Ngas, or Angas, is an
Afro-Asiatic
The Afroasiatic languages (also known as Afro-Asiatic, Afrasian, Hamito-Semitic, or Semito-Hamitic) are a language family (or "phylum") of about 400 languages spoken predominantly in West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of th ...
language spoken in
Plateau State
Plateau is a northern states of Nigeria, Nigerian state. It is located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Th ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
. The language has two
dialect
A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
s: Hill Angas and Plain Angas.
[ Ngas is one of the major languages in Plateau State. The 1952 census puts it as the largest ethnic group in Plateau State. Retired General Yakubu Gowon is a prominent Nigerian who is of Ngas ethnicity.
]
Neighbouring languages
Bəlnəŋ is an A3 West Chadic language closely related to Angas. It is spoken by about 500 people in the single village of Langung, which is surrounded by Tal villages in the east and Miship villages in the west.
Speakers of Sur, a Plateau language, are surrounded by Ngas speakers, but Sur nevertheless continues to be a well-maintained language.
The Ngas language has also undergone extensive influence from Tarok.
Phonology
Vowels
* Sounds /ɛ, ɔ/ are only heard as short equivalents of /eː, oː/, which are only heard as long.
Consonants
Writing system
Notes
Further reading
* Donald A. Burquest. 1971. ''A Preliminary Study of Angas Phonology''. Zaria: Institute of Linguistics.
* Donald A. Burquest. 1973. ''A Grammar of Angas''. University of California at Los Angeles, PhD dissertation.
External links
Litafin Addua: The Book of Common Prayer in the Angas Language
(1921) digitized by Richard Mammana
Languages of Nigeria
West Chadic languages
{{Nigeria-stub