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