The Jukunoid languages shown within Nigeria and Cameroon
The Jukunoid languages are a branch of the Benue-Congo languages spoken by the Jukun and related peoples of Nigeria and Cameroon. They are distributed mostly throughout Taraba State, Nigeria and surrounding regions.
Gerhardt (1983) and Güldemann (2018) suggest that Jukunoid may actually be part of the Plateau languages, as it shares similarities with various Plateau groups, especially Tarokoid.[1][2] However, Blench (2005) argues that Jukunoid is clearly separate from Plateau.[3]
Classification
The following classification is from Glottolog;[4] the Kororofa branch has been added from Ethnologue (Glottolog classifies the Kororofa languages as Jukun):[5]
Ethnologue adds the Yukubenic branch of the Plateau languages as part of a Yukubenic-Kuteb group[5] based on Shimizu (1980), and Blench also follows this classification.[6]Ethnologue also leaves the Wurbo language Shoo-Minda-Nye as unclassified within Jukun–Mbembe–Wurbo, and includes the unclassified Benue–Congo language Tita in its place.[5]
Lau was also recently reported by Idiatov (2017).[7]
Names and locations
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[8]
Shimizu, Kiyoshi. 1980. Comparative Jukunoid, 3 vols. (Veröffentlichungen der Institute für Afrikanistik und Ägyptologie der Universität Wien 7–9. Beiträge zur Afrikanistik 5–7). Vienna: Afro-Pub.
References
^Gerhardt, L. (1983). "The classification of Eggon: Plateau or Benue group?". Journal of West African Languages. 13 (1): 37–50.
^Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 58–444. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN978-3-11-042606-9. S2CID133888593.
^Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
^Welmers, William Everrett 1971. Checklist of African Language and Dialect Names. In: Current Trends in Linguistics, Vol. 7, T.A. Sebeok 759-900, The Hague, Mouton.
^Westermann, Diedrich & M.A. Bryan, 1952. Languages of West Africa. London: International African Institute.