Kamuku languages

Last updated
Kamuku
Ethnicity Kamuku people
Geographic
distribution		 Niger State, western Nigeria
Linguistic classification Niger–Congo?
Glottolog kamu1261

The Kamuku languages are a branch of the Kainji languages spoken by the Kamuku people of Niger State, western Nigeria, mostly in Mariga and Rafi LGAs.

Contents

Although formerly classified as Kamuku, Pongu is now placed in a related branch, the Pongu (Shiroro) languages, and Western Acipa (Cipu) with the Kambari languages.

Languages

Blench (2012)

Blench (2012) lists the following Kamuku languages and their sociolinguistic situations. Kamuku internal classification can be briefly summarised as: [1]

‘Yara, or Cinda-Regi-Kuki-Kuru-Maruba, is the largest Kamuku subgroup. There are four main Cinda-Regi varieties, Cinda, Regi, Orogo, and Kuki. Kuru and Maruba, both named after villages, are close to each other. Shiyabe is close to tuRogo. However, Rogo can refer to two varieties, namely a Cinda-Regi variety and another non-Cinda-Regi variety (Rogo II). Səgəmuk (Zubazuba), Tushyabe, and Turubaruba are all spoken in Igwama town of Mariga LGA, Niger State.

Kagare (Kwagere [2] ) is spoken in Unguwar Tanko village. There is partial intelligibility with Cinda, Regi and Səgəmuk (Zubazuba).

Names for various Kamuku languages:

Common name (root)One personPeopleLanguage
Names for various Kamuku languages
UcindaBucindauCindatuCinda
RegiBuregiuRegiTuregi
RɔgoBɔrɔgou-rɔgɔTurɔgo
CanjaBucanjaUcanjaTucanja
BɔromaMutabɔromaUtabɔromaTabɔroma
ShamaBushamaUshamaTushama
SambugaBusambugaUsambugaTusambuga
SundurabuSundurauSunduraTusundura

Extinct languages

Extinct Kamuku languages: [1]

  • Sambuga (extinct) and Shama (still spoken) are closely related.
  • Makɨci (? [məkɨci]) was an extinct Kamuku language spoken in Makɨci village and in a village cluster a few kilometres east of Igwama.
  • Ingwai (Inkwai) is extinct.
  • The village of Saya may have also spoken a Kamuku language. Ingwai and Saya speakers have both switched to Hausa.
  • Kwacika (extinct) is reported to be a Kamuku language. [2]

Blench (2018)

Kamuku classification by Blench (2018): [3]

Each lect is generally identified with an individual hill in the Mariga area of Niger State. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Busa, or Bisã, is the Mande language of the former Borgu Emirate in northwestern Nigeria and northern Benin. It is called Busanci in Hausa, and has also been called Zugweya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kainji languages</span> Subfamily of Benue–Congo languages of west-central Nigeria

The Kainji languages are a group of about 60 related languages spoken in west-central Nigeria. They form part of the Central Nigerian (Platoid) branch of Benue–Congo.

Cipu (Cicipu), or Western Acipa, is a Kainji language spoken by about 20,000 people in northwest Nigeria. The people call themselves Acipu, and are called Acipawa in Hausa.

Ukaan is a poorly described Niger–Congo language or dialect cluster of uncertain affiliation. Roger Blench suspects, based on wordlists, that it might be closest to the (East) Benue–Congo languages. Blench (2012) states that "noun-classes and concord make it look Benue-Congo, but evidence is weak."

Mariga is a Local Government Area in Niger State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Bangi in the north of the area. Other towns in the LGA are Igwama and Inkwai. Various endangered Kamuku languages are spoken in Mariga LGA.

u̠t-Ma'in or Fakai is a Northwest Kainji dialect continuum spoken by 36,000 people in Nigeria. There are numerous rather divergent dialects:

The East Kainji languages are spoken in a compact area of the Jos Plateau in Nigeria, near Jos. There are more than 20 of them, most of which are poorly studied.

Lela or C'lela is a Kainji language of Nigeria. It is known as Cilela in Hausa, and it is also known as Dakarkari, because it is spoken by the Dakarkari people

Reshe is the most divergent of the Kainji languages of Nigeria. It is spoken on the northern and southern sides of Kainji Lake. It is spoken in Yauri LGA, Kebbi State, and in Borgu LGA, Niger State.

The Cinda-Regi language is a language complex of Nigeria belonging to the Kamuku branch of Kainji languages.

Bauchi is a cluster of Kainji languages spoken in Rafi, Nigeria LGA, Niger State, Nigeria.

The Kimba languages (Tsikimba; or the Kambari II languages) are a group of Kainji languages of Nigeria spoken by the Kambari people. The languages are Kimba (Tsikimba), Gaushi (Agaushi), and Wenci (Ngwunci).

The Shingini language, is a Kainji language of Nigeria spoken by the Kambari people. Its two dialects are Tsishingini and Cishingini (Chishingini).

Fungwa, or Ura is a Kainji language in Pandogari, Niger State, Nigeria. The same word is also used for the people; Roger Blench estimated their numbers at no more than 1,000. Farming is the main occupation of the Fungwa while pottery is also an occupation practised by the women. The Fungwa live in the five villages of Gulbe, Gabi Tukurbe, Urenciki, Renga (Ringa) and Utana along the Pandogari–Allawa road in Rafi, Nigeria.

Gurmana is a Kainji language of Gurmana village in Shiroro LGA, Niger State, Nigeria. There are no more than 2,000 to 3,000 speakers in Gurmana village and nearby hamlets.

Eastern Acipa is a Kainji language of Nigeria. It is not close to the language of the same name to its west, though speakers of both are ethnic Acipa. It had 5,000 speakers in 1993. Speakers refer to their language as Tusəgəmuku.

Rogo is a Kainji language of Nigeria. It is spoken around the town of Ucanja in the Rafi and Mariga Local Government Areas of Niger State, as well as the Birnin Gwari LGA of neighbouring Kaduna State.

Shama, or Shama-Sambuga after its two dialects, is a Kainji language of Nigeria.

Kagare (Kwagere) is a Kainji language of Nigeria belonging to the Kamuku language complex. There is partial intelligibility with Cinda, Regi and Səgəmuk (Zubazuba). Kagare is reported by Blench, but is not in Ethnologue or Glottolog.

Moro is an East Kainji language of Nigeria belonging to the Shammo cluster.

References

  1. 1 2 Blench, Roger (2012). "The Kainji languages of northwestern and central Nigeria" (PDF). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  2. 1 2 Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  3. 1 2 Blench, Roger M. 2018. Nominal affixing in the Kainji languages of northwestern and central Nigeria. In John R. Watters (ed.), East Benue-Congo: Nouns, pronouns, and verbs, 59–106. Berlin: Language Science Press. doi : 10.5281/zenodo.1314323

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.