Waja_languages

Tula–Waja languages

Tula–Waja languages

Savannas language branch of Nigeria

The Tula–Waja, or Tula–Wiyaa languages are a branch of the provisional Savanna languages, closest to Kam (Nyingwom), spoken in northeastern Nigeria. They are spoken primarily in southeastern Gombe State and other neighbouring states.

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...

They were labeled "G1" in Joseph Greenberg's Adamawa language-family proposal and later placed in a Waja–Jen branch of that family.

Guldemann (2018) observes significant internal lexical diversity within Tula-Waja, partly as a result of word tabooing accelerating lexical change.[1] Although noun classes have been lost in Dadiya, Maa, and Yebu, Waja and Tula retain complex noun class systems.[2] Kleinewillinghöfer (1996) also observes many morphological similarities between the Tula–Waja and Central Gur languages,[3] a view shared by Bennett (1983) and Bennett & Sterk (1977).[4][5]

Languages

Classification

Ulrich Kleinewillinghöfer (2014), in the Adamawa Languages Project website, classifies the Tula–Waja languages as follows. Kleinewillinghöfer considers Tso and Cham to be branches that had diverged earlier. Waja is considered by Kleinewillinghöfer to be a distinct branch, although its exact position within Tula-Waja remains uncertain.[2]

Tula–Waja
  • Core Tula group
  • Yebu (Awak) (local variants)
  • Ma (Kamo, Kamu)
  • Cham
    • Dijim of Kindiyo
    • Bwilim (of Mɔna and Loojaa)
  • Tso (Lotsu-Piri)
    • Tso of the Swaabou
    • Tso of the Bərbou
      • Tso of the Gusubo
      • Tso of Luuzo
  • Waja
    • Waja of Wɩɩ (Wajan Kasa) (local variants)
    • Waja of Deri (Wajan Dutse) (two variants)

Names and locations

Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[6]

More information Language, Dialects ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    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. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9.
  2. [2]
    Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich. 2014. The languages of the Tula – Waja Group. Adamawa Languages Project.
  3. [3]
    Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich (1996). Relationship between Adamawa and Gur languages: The case of Waja and Tula.
  4. [4]
    Bennett, Patrick R. 1983. Adamawa-Eastern: Problems and prospects. In: Dihoff, Ivan R. (ed). Current Approaches to African Linguistics 1. Dordrecht: Foris Publications; 23-48.
  5. [5]
    Bennett, Patrick R. & Jan P. Sterk. 1977. South Central Niger-Congo: A reclassification. Studies in African Linguistics, 8: 241-273.
  6. [6]
    Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  7. [7]
    CAPRO Research Office 1995a. Unmask the giant. Jos: CAPRO Media. [Bauchi]

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