Plateau languages


The forty or so Plateau languages are a tentative group of Benue–Congo languages spoken by 3.5 million people on the Jos Plateau and in adjacent areas in central Nigeria. The original formulation included the Jukunoid and Kainji languages, and later the Dakoid languages; Jukunoid and Kainji now form a parent branch of Plateau called Central Nigerian.
Berom and Eggon have the most speakers. Most Plateau languages are threatened and have around 2,000-10,000 speakers.
Defining features of the Plateau family have only been published in manuscript form. Many of the languages have highly elaborate phonology systems that make comparison with poor data difficult.

Branches and locations

Below is a list of major Plateau branches and their primary locations based on Blench.
BranchPrimary locations
AlumicAkwanga LGA, Nasarawa State
BeromicBarkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State and adjacent areas
CentralKachia and Jema'a LGAs, Kaduna State
EastMangu LGA, Plateau State
NdunicSanga LGA, Kaduna State
NinzicJema'a LGA, Kaduna State and Akwanga LGA, Nasarawa State
SouthLafia LGA, Nasarawa State
TarokoidLangtang and Wase LGAs, Plateau State

Classification

Little work has been done on the Plateau languages, and the results to date are tentative.

Blench (2018)

Blench gives the following classification of the Plateau languages.

Blench (2008)

The following classification is taken from Blench. Most of the branches are discrete constituents, though Central is a residual grouping and there are doubts about some of the purported Ninzic languages. Plateau languages as a whole share a number of isoglosses, as do all branches apart from Tarokoid.
Glottolog adds the Yukubenic languages. Blench, however, places Yukubenic in the Jukunoid family, following Shimizu.

Gerhardt (1983)

Classification of Plateau languages by Gerhardt, based on Maddieson :
;Plateau 1a, 1b
;Plateau 2
;Plateau 3
;Plateau 4
;Plateau 5
;Plateau 6
;Plateau 7
;Plateau 8
;Plateau 9
;Plateau 10
Note: Plateau 1 languages, consisting of Plateau 1a and 1b, are now classified separately as Kainji languages.

Language list

List of Plateau languages given by Blench :
;Northwest
;Beromic
;West-Central
;Ninzic
;Ndunic
;Alumic
;Southern
;Southeastern
;Tarokoid
;Eloyi
Nisam is a presumed Plateau language once spoken in Nince Village, Kaduna State, but its place within the Plateau branch cannot be ascertained due to the lack of linguistic data. In 2005, there was only one speaker of Nisam.

Morphology

Proto-Plateau nominal prefixes:
Only some of the languages have nominal classes, as the Bantu languages have, where in others these have eroded. In many Plateau languages, many CV- prefixes have become fossilised, replaced by V- prefixes, or disappeared altogether. The large numbers of consonants in many languages is due to the erosion of noun-class prefixes.
In Plateau languages, adjectives and possessive forms generally follow the noun.

Reconstructions

Some Proto-Plateau quasi-reconstructions proposed by Roger Blench are:
No.GlossProto-Plateau
1.tree#ku-kon V-kon
2.leaf#yaNa
4.dew#-myeŋe
12.wind#-gbulu
21.hunger#igbyoŋ
25.ear#ku-toŋ
26.mouth#ku-nyu
30.female breast#ambɛŋ
31.navel#i-kumbu
32.bone#-kupu
35.blood#-ji
64.twelve/ten#isok-

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:
ClassificationLanguage12345678910
Southlō̥àbē̥àtʃé̥ànàró̥àsó̥mìnzímútárúnó̥zàtʃé̥zàbè̥
Beromicdáyfàtàt / tʃàtnàːswítàːrànìtànàràsdùːdʒàŋdùːbɔ̀
Beromicɡwīnìŋ / īnìŋ -bā-tāt-nāːs-tūŋūn-tī̄ː mìn-tāːmà -rwīːt syāː-tāt syāː-tāt
Central, South-Centralˀzrúˀʍʲèˀt͡sʲɛ̀ˀniˀt͡ɕʷòôrít͡sʲɛ́nat͡sʲɛ́klaǹvàkruvájáʃʷá
Central, South-Centraləyriŋəhwaətatənaaiəpfwɔnəkitat ətiyriŋənaimbvwakəkumbvuyriŋswak
Central, South-Centraləɲiuŋ/ ʒyiuŋəfeaŋ/ sweaŋətat/ t͡satənaai/ ɲaaiəfwuon/ t͡swuonətaaənatatəninai/ ərinaiəkubunyiuŋswak
Northerníńjííńpààláíńtááíńnāāíńcūūíńcúnútɔ́ɔ̀pāāníǹnāā ?tɔ́ɔ̀llāānùkɔ̄p
Southeasternkʲéŋportáárnaastóóntáárintámortʃíníttéresdukút
Tarokoidùzɨ̀ŋùpàrɨ́mùʃáɗɨ́ŋùnèɗɨ́ŋùtúkúnùk͡pə́ɗɨ́ŋùfàŋʃátùnə̀nnèùfàŋzɨ́ŋtɨ́ŋùɡ͡bə́pei
Western, Northwestern, Hyamicʒìnìfe̠ritaatnaaŋtwootwaani ?twarfo ?naaraŋ ?mbwan kɔb kɔ́b
Western, Northwestern, Koroènyíènvàèntâtènnàèntyúòèncítònvàtóndáttyúôráókóp
Western, Southwestern, Aɡyə̄rywātarnlyɛ̄tuntānnɛ̀ntāmɡ͡bātāndàtīyārɡùr
Western, Southwestern, Ajírhátárnə̄ʈʷítānìtāŋɡ͡bātāndàrtīrwūr
Western, Southwestern, Aɡyín-hàk-tát-nàs-túŋtàiŋtaŋbáktaːrattaːrasuwùruk
Western, Southwestern, B ákiə́nàhàààtrááùɲíòtnóùfín àfóhà àfóté àfúúɲí ókpo
Western, Southwestern, B òríɔ̀hàɔ̀cáòɲìɔ̀tnɔ̂ə̀fĩ́ ɔ̀fɔ́hà ɔ̀fɔ́tɛ́ ɔ̀fɔ̂ɲí ɔ̀kbɔ́

Footnotes