The Plateau languages are a tentative group of forty or so Benue–Congo languages spoken by 15 million people on the Jos Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Nasarawa State and in adjacent areas in central Nigeria.
Berom and Eggon have the most speakers. Most Plateau languages are threatened and have around 2,000-10,000 speakers.Blench, Roger. 2007. Language families of the Nigerian Middle Belt and the historical implications of their distribution. Presented to the Jos Linguistic Circle in Jos, Nigeria, July 25, 2007.
Defining features of the Plateau family have only been published in manuscript form (Blench 2008). Many of the languages have highly elaborate phonology systems that make comparison with poor data difficult.
Branches and locations Below is a list of major Plateau branches and their primary locations (centres of diversity) based on Blench (2019).
+ Distributions of Plateau branches Branch Primary locations Alumic Akwanga LGA, Nasarawa State Beromic Barkin Ladi, Jos North, Jos South and Riyom LGAs, Plateau State; and Jema'a LGAs, Kaduna State Central Jaba, Jema'a, Kachia, Kagarko, Kajuru, Kaura, Kauru and Zangon Kataf LGAs, Kaduna State; and Bassa, Jos East and Jos North LGAs, Plateau State; Toro and Tafawa Balewa LGAs, Bauchi State East Mangu LGA, Plateau State Ndunic Sanga LGA, Kaduna State Ninzic Jema'a and Sanga LGAs, Kaduna State; and Akwanga LGA, Nasarawa State South Akwanga, Nasarawa Eggon, Lafia LGAs, Nasarawa State; Bwari LGA, Federal Capital Territory Tarokoid Langtang North, Langtang South, Wase LGAs, Plateau State
The Plateau languages are highly typologically and lexically diverse. For instance, Roger Blench (2022) notes that Beromic is more internally diverse than all of West Chadic A3.Blench, Roger (2022). Contact between West Chadic and Plateau languages: new evidence languages: new evidence. 11-12 November 2022, presentation given at Universität Wien.
Classification Little work has been done on the Plateau languages, and the results to date are tentative.
Blench (2018) Blench (2018:112) gives the following classification of the Plateau languages.Blench, Roger M. 2018. Nominal affixes and number marking in the Plateau languages of Central Nigeria. In John R. Watters (ed.), East Benue-Congo: Nouns, pronouns, and verbs, 107–172. Berlin: Language Science Press.
Plateau Tarokoid (5) South Eggonic (2) Jilic (2–4) ? East (2–3) Bo-Rukul Horom-Fyem Ndunic (Ahwai) (1–3) Alumic (4) Ninzic (13–14) ? West-Central area (~20) Rigwe Tyapic Izeric Hyamic Koro Gyongic North-West Beromic (4) ? Eloyi
Blench (2008) The following classification is taken from Blench (2008). Most of the branches are discrete constituents, though Central is a residual grouping and there are doubts about some of the purported Ninzic languages. Plateau languages as a whole share a number of isoglosses, as do all branches apart from Tarokoid.
Plateau Tarokoid (5)
Eloyi South Eggonic (2) Jilic (2–4) Ndunic (Ahwai) (1–3) Alumic (4) Ninzic (13–14) ? East (2–3) ? Central (20) Beromic (4)
Glottolog adds the Yukubenic languages. Blench, however, places Yukubenic in the Jukunoid family, following Shimizu (1980).
Gerhardt (1983) Classification of Plateau languages by Gerhardt (1983),Gerhardt, Ludwig. 1983. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Sprachen des Nigerianischen Plateaus. Glückstadt: Verlag J. J. Augustin. based on Maddieson (1972):Maddieson, Ian. 1972. The Benue-Congo Languages of Nigeria. Sheet 1 and 2: Plateau. Mimeographed paper. Ibadan.
Plateau Plateau 1a, 1b (Kainji languages) Plateau 2 Yeskwa, Lungu, Koro Kamanton, Kagoma, Jaba cluster, Nandu-Tari Afuzare, Kaje, Iregwe Kagoro, Ataka, Katab (including Kachicheri, Kafanchan), Marwa Kadara, Kuturmi, Ikulu, Idong, Doka, Iku-Gora-Ankwa Plateau 3 Migili (?, L. G.) Birom (including Aboro, Afango) Aten Plateau 4 Ayu Kwanka-Boi-Bijim-Shall-Zwall Ninzam, Mada, Gwantu, Numana-Nunku, Nindem, Kaningkon, Kanufi Rukuba Plateau 5 Yashi Eggon, Nungu, Ake, Jidda-Abu Plateau 6 Pyam Horom Plateau 7 Tarok (= Yergam) Bashar Pai Plateau 8 Mabo-Barkul Plateau 9 Eloyi Plateau 10 Turkwam, Arum-Chesu
Note: Plateau 1 languages, consisting of Plateau 1a and 1b, are now classified separately as Kainji languages.
Language list List of Plateau languages given by Blench (2018):
Plateau Northwest Eda Edra Acro Obiro Mwaghavul Ẹjẹgha (Idon) Doka Ẹhwa (Iku-Gora-Ankwe) Beromic Berom Buji Cara Iten Shall-Zwall West-Central (area) Izeric Izere of Fobur Icèn, Ganàng, Fəràn Rigwe Southern Zaria (now Southern Kaduna) Tyapic Jju Tyap Gworok Takad (Attakar) Tyecarak (Kacicere) Sholyio Fantswam (Kafancan) Tyuku Koro Ashe Tinɔr (Waci-Myamya) Idũ, Gwara Nyankpa-Barde Hyamic Shamang Cori Hyam Zhire Shang Gyongic Gyong (Kagoma) Nɡhan (Kamanton) Ninzic Ninzo Ce Bu-Niŋkada Mada Numana-Nunku-Gwantu-Numbu Ningye-Ninka Anib Ninkyob Nindem Nungu Ayu Ndunic Ndun (Tari) Alumic Toro, Alumu-Təsu Hasha Sambe Southern Eggonic Eggon Ake Jilic Jili Jijili Southeastern (?) Fyem Horom Bo-Rukul Tarokoid Tarok Pe (Pai) Kwang-Ya-Bijim-Legeri Yaŋkam (Bashar) Sur (Tapshin) Eloyi
Nisam is a presumed Plateau language once spoken in Nince Village, Kaduna State, but its place within the Plateau branch cannot be ascertained due to the lack of linguistic data. In 2005, there was only one speaker of Nisam.Blench, Roger M. 2012. Akpondu, Nigbo, Bəbər and Nisam: moribund or extinct languages of central Nigeria Babur.
Morphology Proto-Plateau nominal prefixes:
*ni- (corresponding to Bantu noun class 9 *n- for animals and inanimate objects) *V- for person, *bV- for people *N- prefixes, homorganic with the following consonant *nV- ~ *mV- (both singular and plural), which mark liquids, mass nouns, and abstract nouns
Only some of the languages have nominal classes, as the Bantu languages have, where in others these have eroded. In many Plateau languages, many CV- prefixes have become fossilised, replaced by V- prefixes, or disappeared altogether. The large numbers of consonants in many languages is due to the erosion of noun-class prefixes.
In Plateau languages, adjectives and possessive forms generally follow the noun.
Reconstructions Some Proto-Plateau quasi-reconstructions proposed by Roger Blench (2008) are: No. Gloss Proto-Plateau 1. tree #ku-kon V-kon 2. leaf #(g)yaNa 4. dew #-myeŋe 12. wind #-gbulu 21. hunger #igbyoŋ 25. ear #ku-toŋ(ɔ) 26. mouth #ku-nyu 30. female breast #ambɛŋ 31. navel #i-kumbu 32. bone #-kupu 35. blood #-(n)ji 64. twelve/ten #isok-
Numerals Comparison of numerals in individual languages:
Classification Language 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 South Lijili lō̥ àbē̥ àtʃé̥ ànàró̥ àsó̥ mìnzí mútá rúnó̥ zàtʃé̥ zàbè̥ Beromic Aten (Iten) dáy fà tàt / tʃàt nàːs wí tàːrà nìtà nàràs dùːdʒàŋ dùːbɔ̀ Beromic Berom (Birom) ɡwīnìŋ / (d)īnìŋ (Roots) -bā -tāt -nāːs -tūŋūn -tī̄ː mìn -tāːmà (5+ 2) -rwīːt (5+ 3) syāː-tāt (12- 3) syāː-tāt (12- 2) Central, South-Central Irigwe (Rigwe) ˀzrú ˀʍʲè ˀt͡sʲɛ̀ ˀni ˀt͡ɕʷòô rít͡sʲɛ́ nat͡sʲɛ́ klaǹvà kruvájá ʃʷá Central, South-Central Jju (Kaje) əyriŋ əhwa ətat ənaai əpfwɔn əkitat (2 x 3) ətiyriŋ ənaimbvwak əkumbvuyriŋ swak Central, South-Central Tyap (Kataf) əɲiuŋ/ ʒyiuŋ əfeaŋ/ sweaŋ ətat/ t͡sat ənaai/ ɲaai əfwuon/ t͡swuon ətaa ənatat əninai/ ərinai əkubunyiuŋ swak Northern Ikulu (Kulu) íńjí íńpààlá íńtáá íńnāā íńcūū íńcúnú tɔ́ɔ̀pāā níǹnāā (2 x 4) ? tɔ́ɔ̀llāā nùkɔ̄p Southeastern Fyam (Pyem) kʲéŋ por táár naas tóón táárin támor tʃínít téres dukút Tarokoid Tarok (Yergam) ùzɨ̀ŋ ùpàrɨ́m ùʃáɗɨ́ŋ ùnèɗɨ́ŋ ùtúkún ùk͡pə́ɗɨ́ŋ ùfàŋʃát ùnə̀nnè ùfàŋzɨ́ŋtɨ́ŋ ùɡ͡bə́pei Western, Northwestern, Hyamic Hyam (Jabba) ʒìnì fe̠ri taat naaŋ twoo twaani (5+ 1) ? twarfo (5+ 2) ? naaraŋ (2 x 4) ? mbwan kɔb (10 - 1) kɔ́b Western, Northwestern, Koro Yeskwa (Nyenkpa) ènyí ènvà èntât ènnà èntyúò èncí tònvà tóndát tyúôrá ókóp Western, Southwestern, A Mada (Madda) ɡyə̄r ywā tar nlyɛ̄ tun tānnɛ̀n tāmɡ͡bā tāndà tīyār ɡùr Western, Southwestern, A Ninzo jír há tár nə̄(s) ʈʷí tānì tāŋɡ͡bā tāndàr tīr(s) wūr Western, Southwestern, A Rukuba (Che) ɡyín -hàk -tát -nàs -túŋ tàiŋ taŋbák taːrat taːras uwùruk Western, Southwestern, B Eggon (1) ákiə́n àhàà àtráá ùɲí òtnó ùfín (5+ 1) àfóhà (5+ 2) àfóté (5+ 3) àfúúɲí (5+ 4) ókpo Western, Southwestern, B Eggon (2) òrí ɔ̀hà ɔ̀cá òɲì ɔ̀tnɔ̂ ə̀fĩ́ (5+ 1) ɔ̀fɔ́hà (5+ 2) ɔ̀fɔ́tɛ́ (5+ 3) ɔ̀fɔ̂ɲí (5+ 4) ɔ̀kbɔ́
See also List of Plateau reconstructions (Wiktionary) Systematic graphic of the Niger–Congo language family
Footnotes
References Blench, Roger. 2008. Prospecting proto-Plateau. Manuscript. Blench, Roger. 2023. A guide to parts of speech in languages of Central Nigeria. Cambridge: Kay William Educational Foundation (KWEF).
External links Plateau materials from Roger Blench ComparaLex, database with Plateau word lists