The Kainji languages are a group of about 60 related languages spoken in west-central
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. They form part of the Central Nigerian (Platoid) branch of
Benue–Congo.
Demographics
Four of the most widely spoken Kainji languages are
Tsuvadi (150,000),
Cishingini and
Tsishingini (100,000 each)—all from the
Kambari branch; and
Clela (C'lela, Lela) (100,000), of the
Northwest Kainji branch. In total, there were about one million speakers of Kainji languages (1990s estimate) in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
History
Proto-Kainji is estimated by Blench (2012) to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old. Its broken distribution today is likely due to the historical northward expansion of the
Nupoid languages
The Nupoid languages are a branch of Volta–Niger spoken in west-central Nigeria, particularly in southeastern Niger State and northern Kogi State. They include the Nupe and Ebira languages, each with about 4 million speakers. Most Nupoid lang ...
.
Morphology
Proto-Kainji nominal prefixes:
* *mV- for liquids and other mass nouns
* *u- for person, *ba- for people
* *kV- for diminutive and perhaps also augmentative; also found in some
Plateau languages
Classification
The most divergent of the Kainji languages are
Reshe,
Laru and
Lopa, which may form a branch together. Subclassification of the other branches is not yet clear. A bipartite division between East Kainji and West Kainji is no longer maintained, with West Kainji now being
paraphyletic
In taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In ...
.
Blench (2018)
Most recent Kainji classification by Blench (2018:64):
[Blench, Roger M. 2018. Nominal affixing in the Kainji languages of northwestern and central Nigeria. In John R. Watters (ed.), East Benue-Congo: Nouns, pronouns, and verbs, 59–106. Berlin: Language Science Press. ]
*Lake
**''
Reshe''
**Upper Niger
***''
Rop''
***''
Shen'', ''Shuba''
*Central
**
Northwest Kainji
**
Kambari, ''
Cicipu''
**
East Kainji
**
Kamuku,
Shiroro,
Basa
Blench (2012)
Blench's (2012) classification is:
*Lakes:
Reshe;
Laru (Shen),
Lopa (Rerang)
*Kainji proper (Central)
**
Northwest Kainji (Lela)
**(branch)
***
Kambari, ''
Cicipu''
***
Basa,
East Kainji
***
Kamuku,
Shiroro
McGill (2012)
A revised classification of the Kainji languages by McGill (2012) splits Kainji into the ''Lake'' and ''Central'' branches.
[McGill, Stuart. 2012. The Kainji languages. Ms, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 30 August 2012.]
;Kainji
* Lake
**
Reshe
** Upper Niger
***
Sengwe/
Laru
***
Oleran/
Lopa:
Rop,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
* Central
**
Basa, Eastern
** Northwest
***
Damakawa
***
C'lela
Lela or C'lela (Clela) is a Kainji language of Nigeria. It is known as Chilela in Hausa, and it is also known as Dakarkari, because it is spoken by the Dakarkari people Location
The Lela live mostly in Kebbi State and Niger State. However, there a ...
***
Hun
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...
-
Saare/
Duka;
Wuri-
Gwamhi-
Mba,
Ma'in/
Fakai
**
Kambari
***
Cicipu
*** West:
Gaushi/
Auna
Auna is an integrated healthcare provider with operations in Peru and Colombia. It counts with over 7,500 collaborators in its network.
Auna was absorbed in 2005 by the operator ONO
ONO, Ono or Ōno may refer to:
Places Fiji
* Ono Island ...
,
Kimba,
Wunci/
Agwara
*** East:
Shingini/
Salka
Salka ( hu, Ipolyszalka) is a village and municipality in the Nové Zámky District in the Nitra Region of south-west Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1156.
Geography
The municipality lies at an altitude ...
,
Va'di,
Bangi
** Nuclear
***
Shiroro
****
Bauchi
Bauchi (earlier Yakoba) is a city in northeast Nigeria, the Administrative center of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. It is located on the northern edge of the Jos Plate ...
: Mun-Wayam, Rubo-Supana
****
Gurmana
****
Rin/
Pongu,
Waga
Waga ( si, වග, ta, வாகா) is an area or a cluster of villages in Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Administrated by Seethawaka Pradeshiya Sabha (Divisional Council). It is within the Seethawaka Divisional Secretariat Division. Waga is sai ...
****
Fungwa/
Ura
***
Kamuku-
Hunwarya/
Ngwoi
****
Hunwarya/
Ngwoi
****
Kamuku
*****
Regi-
Cinda-
Kuki
*****
Rogo-
Shiyabe,
Zubazuba-
East Acipa
*****
Shama
Gerhardt (1983)
Classification of ''Plateau 1a'' (now West Kainji) and ''Plateau 1b'' (now East Kainji) languages by Gerhardt (1983), based on Maddieson (1972):
[Maddieson, Ian. 1972. ''The Benue-Congo Languages of Nigeria''. Sheet 1 and 2: ''Plateau''. Mimeographed paper. Ibadan.]
;Plateau 1a
*Laru-Lopa
*Reshe
*Kambari cluster
*Ngwoi, Kamuku cluster, Bassa-Kontagora, Ashaganna
*Bassa-Kaduna, Bassa-Kuta, Gurmana, Pongo, Baushi, Ura, Bassa-Kwomu
*Dakarkari, Duka, Pəku-Kəri-Wipsi cluster, Lyase
;Plateau 1b
*Kuda-Chamo, Butu-Ningi, Gyema, Taura, Lemoro-Sanga, Janji, Shani, Buji-Ibunu-Jere-Gus, Anaguta
*Kuzamaini, Kurama, Rumaya, Ruruma, Binawa, Kono, Surubu
*Kaivi, Kiballo, Kitimi, Kinuku, Dungi, Gure-Kahugu
*Amo
Names and locations
Below is a comprehensive list of Kainji language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).
Note: ''West Kainji'' is geographical rather than genealogical.
East Kainji
West Kainji
Numerals
Comparison of numerals in individual languages:
References
*Blench, Roger. 2012
The Kainji languages of northwestern and central Nigeria(Roger Blench)
External links
ComparaLex database with Kainji word lists
{{Niger-Congo branches
Benue–Congo languages