West_Chadic_languages

West Chadic languages

West Chadic languages

Afro-Asiatic language branch of West Africa

The West Chadic languages of the Afro-Asiatic family are spoken principally in Niger and Nigeria. They include Hausa, the most populous Chadic language and a major language of West Africa.

Quick Facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...
Main Chadic-speaking peoples in Nigeria
Hausa-speaking areas in Nigeria and Niger
Roger Blench's (2020) classification of West Chadic B

Languages

The branches of West Chadic go either by names or by letters and numbers in an outline format.[1]

In addition, Poki is purportedly West Chadic, but no data is available.

Internal structure

George Starostin's (2010) internal classification of West Chadic[6] as presented in Blažek (2010):[7]

Roger Blench's (2021) internal classification of West Chadic:[8]

Distribution

Distributions of West Chadic branches:[9]

More information Branch, Code ...

History of dispersal

Roger Blench (2022) suggests that West Chadic languages may have spread via a gradual agricultural dispersal in Central Nigeria, starting from 3,000–4,000 years ago. Blench notes that West Chadic morphology has been heavily influenced by Plateau languages, likely as a result of long-term intermarriage that occurred as West Chadic incomers took local wives who spoke Plateau languages.[10]

Reconstruction

Although no full reconstruction of West Chadic has been published, reconstructions of numerals for West Chadic and its subgroups have been proposed by Václav Blažek (2018).[7]

Phonology

The labial–velar consonants /kp/ and /gb/, widespread in Plateau and other Niger-Congo languages but uncommon in Chadic languages, can be found in Ron languages and in certain West Chadic A3 and Bole-Tangale languages. These consonants were borrowed from Plateau languages due to intensive long-term contact. However, other phonological features typical of Plateau and Niger-Congo languages such as ATR and vowel harmony are not found in West Chadic languages.[10]

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:[11]

More information Classification, Language ...

References

  1. [1]
    Blench, Roger. 2006. The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List (ms)
  2. [2]
    Blench, Roger (2019). "Jakato: an undocumented language of Central Nigeria".
  3. [3]
    Blench, Roger. 2017. Current research on the A3 West Chadic languages.
  4. [4]
    Blench, Roger. Comparative Ron wordlist.
  5. [5]
    Blench, Roger. 2012. Linguistic and cultural background to the North Bauchi region and the Wiihə people.
  6. [6]
    Starostin, George. 2010. Afroasiatic classification: preliminary results of the modified glottochronological test. Manuscript.
  7. [7]
    Blažek, Václav. 2018. The numerals of West Chadic. Topics in Chadic Linguistics IX. Papers from the 8th Biennial International Colloquium on the Chadic Languages, Bayreuth, February 4–5, 2016.
  8. [8]
    Blench, Roger. 2021. The erosion of number marking in West Chadic Roger Blench. WOCAL, Leiden.
  9. [9]
    Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  10. [10]
    Blench, Roger (2022). Contact between West Chadic and Plateau languages: new evidence languages: new evidence. 11–12 November 2022, presentation given at Universität Wien.
  11. [11]
    Chan, Eugene (2019). "The Afro-Asiatic Language Phylum". Numeral Systems of the World's Languages.
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