Ijaw languages


The Ijaw languages, also spelled Ịjọ, are the languages spoken by over 14 million Ijaw people in Nigeria.

Classification

The Ijo languages were traditionally considered a distinct branch of the Niger–Congo family. They are notable for their subject–object–verb basic word order, which is otherwise an unusual feature in Niger–Congo, shared only by such distant potential branches as Mande and Dogon. Like Mande and Dogon, Ijoid lacks even traces of the noun class system considered characteristic of Niger–Congo. This motivated Joseph Greenberg, in his initial classification of Niger–Congo, to describe them as having split early from that family. However, owing to the lack of these features, linguist Gerrit Dimmendaal doubts their inclusion in Niger–Congo altogether and considers the Ijoid languages to be an independent family.
The ijoid languages can be classified into three main linguistic groups, Eastern Ijo, Western Ijo and Central Ijo, with the Central Izon language being the most common.
  • Ijoid
  • * Eastern Ijo
  • ** Nkoroo
  • ** Kalabari
  • ** Bille
  • ** Ibani, Obolo, Wakirike
  • ** Southeast Ijo/Central Ijo
  • *** Nembe
  • *** Akassa
  • * Central Ijo/Inland Ijo
  • ** Central Izon
  • *** Furupaga, Finima, Engeni, Arogbo, Burutu, Patani, Oboro etc
  • ** Biseni
  • *** Akinima, Engeni, Egbema, Mbiama
  • ** Akita
  • ** Ogbia
  • ** Abua/Odual, Apoi, Arogbo etc
  • ** Oruma
  • * Western Ijo
  • ** Furupagha, Apoi, Olodiama, Arogbo etc

    Names and locations

Below is a list of some Ijaw language names, groups, and locations.
LanguageGroupAlternate NamesSpeakersLocation
OrumaCentral IjoKąąma, TugbaruBayelsa State
NembeCentral IjoNimbi, AkahaBrass, Akassa, NembeBayelsa State
KalabariEastern IjoDegema, Abonema, Kula, Ke, Asari-Toru, Akuku-Toru, Bille, Krakrama etcRivers State
OgbiaCentral IjoKolo, Anyama, Immiringi, Emakalakala/Amakalakala, Ogbia, Ewoma, etcBayelsa State
BilleEastern IjoDegema, BilleRivers State
WakirikiEastern IjoKirikeOkirika, Ogu-BoloRivers State
OkodiaCentral Ijo, Western IjoAkitaBuseni, Yenagoa, Operemo, Opukuma etcBayelsa State, Edo State
Epie/AtissaCentral IjoYenagoa, Ekpetiama, Akenfa, Gbaran, Agudama, Epie, Atissa etcBayelsa State
BiseniCentral IjoBuseniBiseni, Mbiama, Akinima, Engeni, Egbema etcBayelsa State, Rivers State
Central Izon Central Ijo, Western IjoIjaw, Izon, IjoBurutu, Sagbama, Bomadi, Warri, Oporoza, Tuomo, Kolokuma, Patani, Southern Ijaw, Ekeremor, Focardos, Ndoro, Opokuma, Egbema, Zide, Kabo, Age, Toru-Orua, Ogobiri, Amassoma, Aleibiri, Torugbene, Angiama, Ayamasa, Igbematoru, Azuzuama, Anyama Ijaw, Okumo/Ukomo, Tarakiri, Furupagha, Boma, Oporoma, Olodiama, Pakiama, Oboro, Isama, Akugbene, Okologba etcBayelsa State, Delta State
ApoiCentral Ijo, Western IjoOboro, Oju-ala, Apoi, Adolesemo, Ese-Odo, Inikorogha, Taribo etcBayelsa State, Ondo State, Delta State
Abua/OdualCentral IjoAbua, OdualRivers State
ArogboCentral Ijo, Western IjoFiniama, Akpata, Opuba, Ukpe, Ajapa, Arogbo etcBayelsa State, Ondo State
AbureniCentral IjoAbureni, OgbiaBayelsa State
IbaniEastern IjoOpobo, Bonny, Finima, Nkoro, Borokiri, Oloma, Abalama, Peretside etcRivers State
OboloEastern IjoAndoniAkaradi, Andoni, Anyama-aganna, Ibeno, Eastern Obolo, Anyamabeko etcRivers State, AkwaIbom State

In the diaspora

, an extinct creole spoken in Guyana, had a lexicon based partly on an Ịjọ language, perhaps the ancestor of Kalabari.

Education and media

In June 2013, the Izon Fie instructional book and audio CDs were launched at a ceremony attended by officials of the government of Bayelsa State. The Niger Delta University is working to expand the range of books available in the Ijo language. Translations of poetry and the Call of the River Nun by Gabriel Okara are underway.