Ukaan language


Ukaan is a poorly described Niger–Congo language or dialect cluster of uncertain affiliation.
Roger Blench suspects, based on wordlists, that it might be closest to the Benue–Congo languages. Blench states that "noun-classes and concord make it look Benue-Congo, but evidence is weak."
Speakers refer to their language as Ùkãã or Ìkã.

Varieties

The name Anyaran is from the town of Anyaran, where it is spoken. Ukaan has several divergent dialects: Ukaan proper, Igau, Ayegbe, Iinno, which only have one-way intelligibility in some cases.
Roger Blench considers Ukaan to consist of at least 3 different languages, and notes that Ukaan varieties spoken in Ìshè,̣ Ẹkakumọ, and Auga all have different lexemes.
Salffner lists the following four dialects of Ukaan.
  • Ikaan: spoken in Ikakumo
  • Ayegbe: spoken in Ise
  • Iigau or Iigao: spoken in Auga
  • Iino: spoken in Ayanran

    Distribution

Ethnologue lists the following locations where Ukaan is spoken.
Blench lists Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, towns of Kakumo–Aworo ; Edo State, Akoko Edo LGA, towns of Kakumo–Akoko and Anyaran.

Reconstruction

Proto-Ukaan has been reconstructed by Abiodun.