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An Atlas of Nigerian Languages

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An Atlas of Nigerian Languages AN ATLAS OF NIGERIAN LANGUAGES Roger Blench May be freely quoted but please acknowledge source 2020 Edition Roger Blench McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research University of Cambridge Correspondence to: 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Ans (00-44)-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7847-495590 E-mail [email protected] http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm This version: 11 September 2020 i Atlas of Nigerian Languages 2019 edition Front mattter TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction............................................................................................................................................................i I. Changes to the structure of the Atlas ...............................................................................................................i 1. Form of the Head-Entries ................................................................................................................................i 2. Changes in the Language Map.........................................................................................................................i 2.1 From Numbers to Names...........................................................................................................................i 2.2 Addition of new languages ........................................................................................................................i 2.3 Addition and correction of topographic and institutional features ...........................................................ii 3. New fields.......................................................................................................................................................ii 3.1 New Media................................................................................................................................................ii 3.2 Literacy and printed materials ..................................................................................................................ii 3.3 Scripts ..................................................................................................................................................... iii 3.4 Deaf and sign languages ..........................................................................................................................iv 3.5 Language Status.......................................................................................................................................iv 3.6 Second language use................................................................................................................................iv 3.7 Extinct languages.....................................................................................................................................iv 3.8 Documentation status................................................................................................................................v 3.9 References.................................................................................................................................................v 4. Queries............................................................................................................................................................v 4.1 Resolving Queries.....................................................................................................................................v 4.2 Unresolved Queries..................................................................................................................................vi 5. Data quality...................................................................................................................................................vii II. Understanding the data.................................................................................................................................vii 1. Definition of a Language ..............................................................................................................................vii 2. Language and ethnicity............................................................................................................................... viii 3. Reclassification of Languages .................................................................................................................... viii 3.1 Overview............................................................................................................................................... viii 3.2 Niger-Congo ............................................................................................................................................ix 3.2.1 Mande ..................................................................................................................................................xii 3.2.2 Atlantic ................................................................................................................................................xii 3.2.3 Ijoid......................................................................................................................................................xii 3.2.4 Gur ..................................................................................................................................................... xiii 3.2.5 Adamawa ........................................................................................................................................... xiii 3.2.6 Gbaya..................................................................................................................................................xiv 3.2.7 Volta-Niger .........................................................................................................................................xiv 3.2.7 Benue-Congo ......................................................................................................................................xiv 3.3 Nilo-Saharan ..........................................................................................................................................xvi 3.4 Afroasiatic.............................................................................................................................................xvii 3.5 Isolates ...................................................................................................................................................xix 3.6 Naming of subgroups..............................................................................................................................xx 4. Changes in Language Distribution ...............................................................................................................xx 4.1 Rural-Rural Migration and language distribution...................................................................................xx 4.2 Rural-Urban Migration and language distribution..................................................................................xx 4.3 Languages spoken by pastoralists...........................................................................................................xx 4.4 Regions of mixed population.................................................................................................................xxi 4.5 Distribution of second languages...........................................................................................................xxi 4.6 Language endangerment and death........................................................................................................xxi 4.7 Pattern of language endangerment........................................................................................................xxii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................... xxiii Key to the Index ....................................................................................................................................................1 Bibliography......................................................................................................................................................116 i Atlas of Nigerian Languages 2019 edition Front mattter FIGURES Figure 1. Niger-Congo restructured.......................................................................................................................xi Figure 2. Place of Nigerian Mande languages......................................................................................................xii Figure 3. Place of Nigerian Fulfulde within Atlantic ...........................................................................................xii Figure 4. Revised genetic tree for Ịjọ ................................................................................................................. xiii Figure 5 . The Volta-Niger languages .................................................................................................................xiv Figure 6. Revised subclassification of Benue-Congo languages ..........................................................................xv Figure 7. Proposal for the divergence of Bantoid languages...............................................................................xvi Figure 8. A proposal for the structure of Nilo-Saharan ......................................................................................xvii Figure 9. A proposed
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