![]() ![]() ![]() The largest of these languages is Ibibio, which together with its written cousin, Efik, has some 3,500,000 speakers. The 60 Cross River languages are situated around the Cross River in southeastern Nigeria and westward toward the Niger Delta. These languages also are spoken mostly by small groups, though a few groups are larger-e.g., Jju, or Kaje (300,000), Birom (200,000), and Tarok (150,000). The 50 Platoid languages are spoken in the area of the Jos Plateau southward to the Benue River valley and across the river to the southeast. These languages are spoken by small groups having fewer than 100,000 speakers, many of them being very much smaller. The 40 Kainji languages are scattered over a wide area from Lake Kainji in the northwest across to the northern part of the Jos Plateau. Because of considerable diversity, a standard written form has been slow to develop but is now emerging based on the Owerri and Umuahia dialects. The more than 50 Igboid dialects have been variously grouped into seven main dialect clusters. The Igboid languages are found in southeastern Nigeria and number some 20 million speakers, with at least another million second-language speakers. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The principal language is Idoma (700,000). The eight Idomoid languages are found in central Nigeria mostly south of the Benue River southwest of Makurdi, but three languages are north of the river. They are spoken in the area north and west of the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers. Delta-Edoid consists of three languages southwestern Edoid, five languages, the largest of which is Urhobo (400,000) north-central Edoid, six languages, of which the principal one is Edo (1,000,000 speakers) and northwestern Edoid, seven languages. The Edoid family can be divided into four main groups of languages. The 21 Edoid languages are spoken in southern Nigeria, primarily in Bendel state but in neighbouring states as well. ![]() Yoruba has developed an extensive literature and has the earliest published dictionary (1843) and grammar (1852) written by a native speaker, Bishop Samuel Crowther, who in 1884 also translated the Bible into Yoruba. It may best be regarded as a dialect cluster that has developed a standard written form. One of the principal languages of Nigeria, Yoruba is spoken throughout southwestern Nigeria and also by substantial numbers in Benin and Togo. ![]() Though Swahili has a greater total number of speakers-some 35,000,000-most of them are second-language speakers. Yoruba is the Niger-Congo language with the largest number of mother-tongue speakers. The Defoid languages comprise two groups: the Akokoid cluster of four languages and the very much larger Yoruboid cluster whose principal members are Yoruba (20,000,000 speakers), Igala (1,000,000), and Itsekiri (Itsεkiri 600,000). Parlez-vous français? ¿Habla usted español? See how M-U-C-H you know about your A-B-Cs in other languages. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history.#WTFact Videos In #WTFact Britannica shares some of the most bizarre facts we can find.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Britannica Classics Check out these retro videos from Encyclopedia Britannica’s archives. ![]()
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