ADAMAWA-UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

 

The Adamawa-Ubangian languages are probably Africa’s least-known large language family, despite including some 160 languages. A major branch of Niger-Congo, they were first defined by Joseph Greenberg in 1955, having been previously treated as ‘isolated languages’. Greenberg (1963:9 ff.) called them ‘Adamawa-Eastern’, the term ‘Eastern’ grouping the languages today known as Ubangian. There are many hypotheses as to the reason for this neglect, but probably the most important is remoteness, and the fact that Adamawa languages are spoken in remote areas and scattered across several countries, traversing the Anglophone/Francophone divide. This website is intended to make available data and references on these important but little-known languages.

 

At present, all that is available is an outline of the site and the topics we intend to cover. Much of the material is field survey data, evidently preliminary in nature, and should be treated with the appropriate caveats. Each dataset is ascribed to a particular fieldworker, who would certainly like to hear from anyone who would like to make extensive use of their data.

 

 

Introduction to the site

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Contacts

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General introduction to Adamawa languages

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Listing and classification of Adamawa languages

Adamawa Language list

General introduction to Ubangian languages

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Listing and classification of Ubangian languages

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Adamawa-Ubangian classification within the general framework of Niger-Congo

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Adamawa languages by subgroup (89 languages)

 

I. Tula-Wiyaa

Tula-Wiyaa

II. Bikwin-Jen

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III. Baa [=Kwa]

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IV. Bəna-Mboi

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V. Longuda

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VI. Mumuye-Yendang

FYendang wordlist

VII. Nyimwom (=Kam)

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VIII. Leeko

Leeko Group

IX. Duru

Momi dictionary

X. Mbum

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XI. Fali

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XII. Nimbari

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XIII. Day

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XIV. Bua

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XV. Kim

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Unclassified languages

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Ubangian languages by subgroup (70 languages)

 

Gbaya

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Ngbandi-Sango-Kpatiri

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Banda

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Mba

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Zande

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