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Bariba, also known as Baatonum (also Baatombu, Baatonu, Barba, Baruba, Berba and a number of various other names and spellings), is the language of the
Bariba people The Bariba people, self designation ''Baatonu'' (plural ''Baatombu),'' are the principal inhabitants of Borgou and Alibori Departments, Benin, and cofounders of the Borgu kingdom of what is now northeast Benin and west-central Nigeria. In Nigeria ...
of
Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
and
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
and was the language of the state of
Borgu Borgu is a region in north-west Nigeria and in the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as Bariba or Borgawa. History According to the ...
. It is primarily spoken in Benin, but also across the border in adjacent
Kwara State Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...
and
Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was fo ...
, Nigeria, and some Bariba are in
Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
and
Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...
. Welmers (1952) reported the Bariba language as spoken in the cities of
Nikki Nikki may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Nikki (Barbie), a fashion doll in the Barbie toy line * Nikki (comics), a Marvel Comics character * Nikki and Paulo, from the TV series ''Lost'' * Nikki, the mascot of Swapnote * N ...
,
Parakou Parakou is the largest city in northern Benin, with an estimated population of around 206,667 people, and capital of the Borgou Department. Administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin's 77 communes. Since 2015, its mayor is Sour ...
, Kandi, and
Natitingou Natitingou, informally referred to as Nati, is a city and commune in north western Benin and the capital of Atakora Department. The commune covers an area of 3045 square kilometres and as of 2013 had a population of 104,010 people. History The to ...
.


Names

The language can be known by different names: *the
Bariba people The Bariba people, self designation ''Baatonu'' (plural ''Baatombu),'' are the principal inhabitants of Borgou and Alibori Departments, Benin, and cofounders of the Borgu kingdom of what is now northeast Benin and west-central Nigeria. In Nigeria ...
call their language Baatɔnum; *the
Yoruba people The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...
call the language Baruba; *the
Hausa people The Hausa ( autonyms for singular: Bahaushe ( m), Bahaushiya ( f); plural: Hausawa and general: Hausa; exonyms: Ausa; Ajami: ) are the largest native ethnic group in Africa. They speak the Hausa language, which is the second most spoken language ...
refer to the language as Borganci (also spelled Borganchi) after
Borgu Borgu is a region in north-west Nigeria and in the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as Bariba or Borgawa. History According to the ...
where it is spoken; *the names in the Busa language and the
Boko language Boko, or Boo, is a Mande language of Benin and Nigeria. Names Boko language can be better known as Boko, but it is also known as Boo or with the Hausa name Busanci (also spelled Busanchi, Bussanci Or Bussanchi). One person or speaker is calle ...
are Borgu and Borgunya. Other names include Barba or Berba. One person who speaks Bariba is called Baatɔnu and two or more persons or speakers are called Baatɔmbu and the language of the Baatɔmbu/Borgawa people is called Baatɔnum.


Geographic distribution

In Nigeria, Bariba is spoken mainly in
Borgu Borgu is a region in north-west Nigeria and in the northern Republic of Benin. It was partitioned between Great Britain and France by the Anglo-French Convention of 1898. People of Borgu are known as Bariba or Borgawa. History According to the ...
LGA of
Niger State Niger is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria and the largest state in the country. Niger state has three political zones, zone A,B and C. The state's capital is at Minna. Other major cities are Bida, Kontagora and Suleja. It was fo ...
and in
Baruten Baruten is a local government area in the North Central district of Kwara State, Nigeria, sharing a long border with the Republic of Benin. The local government begins in Ilesha Baruba and ends in Chikanda, the border town. Its headquarters is in ...
LGA of
Kwara state Kwara State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Kwárà), is a state in Western Nigeria, bordered to the east by Kogi State, to the north by Niger state, and to the south by Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, while its western border makes up part of the internation ...
. A number of Bariba have migrated to other parts of Nigeria, including
Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...
. The Bariba people are referred to as Borgawa in Hausa. In Benin, Bariba is spoken mainly in
Alibori Alibori is the largest and northernmost department (French: ''département'') of Benin. Externally the department borders the countries of Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria, and internally the departments of Atakora and Borgou. The department of ...
, Donga, Atakora and
Borgou Borgou is one of the twelve departments of Benin. Borgou borders the country of Nigeria and the departments of Alibori, Atakora, Collines and Donga. The capital of Borgou is Parakou. The department of Borgou was bifurcated in 1999, with its ...
departments. A number of Bariba have migrated to other parts of Benin, including
Cotonou Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...
. In Togo, Bariba is spoken in the Savanes Region. In Burkina Faso, Bariba is spoken in
Kompienga Province Kompienga is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, located in its Est Region. The capital of Kompienga is Pama. The province also borders the country of Togo. The Kompienga Dam located in the province is the country's first hydro-electric ...
.


Classification

Bariba is usually classed as an independent member of the
Savanna languages The Savannas languages, also known as Gur–Adamawa or Adamawa–Gur, is a branch of the Niger–Congo languages that includes Greenberg's Gur and Adamawa–Ubangui families. History of classification The Gur–Adamawa link was demonstrated in ...
, but some consider it and a number of other languages, such as
Miyobe Miyobe or Soruba is an unclassified Niger-Congo language of Benin and Togo. Güldemann (2018) notes that Miyobe cannot be securely classified within Gur, and leaves it out as unclassified within Niger-Congo. Unlike the Gur languages, which are ...
, as a
Gur language The Gur languages, also known as Central Gur or Mabia, belong to the Niger–Congo languages. They are spoken in the Sahelian and savanna regions of West Africa, namely: in most areas of Burkina Faso, and in south-central Mali, northeastern ...
. However, other than Bariba, there are other unclassified Gur languages, including
Miyobe Miyobe or Soruba is an unclassified Niger-Congo language of Benin and Togo. Güldemann (2018) notes that Miyobe cannot be securely classified within Gur, and leaves it out as unclassified within Niger-Congo. Unlike the Gur languages, which are ...
, Koromfe, Viemo, and Natyoro.


Phonology

Bariba is a tonal language. Tonal patterns in Bariba have been claimed to present a challenge to the Two-Feature Model of tonal phonology.Clements, Michaud, and Patin, Do we need tone features? In ''Tones and features: phonetic and phonological perspectives'', Goldsmith, Hume, and Whetzels, editors


Nouns

Bariba has 7 noun classes: *1. y-class *2. t-class *3. g-class *4. w-class *5. m-class *6. s-class *7. n-class The data was collected by William E. Welmers in August and September 1949 at
Nikki, Benin Nikki is a town, arrondissement, and commune located in the Borgou Department of Benin. The commune covers an area of 3171 square kilometres and as of 2002 had a population of 99,251 people. It was the site of the "race to Nikki" in 1894.
.Welmers, William E. 1952. Notes on Bariba. ''Language'' 28: 82-103.


y-class

The y-class is the largest noun class. y-class singular nouns usually in -a.


t-class

All forms end in -ru for t-class nouns.


g-class

Forms usually end in back vowels for g-class nouns.


w-class


m-class

m-class nouns often end in -m.


s-class

The s-class is a small noun class. Most forms are collectives and end in -su.


n-class

The n-class is a small noun class. Most forms are collectives and end in -nu.


Verbs


Aspects

There are 7 primary verb aspects in Bariba: *consecutive *habitual *continuative *frequentative *imperative *past *past negative There are 5 verb classes, which are grouped according to the formation of the past aspect.


List of verbs

Consecutive verb forms are given below. ''S'' denotes stative forms.


Adjectives

Invariable adjectives: Adjectives with a class of their own, which remains the same after all nouns; singular and plural forms are like those of nouns: t-class adjectives: g-class adjectives: Attributive adjectives with alternants for each noun class:


Numerals


References


External links


Baatonum
at
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{{Authority control Languages of Benin Languages of Nigeria Gur languages Bariba people