Idomoid languages

The Idomoid languages are spoken primarily in Benue State of east-central Nigeria and surrounding regions. Idoma itself is an official language spoken by nearly four million people including the subgroups of Igede, Uffia, Otukpo, and Orokam.

Idomoid
Geographic
distribution
Central Nigeria, lower reaches of the Benue River
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo?
  • Atlantic–Congo
    • Volta–Niger
      • noi
        • Idomoid
Subdivisions
  • Yace
  • Etulo–Idoma
Glottologidom1262

Languages

Ethnologue includes Eloyi, though that assignment is outdated as Blench (2007)[1] considers Eloyi to be a divergent Plateau language that has undergone Idomoid influence, rather than vice versa.

Ethnologue also calls the non-Yace branch "Akweya", despite the fact that Yace are also called "Akweya".

Names and locations

Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[2]


LanguageBranchClusterDialectsAlternate spellingsOwn name for languageEndonym(s)Other names (location-based)Other names for languageExonym(s)SpeakersLocation(s)
IgedeThree dialects: Òjù (Central), Ìtóò (Ito), Ùẉ ọò`kwù ̣(Worku); also Gabu (Ogoja LGA)Igedde, Egede, Egedde70,000 (1952 RGA), 120,000 (1982 UBS)Benue State, Oju, Otukpo and Okpokwu LGAs; Cross River State, Ogoja LGA
YaceAlifokpa, IjieguYache, Yatye, IyaceEkpari?6,600 (1937 RGA); 10,000 (1982 UBS)Cross River State, Ogoja LGA
AkpaAkweya5,500 (1952 RGA)Benue State, Otukpo LGA
EloyiMbeci (=Mbekyi, Mbejĩ, Mbamu)Afo, Epe, Aho, Afu, Afao20,000 (Mackay 1964); 25,000 (SIL)Nasarawa State, Nasarawa and Awe LGAs; Benue State, Otukpo LGA
AlagoGroup BAgwatashi, Assaikio, Doma, Keana in towns of these namesAlagoIdoma Nokwu15,000 (1953 RGA); at least 100,000 (Blench 2017)Nasarawa State, Awe and Lafia LGAs
EtuloGroup BUtur, EturoTurumawa2,900 (1952 RGA); more than 10,000 (Shain, p.c. 1988)Benue State, Gboko LGA, Taraba State, Wukari, LGA
YalaYalaIyala25,650 (1952); 50,000 (1973 SIL)
Yala IkomYalaNkumCross River State, Ikom LGA
Yala ObubraYalaNkum AkpambeCross River State, Obubra LGA
Yala OgojaYalaYala Ọkpọ̃ma (Central Yala) spoken in all hamlets comprising Ọkpọ̃ma village; Yala Igbeeku spoken between Igbeeku Rikọ and Oloko; Yala Ọkpamẹ, spoken in Ọkkpamẹ, Yẹhẹ and Ebo.Cross River State, Ogoja LGA
Idoma clusterIdomaBenue State, Otukpo and Okpokwu LGAs; Nasarawa State, Nasarawa and Awe LGAs
AgatuIdomaAgatu, OchekwuIdoma North56,000 (1952 RGA); 70,000 (1987 UBS)Benue State, Otukpo LGA; Nasarawa State, Nasarawa and Awe LGAs
Idoma CentralIdomaOturkpo, OtukpoAkpoto66,000 (1952 RGA)Benue State, Otukpo and Okpokwu LGAs
Idoma WestIdoma60,000 (1952 RGA)Benue State, Okpokwu LGA
OkpoguIdoma
Idoma SouthIdomaIgumale, Igwaale, Ijigbam13,500 (1952 RGA)Benue State, Okpokwu LGA

See also

References

  1. Blench, Roger. 2007. The Eloyi language of Central Nigeria and its affinities.
  2. Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.

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