Ukaan (also Ikan, Anyaran, Auga, or Kakumo) is a poorly described Niger–Congo language or dialect cluster of uncertain affiliation. Roger Blench suspects, based on wordlists, that it might be closest to the (East) Benue–Congo languages (or, equivalently, the most divergent of the Benue–Congo languages). Blench (2012) states that "noun-classes and concord make it look Benue-Congo, but evidence is weak."Roger Blench, Niger-Congo: an alternative view
Speakers refer to their language as Ùkãã or Ìkã.
Varieties
The name Anyaran is from the town of Anyaran, where it is spoken. Ukaan has several divergent dialects: Ukaan proper, Igau, Ayegbe (Iisheu), Iinno (Iyinno), which only have one-way intelligibility in some cases.
Roger Blench (2005, 2019)Blench, Roger. 2005. The Ukaan language: Bantu in south-western Nigeria? considers Ukaan to consist of at least 3 different languages, and notes that Ukaan varieties spoken in Ìshè,̣ Ẹkakumọ, and Auga all have different lexemes.
Salffner (2009: 27)Salffner, Sophie. 2009. Tone in the phonology, lexicon and grammar of Ikaan. Doctoral dissertation, University of London. lists the following four dialects of Ukaan.
Ikaan: spoken in Ikakumo (Edo State) Ayegbe: spoken in Ise Iigau or Iigao: spoken in Auga Iino: spoken in Ayanran
Distribution Ethnologue lists the following locations where Ukaan is spoken. Ondo State: Akoko North-East LGA Edo State: Akoko Edo LGA Kogi State: Ijumu LGA
Blench (2019) lists Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, towns of Kakumo–Aworo (Kakumo–Kejĩ, Auga and Iṣe); Edo State, Akoko Edo LGA, towns of Kakumo–Akoko and Anyaran.
Reconstruction Proto-Ukaan has been reconstructed by Abiodun (1999).Abiodun, Michael Ajibola. 1999. A comparative phonology and morphology of Ukaan dialects of Old Akoko division. Doctoral dissertation. University of Ilorin.
See also List of Proto-Ukaan reconstructions (Wiktionary)
References
External links ELAR archive of Farming, food and yam: language and cultural practices among Ikaan speakers Roger Blench: Aika (Ukaan) materials