Tivoid languages

The Tivoid languages are a subfamily of the Southern Bantoid languages spoken in parts of Nigeria and Cameroon.

Tivoid
Geographic
distribution		Southeastern Nigeria, southwestern Cameroon
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo
Glottologtivo1239[1]
The Tivoid languages shown within Nigeria and Cameroon:

Uncertain affiliation:

  Buru
  Furu
  Eastern Beboid
  Momo
  Menchum
  Esimbi

Isolates:

  Mesaka

other Tivoid:

  North Tivoid
  Central Tivoid

The majority are threatened with extinction. The largest of these languages by far is the Tiv language for which the group is named; it had 2 million speakers in 1991. The second largest is the Bitare language; it had 110,000 speakers in 2000. Most apart from Tiv are extremely poorly known, and the next best, Esimbi, has not even been demonstrated to be Tivoid.

Languages

Following Blench (2010), Tivoid languages fall into three branches, though North Tivoid languages are almost unattested. The names in parentheses are dialects per Ethnologue, separate languages per Blench:

Central Tivoid
A: Tiv–Iyive–Otank, Evant; Ceve (Oliti)
B: Caka (Batanga, Asaka), Ipulo (Olulu), Eman (Amanavil)
Mesaka (Ugarə)
North Tivoid
Batu (Afi, Kamino), Abon, Bitare, ? Ambo

Esimbi is well attested, but there is not much reason to consider it Tivoid; it has just about as much in common with Grassfields languages.[2] The status of Buru within Tivoid is also uncertain.[2]

SIL Ethnologue lists three additional languages, Manta, Balo and Osatu, based on an old, provisional assignment of Blench; Blench (2010) states they are instead in the Southwest Grassfields (Western Momo) family.

The Momo languages, traditionally classified as Grassfields, may be closer to Tivoid, though that may be an effect of contact.[3]

Menchum, traditionally classified as Grassfields, may also be a Grassfields language or closer to Tivoid.

Names and locations (Nigeria)

Below is a list of Tivoid language names, populations, and locations (in Nigeria only) from Blench (2019).[4]

LanguageClusterAlternate spellingsOwn name for languageEndonym(s)Other names (location-based)Other names for languageExonym(s)SpeakersLocation(s)
AbonAbongAbõAbõAbonBa’banOnly spoken in Abong townTaraba State, Sardauna LGA, Abong town (east of Baissa)
Batu clusterBatu25,000 (SIL)Taraba State, Sardauna LGA, several villages east of Baissa, below the Mambila escarpment
Amanda–Afi clusterBatuTaraba State, Sardauna LGA, Batu Amanda and Batu Afi villages
AngweBatuTaraba State, Sardauna LGA, Batu Angwe village
KaminoBatuTaraba State, Sardauna LGA, Batu Kamino village
EmaneAmanaNo proof of permanent communities in NigeriaCross River State, Obudu LGA; and in Cameroon
EvantAvande, Evand, OvandeBalagete, BelegeteCross River State, Obudu LGA and in Cameroon
Iceve clusterIceveBanagere, Iyon, Utse, Utser, Utseu5,000 in Nigeria, 7,000 in Cameroon (1990 est.)Cross River State, Obudu LGA and in adjacent Cameroon
CeveIceveIcheve, Becheve, Bacheve, Bechere,IceveBaceveOchebe, Ocheve (names of founding ancestor)Cross River State, Obudu LGA and mainly in adjacent Cameroon
MaciIceveMatchiMaciKwaya, Olit, OlitiCross River State, Obudu LGA
IyiveUiveYiiveNdirAsumbo (Cover term used in Cameroon)2,000Benue State, Kwande LGA, near Turan; and in Cameroon (several villages in Manyu Département)
OtankUtanga, Otanga2,000 (1953 Bohannan); 2,500 (SIL)Cross River State, Obudu LGA; Benue State, Kwande LGA
TivTív, TiviMunshi (not recommended)800,000 (1952); 1,500,000 (1980 UBS)Benue State, Makurdi, Gwer, Gboko Kwande, Vandeikya and Katsina Ala LGAs; Nasarawa State, Lafia LGA; Taraba State, Wukari, Takum, Bali LGA; and in Cameroon
UgarәBinangeli, Messaka5000 (1994 est.)Cassetta & Cassetta (1994): ‘Probably 75‒80% of Ugare speakers live on the Cameroon side of the border, in the Akwaya subdivision of Cameroon’s Southwest Province.’
BitareNjwande, Yukutare3,700 in Cameroon (1987 SIL); 3,000 in Nigeria (1973 SIL)Taraba State; Sardauna LGA, near Baissa; and in Cameroon
AmboA single village east of BaissaTaraba State, Sardauna LGA

See also

Notes
  1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Tivoid". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  2. Blench, Roger (2010). "The Tivoid Languages" (PDF). p. 13.
  3. Blenh, Roger (2010). "Classification of Momo and West Momo" (PDF).
  4. Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.

References
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