Plateau languages

Infobox Language family
name=Plateau
region=Nigeria
familycolor=Niger-Congo
fam2=Atlantic-Congo
fam3=Benue-Congo
child1=The forty or so Plateau (or Platoid) languages are spoken by 3.5 million people on the Jos Plateau and in adjacent areas in Central Nigeria. They are also called Central Nigerian languages. They are part of the Benue-Congo family, which is in turn part of the Benue-Congo family. The original formulation, which included the Jukunoid languages and the Kainji languages was a geographic rather than genealogical grouping, but the remainder may form a valid family.

Plateau languags

Excluding the Kainji and Jukunoid languages, which are clearly not close, there are six groups which may be more closely related to each other than they are to other branches of Benue-Congo:

*The North Plateau languages, such as Kadara (40 000)

*The West Plateau languages are spoken by about 750 000 speakers. The most important ones are Kwanka (220 000), Eggon (150 000), Jaba (100 000), Mada (100 000)

*The Central Plateau group with half a million of speakers contains the languages Kaje = Jju (300 000) and Katab (Tyap) (130 000)

*The largest language of the South Plateau group (about 400 000) is Berom with 300 000 speakers.

*The Tarok group consists of little more than the Tarok language itself with 300 000 speakers.

*The small Fyam and Barkul languages.

Characteristics

Only some of the languages have nominal classes, as the Bantu languages have. Adjectives and possessive forms generally follow the noun.

ee also

*

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=nigeria ethnologue.com on Nigeria]