tuurkul / kuurikàkàwák / kokuak (4+ 4)kàrkʌ́s / kekeristók / toɡ
Tama, Tama-SungorSungor (Assangori)kurwáriécàkúsmásitɔ̀rkálkíbísúkùmɛ̀r
Tama, Tama-SungorTama (1)kúˑrwárííɕíkús /kusmassi / masitɔˑ́rkâlkímísúkūmír
Tama, Tama-SungorTama (2)kʊ́rʊ́wɛ̀rːɛ̀ɪ̀cːáʔkʊʃmasɛːt̪ɔ́rːkəlkíbìsʊ́kːʊ́mɛ̀ːr
Daju, Eastern DajuLiguri Daju (Logorik)nɔhɔrɔkpɛtdaxkɔdɔstɛspɛtmdɛkkɔskɔdɔs (2 x 3)tɛspɛtkɔdɔs (4 + 3)tɛspɛttɛspɛt (4 + 4)mdɛktɛspɛt (5 + 4)saʔasɛɲ
Daju, Eastern DajuShatt Damamnúuxùpɨ̀dàxkòdòstèspètmɨ̀dɨ̀káarànpàxtíndìɲkòs(s)èndàŋ tèspédèspè {four.four}dábàs(s)éndàŋ ~bây.núuxùàsìɲ
Daju, Western DajuDar Dadju Dajumùnɡúnfìdà /pîdakòdɔ̀stɛ̀spɛ̀tmòdùkàràŋfàktíndíkòsóndábìstóndáàsíŋ
Daju, Western DajuDar Sila Daju (1)ùŋɡʊ̀nbìdàkkòdòstìʃɛ̀tmùdùk(ʔ)àràn ~ (ʔ)àrânfáktíndìkòohándàbìstándààsîŋ
Daju, Western DajuDar Sila Daju (2)ʊ́ŋɡʊ́nbíd̪ákkɔ̀d̪ɔst̪ɪ̀ʃɛ́ːθmúd̪ukárān̪fáθɪ́nd̪ɪ́kɔ̀ánd̪abɪ̀sθánd̪aásːɪŋ
Eastern Jebel, GaamGaahmɡ (Tabi) (1)t̪āmánd̪áāɡɡɔ́ðɔ̄yə̄ə̄sə́áás-ááman (lit: 'hand')t̪ə́ld̪ìɡɡíd̪iɡɡ-ɔ́ðɔ̄ (lit: 'eyes-two')íd̪iɡ-dáāɡɡ (lit: 'eyes-three')íd̪iɡ-yə̄ə̄sə́ (lit: 'eyes-four')ə́sēɡ-dí (lit: 'hands-also')
Eastern Jebel, GaamGaahmɡ (Tabi) (2)tamandiɔk / diakoða / ʔodayɛsu /yɛzanʌsumʌntɛltɛk /tɛldɛktauðuk / idakʼdiak (5 + 2)kurbaiti /idukʼʔoda (5 + 3)akaitɛn / idukʼyɛsu (5 + 4)ʔasiɡdi

References

  1. Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 299–308. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9. S2CID 133888593.
    • Rilly, Claude. 2009. From the Yellow Nile to the Blue Nile: The quest for water and the diffusion of Northern East Sudanic languages from the fourth to the first millennia BCE. Paper presented at ECAS 2009 (3rd European Conference on African Studies, Panel 142: African waters – water in Africa, barriers, paths, and resources: their impact on language, literature and history of people) in Leipzig, 4 to 7 June 2009.
    • George Starostin (2015) The Eastern Sudanic hypothesis tested through lexicostatistics: current state of affairs (Draft 1.0)
    • Starostin, Georgiy C. 2014. Языки Африки. Опыт построения лексикостатистической классификации. Т. 2: Восточносуданские языки / Languages of Africa: an attempt at a lexicostatistical classification. Volume 2: Eastern Sudanic languages. Moscow: Языки славянской культуры / LRC Press. 736 p.
    • Blench, Roger. 2019. Morphological evidence for the coherence of East Sudanic. Paper submitted for a Special Issue of Dotawo. Also presented at the 14th Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium Department of African Studies, University of Vienna, 31 May 2019.
    • Blench, Roger. 2023. In defence of Nilo-Saharan.
    • Dimmendaal, Gerrit J. and Angelika Jakobi. 2020. Eastern Sudanic. In: Vossen, Rainer and Gerrit J. Dimmendaal (eds.). 2020. The Oxford Handbook of African Languages, 392–407. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    • Chan, Eugene (2019). "The Nilo-Saharan Language Phylum". Numeral Systems of the World's Languages.

    Bibliography

    • Bender, M. Lionel. 2000. "Nilo-Saharan". In: Bernd Heine and Derek Nurse (eds.), African Languages: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
    • Bender, M. Lionel. 1981. "Some Nilo-Saharan isoglosses". In: Thilo Schadeberg, M. L. Bender (eds.), Nilo-Saharan: Proceedings of the First Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, Leiden, Sept. 8–10, 1980. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
    • Temein languages (Roger Blench, 2007).
    • Starostin, George (2015). Языки Африки. Опыт построения лексикостатистической классификации. Том II. Восточносуданские языки [The Languages of Africa. The experience of building a lexiostatistical classification.] (in Russian). Vol. II: The Eastern Sudanic Languages. Moscow: Languages of Slavic culture. ISBN 9785457890718.
    • Starostin, George. 2015. Proto-East Sudanic ʽtreeʼ on the East Sudanic tree. 10th Annual Conference on Comparative-Historical Linguistics (in memory of Sergei Starostin).
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