The Bantu languages technically the Narrow Bantu languages, as opposed to "Wide Bantu", a loosely defined categorization which includes other "Bantoid" languages, are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu peoples throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
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, and the Bantoid–Cross languages, spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon and most of Sub-Saharan Africa, since they contain the Bantu languages.
Abanyom, or Bakor, is a language of the Ekoid subfamily of Niger–Congo. It is spoken by the Abanyom people in the Cross River State region of Nigeria. A member of the Southern Bantoid group, Abanyom is fairly closely related to the Bantu languages. It is tonal and has a typical Niger–Congo noun class system.
Bikya is a potentially extinct Southern Bantoid language spoken in Cameroon. It is one of the three, or four, Furu languages. In 1986 four surviving speakers were identified, although only one spoke the language fluently.
Bantoid is a putative major division of the Benue–Congo branch of the Niger–Congo language family. It consists of the Mambiloid languages, the Dakoid languages and the Tikar language, all in Nigeria and Cameroon, and the Southern Bantoid languages, a major division which also includes the Bantu languages spoken across most of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Tiv is a Southern Bantoid language spoken in Nigeria, with some speakers in Cameroon. It had 4 million speakers in 2015. Most Tiv speakers are found in Benue State in Nigeria. The language is also widely spoken in the Nigerian states of Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa and Cross River as well as the FCT Abuja. It is by far the largest of the Tivoid languages, a group of languages belonging to the Southern Bantoid branch of Benue–Congo.
The Beboid languages constitute a branch, or branches, of Southern Bantoid and are spoken principally in southwest Cameroon, although two languages are spoken over the border in Nigeria. The Eastern Beboid languages may be most closely related to the Tivoid and Momo groups, though Western Beboid, if it's a group at all, may be closer to Ekoid and Bantu.
The Grassfields languages are a branch of Benue–Congo spoken in the Western High Plateau of Cameroon and a sister group to the Bantu languages. Better known Grassfields languages include the Eastern Grassfields languages Bamun, Yamba and Bamileke and the Ring language Kom. The languages are closely related, sharing approximately half of their vocabulary.
The Furu languages are a proposed group of poorly attested extinct or nearly extinct and otherwise unclassified Southern Bantoid languages of Cameroon. Suggested Furu languages are:
Buru is a Southern Bantoid language of uncertain classification spoken in a single village in Nigeria. It is spoken in Sardauna LGA, Taraba State.
Daka is one of two languages spoken by the Chamba people in Nigeria, the other being Chamba Leko.
Fam is a Bantoid language of Nigeria. It is now usually left as unclassified within Benue–Congo, however Blench (2011) classifies it as a divergent Mambiloid language potentially related to Ndoola.
Gaa, or Tiba, is a poorly documented language of Nigeria. It is apparently one of the Dakoid languages.
Dong, or Donga, is a poorly documented language of Nigeria. Though clearly Niger–Congo, is difficult to classify; Blench proposes that it is one of the Dakoid languages, closest to Gaa.
Fang is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. It is traditionally classified as a Western Beboid language, but that has not been demonstrated to be a valid family.
Koshin is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. It is traditionally classified as a Western Beboid language, but that has not been demonstrated to be a valid family.
Mundabli is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. It is traditionally classified as a Western Beboid language, but that has not been demonstrated to be a valid family.
Mbu’, or Ajumbu, is a Southern Bantoid language of Cameroon. It is traditionally classified as a Western Beboid language, but that has not been demonstrated to be a valid family. Inasmuch as Western Beboid may be valid, Mbu’ would appear to be the most divergent of its languages.
Taram is a poorly documented language of Nigeria, only attested in a publication from 1931. It has traditionally been considered a dialect of Daka, but appears to be more divergent than that.
