Ibibioid is one of the Niger-Congo family of languages. It is often referred to as the Ibibio-Efik or the Efik-Ibibio languages/language cluster. All the languages or dialects spoken in Akwa Ibom and Cross River states belong to this specific branch of Benue-Congo, within the wider Niger-Congo language family.

The Lower Cross River languages form a branch of the Cross River languages of Nigeria's geographical southeast. They consist of the divergent Obolo language or Andoni, (200,000 speakers), and the core of the branch, which includes over 15 million speakers of the Efik-Ibibio laanguage cluster.

Obolo Lower Cross proper: Efik-Ibibio, Ibino (Ibeno), Oro (Oron), Okobo, Iko, Ebughu, Ilue, Enwang-Uda, Usaghade Additionally, Ethnologue lists several more languages within the Efik-Ibibio cluster. (See Ibibio-Efik languages.)

Forde and Jones (1950) considered Ibino and Oro to be Efik-Ibibio.

Names and locations Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).

Language Branch Dialects Alternate spellings Own name for language Endonym(s) Other names (location-based) Other names for language Exonym(s) Speakers Location(s) Notes Ebughu Ebughu Ebughu Oron more than 5,000 (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo and Oron LGAs Enwang Enwang Enwang Oron (incorrectly) estimated 50,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA Iko Iko Obolo (incorrectly included within Obolo) Three villages: 5,000+ (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA Ilue Idua Ilue 5,000 (1988); diminishing Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA Ọkọbọ 11,200 (1945 F&J); 50,000 Akwa Ibom State, Okobo LGA Uda Uda 10,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA Ukwa Cross River State, Akampka LGA Usaghade Usakade(t) Usaghade Isangele estimate 10,000 (1990) although mostly in Cameroon Cross River State, Odukpani LGA; mainly in Cameroon, Isangele sub–division Idere Idere more than 5,000 (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Itu LGA no data Efai Efai Effiat (from Efik) >5,000 (1988 est.) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA; Cameroon, Isangele sub–division Ọrọ Oron Ọrọ (Oro) Ọrọ (Oro) 319,000 (1963 per Kuperus) Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA Ito Ito 5,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Akamkpa LGA no data Eki Eki 5000 plus (1988) Cross River State no data Etebi Central Etebi Oron (incorrectly); Ekit (incorrectly) estimate 15,000 (1989) Akwa Ibom State, Uquo Ibeno LGA Itu Mbon Uzo Central Itu Mbuzo Itu Mbon Uzo 5,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Ikono LGA Anaang Central Abak, Ikot Ekpene, Ukanafun Annang, Anang, Anaŋ 246,000 (F&J 1944-5): estimated 1,000,000 (1990) Akwa Ibom State, Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim, Abak, Ukanafun and Oruk–Anam LGAs Efik Central Calabar 26,300 (1950 F&J),Forde, C.D. and G.I. Jones 1950. The Ibo and Ibibio speaking peoples of Southern Nigeria. Ethnographic Survey of Africa. Western Africa part III. International African Institute, London. 10,000 in Cameroon; 360,000 first language speakers; spoken as a second language by 1.3 million (UN 1960), 3.5 million (1986 UBS) diminishing Cross River State, Calabar municipality, Odukpani and Akamkpa LGAs; and in Cameroon Ekit Central Ekid, Eket 22,000 (1952 W&B); estimated 200,000 (1989) Akwa Ibom State, Eket and Uquo Ibeno LGAs Ibibio Central Nkari, Enyong, Central, Itak, Nsit etc. roughly according to clans Ibibyo 800,000 (1952) (may include Efik); 283,000 (1945 F&J); 2 million (1973 census); estimated 2.5 million (Ibibio proper 1990) Akwa Ibom State, Ikono, Itu, Uyo, Etinan, Ekpe–Atai, Uruan, Nsit–Ubium, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Abasi LGAs Ibuoro Central Ibuoro 5,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Itu and Ikono LGAs Obolo West From West to East: Ataba, Unyeada, Ngo, Okoroete, Ibot Obolo Òbólò Andoni 22,400 (1944 F&J); 90,000 (1983 Aaron); 100,000 (Faraclas 1989) Rivers State, Andoni LGA: western dialects; Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA: eastern dialects Ibinọ West Ibuno, Ibeno 10,000 (Faraclas (1989) Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA

Reconstructions Proto-Lower Cross River has been reconstructed by Connell (n.d.)Connell, Bruce. n.d. Comparative Lower Cross wordlist.

See also List of Proto-Lower Cross River reconstructions (Wiktionary)

References

Further reading Connell, Bruce. n.d. Comparative Lower Cross wordlist. Unpublished manuscript.