Central Delta languages
The Central Delta languages are spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Ogbia is the most populous, with over 200,000 speakers.
| Central Delta | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | SE Nigeria |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo
|
| Glottolog | cent2028[1] |
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).[2]
| 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 |
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References
- Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Central Delta". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- 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.
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