Benue–Congo languages
Benue–Congo is a major subdivision of the Niger–Congo language family which covers most of Sub-Saharan Africa. It consists of two main branches:
- the Central Nigerian languages, spoken mostly in Nigeria
- the Bantoid–Cross languages, spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon and most of Sub-Saharan Africa, since they contain the Bantu languages.
Subdivisions
Bantoid is only a collective term for every subfamily of Bantoid–Cross except Cross River, and this is no longer seen as forming a valid branch, however one of the subfamilies, Southern Bantoid, is still considered valid. It is Southern Bantoid which contains the Bantu languages, which are spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. This makes Benue–Congo one of the largest subdivisions of the Niger–Congo language family, both in number of languages, of which Ethnologue counts 976, and in speakers, numbering perhaps 350 million. Benue–Congo also includes a few minor isolates in the Nigeria–Cameroon region, but their exact relationship is uncertain.
The neighbouring Volta–Niger branch of Nigeria and Benin is sometimes called "West Benue–Congo", but it does not form a united branch with Benue–Congo. When Benue–Congo was first proposed by Joseph Greenberg, it included Volta–Niger ; the boundary between Volta–Niger and Kwa has been repeatedly debated. Blench states that if Benue–Congo is taken to be "the noun-class languages east and north of the Niger", it is likely to be a valid group, though no demonstration of this has been made in print.The branches of the Benue–Congo family are thought to be as follows:
- Bantoid–Cross languages
- * Cross River
- *Northern Bantoid
- *Southern Bantoid
- Central Nigerian languages, also known as Platoid
- * Jukunoid
- * Kainji
- * Plateau
Fali of Baissa and Tita are also Benue–Congo but are otherwise unclassified.
Branches and locations (Nigeria)
Below is a list of major Benue–Congo branches and their primary locations within Nigeria based on Blench.| Branch | Primary locations |
| Cross River | Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers States |
| Bendi | Obudu and Ogoja LGAs, Cross River State |
| Mambiloid | Sardauna LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon |
| Dakoid | Mayo Belwa LGA, Taraba State and adjacent areas |
| Jukunoid | Taraba State |
| Yukubenic | Takum LGA, Taraba State |
| Kainji | Kauru LGA, Kaduna State and Bassa LGA, Plateau State; Kainji Lake area |
| Plateau | Plateau, Kaduna, and Nasarawa States |
| Tivoid | Obudu LGA, Cross River State and Sardauna LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon |
| Beboid | Takum LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon |
| Ekoid | Ikom and Ogoja LGAs, Cross River State; Cameroon |
| Grassfields | Sardauna LGA, Taraba State; Cameroon |
| Jarawan | Bauchi, Plateau, Adamawa, and Taraba States |
Comparative vocabulary
Sample basic vocabulary for reconstructed proto-languages of different Benue-Congo branches:| Branch | Language | eye | ear | nose | tooth | tongue | mouth | blood | bone | tree | water | eat | name |
| Benue-Congo | Proto-Benue-Congo | *-lito | *-tuŋi | *-zua | *-nini, *-nino; *-sana; *-gaŋgo | *-lemi; *-lake | *-zi; *-luŋ | *-kupe | *-titi; *-kwon | *-izi; *-ni | *-zina | ||
| Kainji | Proto-Northern Jos | **iji | *toŋ | *nyimu | *ʔini | *lelem | *nua | *nyì | *ti | *nyi | *lia | *ji | |
| Plateau | Proto-Jukunoid | *giP | *tóŋ | *wíǹ | *baŋ ; *gyín | *déma | *ndut | *yíŋ | *kup | *kun | *mbyed | *dyi | *gyin |
| Plateau | Proto-Kagoro | *-gi | *-two | *nii | *-dyam | *-nu | *-suok | *-kup | *-kwan | *-sii | |||
| Plateau | Proto-Jaba | *gu-su | *gu-to | *-gi | *ga-lem | *ga-nyu | *ba-zi | *gu-kup | |||||
| Plateau | Proto-Beromic | *-gis | *-toŋ | *-ɣiŋ | *-lyam | *-nu | *nì-ji | *-kup | *-kon | *-sii | |||
| Plateau | Proto-Ninzic | *ki-sị́ | *ku-tóŋ | *ki-Nyin / *-Nyir | *ì-rem | *-nuŋ / *-nuŋ | *ma-ɣì | *kù-kụp | *ù-kon | *a-ma-sit | |||
| Cross | Proto-Upper Cross | *dyèná | *-ttóŋ | *dyòná | *-ttân | *-dák | *-mà | *-dè; *-yìŋ | *-kúpà | *-tté | *-nì | *dyá | *-dínà |
| Cross | Proto-Lower Cross | *ɛ́-ɲɛ̀n / *a- | *ú-tɔ́ŋ / *a- | *í-búkó | *é-dɛ̀t / *a- | *ɛ́-lɛ́mɛ̀ / *a- | *í-núà | *-ɟìːp | *ɔ́-kpɔ́ | *é-tíé | *ˊ-mɔ́ːŋ | *líá | *ɛ́-ɟɛ́n |
| Cross | Proto-Ogoni | *adɛ́ɛ̃ | *ɔ̀tɔ́̃ | *m̀ bĩɔ́̃ | *àdáNa | *àdídɛ́Nɛ́ | *m̀ miNi, *m̀ muNu | *ákpogó | *èté | m̀ mṹṹ | *dè | *àbée | |
| Bantoid | Proto-Grassfields | *Ít` | *túŋ-li | *LÍ` | *sòŋ´ | *lím` | *cùl` | *lém`; *cÌ´ | *gÚp; *kúi´ | *tí´ | *LÍb; *kÌ´; *mò´ | *lÍa | *lÍn`; *kúm |
| Bantoid | Proto-Ring | *túɛ̀ | *túndé | *dúì, *tɔ́ŋ | *túŋɔ̀, *góìk | *dɔ́mì, *dídè | *dúɔ̀ | *dúŋá, *káŋù | *gúpɛ́ | *kák`, *tíɛ́ | *múɔ̀ | *dúɛ̀ | *dítɔ́, *gíd' |
| Bantu | Proto-Bantu | *i=jíco | *kʊ=tʊ́i | *i=jʊ́lʊ | *i=jíno; *i=gego | *lʊ=lɪ́mi | *ka=nʊa; *mʊ=lomo | *ma=gilá; *=gil-a; *ma=gadí; *=gadí; *mʊ=lopa; *ma=ɲínga | *i=kúpa | *mʊ=tɪ́ | *ma=jíjɪ; *i=diba | *=lɪ́ -a | *i=jína |
| Bantu | Swahili | jicho | sikio | pua | jino | ulimi | kinywa | damu | mfupa | mti | maji | la | jina |