Northern Eastern Sudanic languages
The Northern Eastern Sudanic, Eastern k Sudanic, Ek Sudanic, NNT or Astaboran languages may form a primary division of the yet-to-be-demonstrated Eastern Sudanic family. They are characterised by having a /k/ in the first person singular pronoun "I/me", as opposed to the Southern Eastern Sudanic languages, which have an /n/. Nyima has yet to be conclusively linked to the other languages, and would appear to be the closest relative of Ek Sudanic rather than Ek Sudanic proper.
The most well-known language of this group is Nubian. According to Claude Rilly, the ancient Meroitic language appears on limited evidence to be closest to languages of this group.
A reconstruction of Proto-Northern Eastern Sudanic has also been proposed by Rilly.Rilly provides the following internal structure for the Northern Eastern Sudanic languages.
;Northern East Sudanic
- Nyima: Nyimang, Afitti
- Taman: Tama, Mararit
- Nara-Nubian
- *Nara
- *Meroitic-Nubian
- **Meroitic
- **Nubian
- ***Western Nubian
- ****Birgid
- ****Midob, Kordofan Nubian
- ***Nile Nubian
- ****Old Dongolawi, Kenuzi, Dongolawi
- ****Old Nubian, Nobiin