Central Delta languages
Branch of Cross River languages of Nigeria
| Central Delta | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | SE Nigeria |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo?
|
| Glottolog | cent2028 |
The Central Delta languages are spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Ogbia is the most populous, with over 200,000 speakers.
The languages are Abua–Odual, Ogbia, Kugbo, Abureni, Obulom, O’chi’chi’, Ogbogolo, Ogbronuagum.
Names and locations
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[1]
| Language | Cluster | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abua | Central Abuan, Ẹmughan, Ọtabha (Ọtapha), Okpeḍen | Abuan | Abua | 11,000 (1963): estimated 25,000 (Faraclas 1989) | Rivers State, Ahoada LGA | ||||||
| Kolo cluster | Kolo | Ọgbia, Ogbinya | 100,000 (1987 UBS) | Rivers State, Brass LGA | |||||||
| Kolo | Kolo | Agholo | |||||||||
| Oloiḅiri | Kolo | ||||||||||
| Anyama | Kolo | no data | |||||||||
| Obulom | Abuloma | Rivers State, Okrika LGA, Abuloma town | |||||||||
| Oḍual | Arughaunya, Aḍibom | Ọḍual | Oḍual | Saka | 8,400 (1963); 15,000 (1980 UBS) | Rivers State, Ahoada LGA | (F&J 1940) report 700 speakers, but in the 1970s, Barnwell (p.c.) found only 20 speakers living in a quarter of one town. The Odut are Mbembe speakers, and there is no separate language. | ||||
| Ogbogolo | One town only | Rivers State, Ahoada LGA | |||||||||
| Ogbrọnuagụm | Bukuma | Agum | One town only, north of Buguma | Rivers State, Degema LGA | |||||||
| Ọchịchị | Ọchịchị | Ọchịchị | A few speakers; moribund, since speakers have switched to Echie | Rivers State, Etche LGA, towns of Ikwerengwo and Umuebulu | |||||||
| Kụgbọ | 2,000 (1973 SIL) | Rivers State, Brass LGA | |||||||||
| Abureni | Mini | Mini | 3 villages | Rivers State, Brass LGA | no data |
References
- ^ Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
- Blench, Roger. 2008. The Central Delta languages: comparative word list and historical reconstructions.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 3.0 license.
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