The Hill Nubian languages, also called Kordofan Nubian, are a dialect continuum of Nubian languages spoken by the Hill Nubians in the northern Nuba Mountains of Sudan.
Classification The Hill Nubian languages are generally classified as being in the Central branch of the Nubian languages, one of three branches of the Nubian languages, the other two being Northern (Nile), consisting of Nobiin, and Western (Darfur), consisting of Midob. They are grouped together with Kenzi-Dongolawi (not seen to be closely related to Nobiin, despite their proximity) and Birgid, a language of southwestern Sudan extinct since the 1970s. Nubian lies within the Eastern Sudanic family, which is part of the Nilo-Saharan phylum.
Languages There are seven Hill Nubian languages, according to Ethnologue and Glottolog. Some of the languages have dialects. Their internal classification within Hill Nubian is not well established. Glottolog classifies Hill Nubian (Kordofan Nubian) into two branches: Eastern Kordofan Nubian and Western Kordofan Nubian, containing three and four languages respectively. Ethnologue, however, only groups Kadaru and Ghulfan together, leaving the rest unclassified within Hill Nubian, as follows: Kadaru-Ghulfan Ghulfan (also Gulfan, Uncu, Uncunwee, Wunci, Wuncimbe) – 33,000 speakers Kadaru (also Kadaro, Kadero, Kaderu, Kodhin, Kodhinniai, Kodoro, Tamya) – 25,000 speakers Dair (also Dabab, Daier, Thaminyi, Kuliniri) – 1,024 speakers Dilling (also Delen, Warkimbe, Warki) – 11,000 speakers El Hugeirat (also El Hagarat) – 50 speakers Karko (also Garko, Kaak, Karme, Kithonirishe, Kakenbi) – 7,000 speakers Wali (also Walari, Walarishe, Wele) – 9,000 speakers Additionally, one extinct language known only from a word list of 36 words, Haraza, is unclassified within Hill Nubian.
List of Kordofan Nubian (Hill Nubian) language varieties according to Rilly (2010:164-165):Rilly, Claude. 2010. Le méroïtique et sa famille linguistique. Leuven: Peeters Publishers.
Language variety Speakers Distribution Dair (Thaminyi) 1,000 Jebel ed-Dair, an isolated escarpment in the northeastern Nuba Mountains Tagle (Taglena, Kororo, Kururu) Jebel Kururu, in the Kadaro Massif Kadaro (Kadero, Kadaru, Kodoro, Kodhin, Kodhinniai) 6,000 Kadaro Massif Koldegi south of the Kadaro Massif Dabatna (Kaalu) Jebel Dabatna, located to the southwest of the Kadaro Massif Habila Jebel Habila, an isolated hill between Dilling and the Kadaro Massif Ghulfan (Gulfan, Wunci, Wuncimbe) 16,384 Ghulfan Massif; Kurgul dialect in the east, and Morung dialect in the west Debri (Wei) Jebel Debri, located south of the Ghulfan Massif Kudur (Kwashi) Jebel Kudur, an isolated hill north of Dilling Dilling (Deleny, Deleñ, Warki) 5,300 Dilling and surroundings Kasha (Kenimbe) Jebel Kasha, an isolated hill north of Dilling Karko (Garko, Kargo, Kithonirishe) 13,000 Karko Massif, located west of Dilling; dialects are Dulman and Kundukur Fanda Jebel Fanda, south of the Karko Massif Kujuria (Kunak) Kunit or Kujuria Hills, located southwest of the Karko Massif Wali (Walari, Walarishe) 1,024 Wali Massif, located southwest of Dilling Tabag Jebel Tabag, an isolated massif in the western Nuba Mountains Abu-Jinuk Jebel Abu Jinuk, an isolated massif in the western Nuba Mountains El-Hugeirat 1,024 far western Nuba Mountains
See also Languages of the Nuba Mountains List of Northern Eastern Sudanic reconstructions (Wiktionary)
References
External links Hill Nubian basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database A collection of Tabaq in ELAR More information on specific linguistic characteristics and/or variations among Hill Nubian languages http://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/djns/vol1/iss1/10 http://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/djns/vol2/iss1/9 http://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/djns/vol2/iss1/13