Lower Cross River
Lower Cross, Ibibioid
Geographic
distribution		Nigeria; Roughly west of the Imo estuary to east of the Cross estuary.
lower Southwest Cameroon
Linguistic classificationNiger–Congo?
Subdivisions
  • Obolo
  • Lower Cross proper (Ibibioid)
Glottologobol1242

The Lower Cross River languages form a branch of the Cross River languages of Cross River State, Nigeria. They consist of the divergent Obolo language (or Andoni, 200,000 speakers), and the core of the branch, which includes the 4 million speakers of the Efik-Ibibio cluster.[1]

Additionally, Ethnologue lists several more languages within the Efik-Ibibio cluster. (See Ibibio-Efik languages.)

Forde and Jones (1950) considered Ibino and Oro to be Efik-Ibibio.

Names and locations

Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[2]


Language Branch Dialects Alternate spellings Own name for language Endonym(s) Other names (location-based) Other names for language Exonym(s) Speakers Location(s) Notes
Ebughu Ebughu Ebughu Oron more than 5,000 (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo and Oron LGAs
Enwang Enwang Enwang Oron (incorrectly) estimated 50,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA
Iko Iko Obolo (incorrectly included within Obolo) Three villages: 5,000+ (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA[3]
Ilue Idua Ilue 5,000 (1988); diminishing Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA
Ọkọbọ 11,200 (1945 F&J); 50,000 Akwa Ibom State, Okobo LGA
Uda Uda 10,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA
Ukwa Cross River State, Akampka LGA
Usaghade Usakade(t) Usaghade Isangele estimate 10,000 (1990) although mostly in Cameroon Cross River State, Odukpani LGA; mainly in Cameroon, Isangele sub–division
Idere Idere more than 5,000 (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Itu LGA no data
Efai Efai Effiat (from Efik) >5,000 (1988 est.) Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA; Cameroon, Isangele sub–division
Ọrọ Oron Ọrọ (Oro) Ọrọ (Oro) 319,000 (1963 per Kuperus) Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA
Ito Ito 5,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Akamkpa LGA no data
Eki Eki 5000 plus (1988) Cross River State no data
Etebi Central Etebi Oron (incorrectly); Ekit (incorrectly) estimate 15,000 (1989) Akwa Ibom State, Uquo Ibeno LGA
Itu Mbon Uzo Central Itu Mbuzo Itu Mbon Uzo 5,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Ikono LGA
Anaang Central Abak, Ikot Ekpene, Ukanafun Annang, Anang, Anaŋ 246,000 (F&J 1944-5): estimated 1,000,000 (1990) Akwa Ibom State, Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim, Abak, Ukanafun and Oruk–Anam LGAs
Efik Central Calabar 26,300 (1950 F&J),[4] 10,000 in Cameroon; 360,000 first language speakers; spoken as a second language by 1.3 million (UN 1960), 3.5 million (1986 UBS) diminishing Cross River State, Calabar municipality, Odukpani and Akamkpa LGAs; and in Cameroon
Ekit Central Ekid, Eket 22,000 (1952 W&B); estimated 200,000 (1989) Akwa Ibom State, Eket and Uquo Ibeno LGAs
Ibibio Central Nkari, Enyong, Central, Itak, Nsit etc. roughly according to clans Ibibyo 800,000 (1952) (may include Efik); 283,000 (1945 F&J); 2 million (1973 census); estimated 2.5 million (Ibibio proper 1990) Akwa Ibom State, Ikono, Itu, Uyo, Etinan, Ekpe–Atai, Uruan, Nsit–Ubium, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Abasi LGAs
Ibuoro Central Ibuoro 5,000 plus (1988) Akwa Ibom State, Itu and Ikono LGAs
Obolo West From West to East: Ataba, Unyeada, Ngo, Okoroete, Ibot Obolo Òbólò Andoni 22,400 (1944 F&J); 90,000 (1983 Aaron); 100,000 (Faraclas 1989) Rivers State, Andoni LGA: western dialects; Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA: eastern dialects[5]
Ibinọ West Ibuno, Ibeno 10,000 (Faraclas (1989) Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA[6]

Reconstructions

Proto-Lower Cross River has been reconstructed by Connell (n.d.)[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Essien, Okon (1990). A grammar of the Ibibio language. Ibadan, Nigeria: University Press Limited.
  2. ^ Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  3. ^ "Iko".
  4. ^ Forde, C.D. and G.I. Jones 1950. The Ibo and Ibibio speaking peoples of Southern Nigeria. Ethnographic Survey of Africa. Western Africa part III. International African Institute, London.
  5. ^ "Obolo".
  6. ^ "Ibino".
  7. ^ Connell, Bruce. n.d. Comparative Lower Cross wordlist.

 This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 3.0 license.

Further reading

Categories