Lower Cross River languages
Group of Nigerian languages
The Lower Cross River languages form a branch of the Cross River languages of Cross River State , Nigeria . They consist of the divergent Obolo language (or Andoni, 200,000 speakers), and the core of the branch, which includes the 4 million speakers of the Efik-Ibibio cluster.[ 1]
Additionally, Ethnologue lists several more languages within the Efik-Ibibio cluster. (See Ibibio-Efik languages .)
Forde and Jones (1950) considered Ibino and Oro to be Efik-Ibibio.
Names and locations
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[ 2]
Language
Branch
Dialects
Alternate spellings
Own name for language
Endonym (s)Other names (location-based)
Other names for language
Exonym (s)Speakers
Location(s)
Notes
Ebughu Ebughu
Ebughu
Oron
more than 5,000 (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Mbo and Oron LGAs
Enwang Enwang
Enwang
Oron (incorrectly)
estimated 50,000 plus (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Mbo LGA
Iko Iko
Obolo (incorrectly included within Obolo)
Three villages: 5,000+ (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Eastern Obolo LGA[ 3]
Ilue Idua
Ilue
5,000 (1988); diminishing
Akwa Ibom State , Oron LGA
Ọkọbọ 11,200 (1945 F&J); 50,000
Akwa Ibom State , Okobo LGA
Uda Uda
10,000 plus (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Mbo LGA
Ukwa Cross River State , Akampka LGA
Usaghade Usakade(t)
Usaghade
Isangele
estimate 10,000 (1990) although mostly in Cameroon
Cross River State , Odukpani LGA; mainly in Cameroon , Isangele sub–division
Idere Idere
more than 5,000 (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Itu LGAno data
Efai Efai
Effiat (from Efik)
>5,000 (1988 est.)
Akwa Ibom State , Mbo LGA; Cameroon , Isangele sub–division
Ọrọ Oron
Ọrọ (Oro)
Ọrọ (Oro)
319,000 (1963 per Kuperus)
Akwa Ibom State , Oron LGA
Ito Ito
5,000 plus (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Akamkpa LGAno data
Eki Eki
5000 plus (1988)
Cross River State no data
Etebi Central
Etebi
Oron (incorrectly); Ekit (incorrectly)
estimate 15,000 (1989)
Akwa Ibom State , Uquo Ibeno LGA
Itu Mbon Uzo Central
Itu Mbuzo
Itu Mbon Uzo
5,000 plus (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Ikono LGA
Anaang Central
Abak, Ikot Ekpene, Ukanafun
Annang, Anang, Anaŋ
246,000 (F&J 1944-5): estimated 1,000,000 (1990)
Akwa Ibom State , Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim, Abak, Ukanafun and Oruk–Anam LGAs
Efik Central
Calabar
26,300 (1950 F&J),[ 4] Cameroon ; 360,000 first language speakers; spoken as a second language by 1.3 million (UN 1960), 3.5 million (1986 UBS) diminishing
Cross River State , Calabar municipality, Odukpani and Akamkpa LGAs; and in Cameroon
Ekit Central
Ekid, Eket
22,000 (1952 W&B); estimated 200,000 (1989)
Akwa Ibom State , Eket and Uquo Ibeno LGAs
Ibibio Central
Nkari, Enyong, Central, Itak, Nsit etc. roughly according to clans
Ibibyo
800,000 (1952) (may include Efik); 283,000 (1945 F&J); 2 million (1973 census); estimated 2.5 million (Ibibio proper 1990)
Akwa Ibom State , Ikono, Itu, Uyo, Etinan, Ekpe–Atai, Uruan, Nsit–Ubium, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Abasi LGAs
Ibuoro Central
Ibuoro
5,000 plus (1988)
Akwa Ibom State , Itu and Ikono LGAs
Obolo West
From West to East: Ataba, Unyeada, Ngo, Okoroete, Ibot Obolo
Òbólò
Andoni
22,400 (1944 F&J); 90,000 (1983 Aaron); 100,000 (Faraclas 1989)
Rivers State , Andoni LGA: western dialects; Akwa Ibom State , Eastern Obolo LGA: eastern dialects[ 5]
Ibinọ West
Ibuno, Ibeno
10,000 (Faraclas (1989)
Akwa Ibom State , Ibeno LGA[ 6]
Reconstructions
Proto-Lower Cross River has been reconstructed by Connell (n.d.)[ 7]
See also
References
^ Essien, Okon (1990). A grammar of the Ibibio language . Ibadan, Nigeria: University Press Limited. ^ Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation. ^ "Iko" .^ Forde, C.D. and G.I. Jones 1950. The Ibo and Ibibio speaking peoples of Southern Nigeria. Ethnographic Survey of Africa. Western Africa part III. International African Institute, London.
^ "Obolo" .^ "Ibino" .^ Connell, Bruce. n.d. Comparative Lower Cross wordlist .
text available under the CC BY 3.0 license.
Further reading
