Many of these languages are from the three major African language families: Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Niger-Congo. While the official language in Nigeria is English, and other major languages are spoken, such as Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Tiv, hundreds of other languages are spoken within the country’s borders.
But how much knowledge does one have about these other languages spoken in Nigeria? Here are seven Nigerian Languages you didn’t know existed.
- Abanyom
Abanyom, or Bakor, is a language spoken by the Abonyom people of Cross River State and is part of the Ekoid subfamily of Niger-Congo languages. It is a member of the Southern Bantoid group and is said to be related to the Bantu language; like some other languages in Nigeria, it is a tonal one.
Abanyom is also a clan in Ikom, comprising about 11 communities, some of which are Abinti, Nkim, Nkum, and Abankang. Abankang is often referred to as the mother of Abanyom. It is spoken by about 34,000 native speakers in Nigeria.
2) Cipu
Cipu, also known as Cicipu, or Western Acipa, is a Kainji language. The people call themselves Acipu, and are called Acipawa in the Hausa language.
About 20,000 people speak it in northwest Nigeria. Almost every Cipu speaker speaks the lingua franca Hausa, and many also speak other nearby languages.
3) Mwaghavul
Mwaghavul, also known as Maghavul or Sura, is a language from West Chad mainly spoken in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State in central Nigeria. It is mainly spoken among the people in the towns of Mangu and Panyam.
There are about 150,000 speakers of Mwaghavul. It is interesting to note that a way of writing this language was developed by missionaries in the 20th century to help translate parts of the Bible.
4) Futop
This is one of the distinct languages spoken in the Cross River region; one of the languages in the ekoid language cluster.
The main areas where this language is spoken include the town of Abaragba, Ekpokpa, Mkpura, Ndim, Okanga-Nkpansi, and a few other settlements in the region. The language has less than 10,000 native speakers in Nigeria.
5) Yuom
Yuom or Yiwom (Ywom), also known as Gerka or Gerkawa by the Hausa people, is a Chadic, Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria.
This language was formerly much more widespread, found in southern Tarok-speaking areas and is also spoken in Hyel Ywom town and nearby areas.
Many Ywom speak Jukun and Tarok as additional languages, and other Plateau languages have much influenced the language.
6) Tarok
Tarok serves as a local lingua franca in the Langtang area of southeast Plateau State, Nigeria. It is a regionally important Plateau language and, as of 2004, had an estimated number of around 150,000 speakers.
7) Bile
The Bile language belongs to the Niger-congo family language and is one of the few Bantu languages of Nigeria. It is spoken by over 30,000 native speakers in Adamawa and occasionally Rivers state.
Unfortunately, many of these languages are already going into extinction as the number of native speakers gradually reduces. Nonetheless, Nigeria’s linguistic diversity is a reflection of the rich culture that exists not just in the country but in Africa as a whole.