Ron languages
West Chadic language group of Nigeria
The Ron, Ronic or Ron-Fyer languages, group A.4 of the West Chadic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, are spoken in Plateau State, north-central Nigeria.
The Ron languages have undergone extensive influence from Tarok.
01Languages
The Ron languages, and their tentative relationships, are:
- Ron
- Fyer, Tambas
- (branch)
- Central Ron
- Daffo-Mbar-Butura
- Bokkos
- Monguna (Shagawu) [perhaps actually closer to Sha]
- Sha
- Mangar
- Mundat-Karfa
- Kulere (Richa)
- Central Ron
Blench (2019) groups the following in the (Central) Ron/Run dialect cluster: Bokkos, Mbar, Daffo-Butura, Manguna, Mangar, Sha. Ɗimang and Mingah, both spoken near Bokkos LGA, are Ron languages that are also later reported by Blench.
While noting that Ron is in fact a complex linkage, Blench (2003) rejects two of the connections proposed in Seibert (1998) [Sha with Mundat-Karfa and Mangar with Kulere/Richa]:
02Names and locations
Below is a comprehensive list of Ron language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).
| Language | Cluster | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Other names (based on location) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fyer | Fier | 1,500 (1970); 10,000 (Blench 1999) | Plateau State, Mangu LGA | ||||||
| Karfa | Shagau | Kerifa | Duhwa | Karfa | Duhwa | Challa | 800 (SIL 1973) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |
| Kulere | Tof, Richa, Kamwai: the latter includes Marahai (Marhai) | Akande (Kamwaĩ, Àkàndí (Tof), Kande (Richa) | Tof, Richa, Kamwai | Korom Ɓoye | 6,500 (1925 Meek); 4,933 (1943 Ames); 8,000 (1973 SIL) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||
| Mundat | Mundat | Ron | Mundat | Mundat | Mundat | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||
| Shagawu | Shagau | Anguna, Hurti, Ahurum, Ambwash, Gbwendeng, Nzuhwe (Duhwa) | Anguna Shagau | 20,000 (SIL) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | ||||
| Tambas | Tembis | 3,000 (SIL) | Plateau State, Pankshin LGA | ||||||
| Run cluster | Run | Bokkos and Daffo-Mbar-Butura are more closely related than Sha | Ron | Run | Challa, Cala, Chala, Challawa | 13,120 (1934 Ames); 60,000 (1985 UBS) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | ||
| Run Bokkos | Run | Bokkos, Baron | Lis ma Run | Bokos | Challa, Cala | ||||
| Run Daffo-Mbar-Butura | Run | Daffa, Mbar, Butura | Ron | Alis I Run | Batura | Mbar-wuh | Challa | ||
| Manguna | Run | Manguna, Hurti, Dambwash, Mahurum, Gwande, Karfa(Duhwa) | Ron | Shagau | Anguna, Hurti, Duhwa, Agbwendeng, Ambwash, Ahurum | Anguna Shagau | Challa | 20,000 (SIL) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA |
| Mangar | Run | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||||||
| Sha | Run | 500 (SIL); about 1,000 (1970 Jungraithmayr) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA |
03Reconstruction
| Proto-Ron | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of | Ron languages |
Since the Ron languages form a diverse linkage, Ron reconstruction is not straightforward due to the lack of neat sound correspondences. There are many borrowings from neighbouring Niger-Congo Plateau languages that Ron had assimilated or been in contact with.
Proto-Ron reconstructions by Roger Blench are as follows.
| No. | English | Proto-Ron |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | person | *naaf |
| 7. | friend | **mwin |
| 19. | name | *sum |
| 45. | flesh | *lo |
| 46. | head | *hay |
| 49. | bone | *kaʃ |
| 53. | ear | *kumu |
| 54. | nose | **atin |
| 57. | mouth | *fo |
| 59. | tongue | *liʃ |
| 61. | tooth | *haŋgor |
| 62. | molar | *ɓukum |
| 64. | chin | *njumut |
| 69. | throat | *goroŋ |
| 72. | breast (female) | *fofo |
| 73. | chest | *cin |
| 79. | navel | **mutuk |
| 83. | elbow | *kukwat |
| 91. | thigh | *for |
| 107. | saliva, spittle | *lyal |
| 110. | urine | *sar |
| 190. | I | *yin |
| 238. | crocodile | **haram |
| 1072. | blow (mouth) | *fuɗ |
| 1089. | call (summon) | *lahyal |
| 1157. | fall | *fur |
| 1218. | land | **nɗoro |
| 1241. | meet | *tof |
| 1249. | open (door) | *ɓwali |
| 1276. | put | *kin |
04Morphology
Plurals of nouns in Ron languages are typically formed with -a- infixes.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Ron languages”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Afro asiatic peoples nigeria.png by Unknown author, Public domain
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