Koman languages
The Koman languages are a small, close-knit family of languages located along the Ethiopia–Sudan border with about 50,000 speakers. They are conventionally classified as part of the Nilo-Saharan family. However, due to the paucity of evidence, many scholars treat it as an independent language family. Among scholars who do accept its inclusion within Nilo-Saharan, opinions vary as to their position within it.
Koman languages in Ethiopia are in close contact with the Omotic Mao languages. In Ethiopia, some Koman-speaking groups also consider themselves to be ethnically Mao.
Internal classification
The Koman languages are:- Koman
- * Uduk, or T’wampa, — about 20,000 speakers, most at a large refugee camp at Bonga, near Gambela
- * Kwama — about 15,000 speakers, mainly in Benishangul-Gumuz
- * Komo — about 12,000 speakers mainly in An Nil al Azraq
- * Opuuo, or Shita — spoken in 5 villages north of the Nuer by about 5,000 people
- * Dana, a newly discovered language located near Opo
- * ?Gule — extinct
Otero (2019)
Otero's internal classification of Koman:- Koman
- * Gwama
- ** Highland Gwama
- ** Lowland Gwama
- * Central
- ** Komo–Uduk
- *** Komo
- *** Uduk
- **** Chali
- **** Yabus
- ** Dana–Opo
- *** Dana
- *** Opo
- ****
- ***** Bilugu
- ***** Modin
- ****
- ***** Pame
- ***** Kigile
External classification
Dimmendaal notes that mounting grammatical evidence has made the Nilo-Saharan proposal as a whole more sound since Greenberg proposed it in 1963 but that such evidence has not been forthcoming for Songhay, Gumuz, and Koman: "very few of the more widespread nominal and verbal morphological markers of Nilo-Saharan are attested in the Coman languages plus Gumuz... Their genetic status remains debatable, mainly due to lack of more extensive data." And later, "In summarizing the current state of knowledge,... the following language families or phyla can be identified:... Mande, Songhai, Ubangian, Kadu, and the Coman languages plus Gumuz." However, Ahland reports that with better attestation, both Koman and Gumuz do appear to be Nilo-Saharan, and perhaps closest to each other.Reconstruction
Proto-Koman has been reconstructed by Lionel Bender and Otero.Numerals
Comparison of numerals in individual languages:| Language | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Komo | ɗɛ́ | sʊ | dìʃ | dɔɡɔ̀n | bùsʼ | káná ɡɪ ɗɛ́ | káná á sʊ | káná á dìʃ | káná á dɔɡɔ̀n | kʼɔ́ʃ kʼɔ̀lɔ̀ |
| Komo | ɗe / ɗɛʔ | suʔin / sʊʔ | dícin / dǐʃǐn | dōɡɔne / dɔ̄ɣɔ́n | busín / bʊ̀sʼín | kɛnɡɪɗe / kàːnaɡǐɗɛ́ | kɛnnɛsɔ / kàːnàsʊʔ | kɛnnɛdiʃ / kàːnàdɪʃ | kɛnnɛdɔɡɔn / káːndɔ̀ɡɔ̀n | kɔʃinkwolo / kʼɔ́ʃkʼɔ̀lɔ̀ |
| Gwama (Kwama) | sóndò /sɛ́ːnɛ́ /sɛ́ːsʼkìn | sùjá | twásɛ̀n | béːsʼìn | kúːmùtʼ | kúbà-sèːn | kúbá-sùjá | kúbà-twásɛ̄n | kúb-béːsʼín | kʼúːzí |
| Gwama (Kwama) | sɛ́ɛ́kʼín | swíjá | twàsɛ́n | béésʼín | kómòtʼ | kúpà-sɛ́n | kúpà-swíjá | kúpà-twàsɛ̄n | kúpà-béésʼín | kʼoosʼi |
| Kwama (Asosa) | seːko ~ se:ndo / ʔāˈsɛ́n~ ʔāsɛ́l | siːya / ˈsíjá | twazan ~ twasan / ˈtʷāsán | mbisiːna ~ beːsen / bēːsīn | kʷʊmbut ~ kombɔt / ˈkʰūːmùt | kʊmpasɛnde / ˈkōbāsín | kʊmpa-siːya / kōbə̄ˈsìa | kʊmpa-twasən / kōbə̄ˈtʷàsɪn | kʊmpa-n-beːsina / kōˈbeːéːsīn | kʊʃʊmbiːt ~kwuːzia / ˈkūːzi |
| Opuuo (Tʼapo) | ɗɛ̄n~dɛ̄ | sʊ̄kʼá | tùsù | ʍàn | mùtá-kʼʊ̄j | kān-ɪ́-ɗɛ̄, contraction, | kān-ɪ́-sʊ̄kʼá | kān-ɪ́-tùsù | kān-ɪ́-ʍàn | kʼʊ̄j-ā-sʊ̄kʼ-ɛ́n |
| Opuuo (Shita) | ɗán / ɗíán | sùkʼá | tùsú | hwán | mùtá-kʼʷèj | kánè-ɗéé | kánè-sùkʼá | kánè-tùsú | kánè-hʷán | mútá-kʼʷùjá-sùkʼén |
| Opuuo (Shita) | diʃeɗe | ʃuka / cuka | tuʃu / tusu | hwan / ŋwan | mutaːkwei ? | kane-ɗe | kane-ʃuka | kane-tūʃū | kane-hwān | muta-kweya-ʃuka-yen ? |
| Uduk (Twampa) | ɗéʔ | súʔ | kʷārā | dòŋòn | múd̻èɗ | múd̻èɗ pé ɗéʔ | múd̻èɗ pé súʔ | múd̻èɗ pé kʷārā | múd̻èɗ pé dòŋòn | ʼkúmèɗ |
| Uduk | ɗe | suʔ | kwara | doŋon | mudheɗ | peɗe | pesuʔ | pekwara | pedoŋon | kumeɗ |