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West Chadic
Geographic distribution	Niger, Nigeria
Linguistic classification	Afro-Asiatic Chadic West Chadic
Subdivisions	A.1: Hausa–Gwandara A.2: Bole–Tangale A.3: Angas A.4: Ron B.1: Bade B.2: Warji B.3: Barawa
Language codes
Glottolog	west2785
West Chadic per Newman (1977)

The West Chadic languages of the Afro-Asiatic family are spoken principally in Niger and Nigeria. They include Hausa, the most populous Chadic language and a major language of West Africa.

Languages

The branches of West Chadic go either by names or by letters and numbers in an outline format.

• West Chadic
  • Hausa–Gwandara (A.1): Hausa, Gwandara
  • Bole–Angas (?)
    • Bole–Tangale (A.2)
      • North (Bole proper): Bure, Karekare, Bole, Gera, Geruma, Deno, Galambu, Giiwo, Kubi, Ngamo, Maaka (Maagha), Ɓeele, Daza (Dazawa), ?Pali
      • South (Tangale): Kwaami, Pero, Piya-Kwonci, Kholok, Nyam, Kushi (Goji), Kutto (Kupto), Tangale, Dera (Kanakuru)
    • Angas (Central West Chadic) (A.3)
      • Ngasic: Ngas (Angas), Belnəng
      • Mwaghavulic: Mwaghavul, Mupun (Mapun), Takas (Toos); Cakfem-Mushere
      • Miship (Chip)
      • Pan cluster
        • Chakato/Jorto
        • Jipal, Mernyang (Mirriam), Kwagallak, Kofyar (Doemak), Bwol, Goram, Jibyal
      • Nteng
      • Tel (Tɛɛl, Montol)
      • Talic: Tal, Pyapun, Koenoem
      • Goemaic: Goemai
      • Yiwom (Ywom, Gerka)
    • Ron (A.4): Fyer, Tambas, Ron (Bokkos, Daffo-Butura, Mangar, Monguna), Shagawu, Duhwa (Karfa), Kulere (Tof, Richa, Kamwai-Marhai), Mundat, Sha
  • Bade–Warji (?)
    • Bade (B.1): Duwai; Bade, Shira (†), Ngizim, Teshenawa (†), Auyokawa (†)
    • Warji (North Bauchi) (B.2): Pa'a; Warji, Diri, Ciwogai, Kariya (Vinahə), Mburku, Miya, Siri, Zumbun (Jimbin), Ajawa (†)
  • Barawa (South Bauchi) (B.3)
    • Zaar: Dass; Geji, Polci (Polchi), Saya, Zari, Zeem
    • Guruntum: Guruntum-Mbaaru, Ju, Tala, Zangwal
    • Boghom: Jimi, Jum; Boghom, Kir-Balar, Mangas

In addition, Poki is purportedly West Chadic, but no data is available.

Internal structure

George Starostin's (2010) internal classification of West Chadic as presented in Blažek (2010):

• West Chadic
  • West Chadic A
    • Hausa–Gwandara
    • • Ron
      • Bole-Angas
        • Bole–Tangale
        • Angas–Sura
  • West Chadic B
    • Bade–Ngizim
    • Bauchi
      • North Bauchi
      • South Bauchi

Roger Blench's (2021) internal classification of West Chadic:

• West Chadic
  • Hausa–Gwandara
  • Core West Chadic
    • Ron
    • Bole–Tangale
    • Bade–Ngizim
    • North Bauchi
    • South Bauchi, A3 (Central-West)

Distribution

Distributions of West Chadic branches:

History of dispersal

Roger Blench (2022) suggests that West Chadic languages may have spread via a gradual agricultural dispersal in Central Nigeria, starting from 3,000–4,000 years ago. Blench notes that West Chadic morphology has been heavily influenced by Plateau languages, likely as a result of long-term intermarriage that occurred as West Chadic incomers took local wives who spoke Plateau languages.

Reconstruction

Although no full reconstruction of West Chadic has been published, reconstructions of numerals for West Chadic and its subgroups have been proposed by Václav Blažek (2018).

Phonology

The labial–velar consonants /kp/ and /gb/, widespread in Plateau and other Niger-Congo languages but uncommon in Chadic languages, can be found in Ron languages and in certain West Chadic A3 and Bole-Tangale languages. These consonants were borrowed from Plateau languages due to intensive long-term contact. However, other phonological features typical of Plateau and Niger-Congo languages such as ATR and vowel harmony are not found in West Chadic languages.

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:

References

1. Blench, Roger. 2006. The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List (ms)
2. Blench, Roger (2019). "Jakato: an undocumented language of Central Nigeria".
3. ^ Blench, Roger. 2017. Current research on the A3 West Chadic languages.
4. Blench, Roger. Comparative Ron wordlist.
5. Blench, Roger. 2012. Linguistic and cultural background to the North Bauchi region and the Wiihə people.
6. Starostin, George. 2010. Afroasiatic classification: preliminary results of the modified glottochronological test. Manuscript.
7. ^ Blažek, Václav. 2018. The numerals of West Chadic. Topics in Chadic Linguistics IX. Papers from the 8th Biennial International Colloquium on the Chadic Languages, Bayreuth, February 4–5, 2016.
8. Blench, Roger. 2021. The erosion of number marking in West Chadic Roger Blench. WOCAL, Leiden.
9. ^ Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
10. ^ Blench, Roger (2022). Contact between West Chadic and Plateau languages: new evidence languages: new evidence. 11–12 November 2022, presentation given at Universität Wien.
11. Chan, Eugene (2019). "The Afro-Asiatic Language Phylum". Numeral Systems of the World's Languages.

External links

• The Yobe Languages Research Project by the late Russell G. Schuh of UCLA
• West Chadic resources Archived 2011-05-24 at the Wayback Machine at africanlanguages.org

• Chadic languages
• West Chadic languages
• Languages of Nigeria