Cipu (''Cicipu''), or Western Acipa, is a Kainji language spoken by about 20,000 people in northwest Nigeria. The people call themselves ''Acipu'', and are called ''Acipawa'' in Hausa. Like most

Benue–Congo languages Benue–Congo (sometimes called East Benue–Congo) is a major branch of the Volta-Congo languages which covers most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Subdivisions Central Nigerian (or Platoid) contains the Plateau, Jukunoid and Kainji families, and Banto ...

, Cipu has a complex noun class system. It has a fairly complex phonology with lexical and grammatical tone,

vowel harmony In phonology, vowel harmony is an Assimilation (linguistics), assimilatory process in which the vowels of a given domain – typically a phonological word – have to be members of the same natural class (thus "in harmony"). Vowel harmony is t ...

and nasalisation. Virtually all Cipu speakers speak the

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

Hausa. Many also speak other nearby languages.

Classification

Cipu is part of the Kambari branch of the

Niger–Congo languages Niger–Congo is a hypothetical language family spoken over the majority of sub-Saharan Africa. It unites the Mande languages, the Atlantic-Congo languages (which share a characteristic noun class system), and possibly several smaller groups of ...

. The most recent published classification has Cipu as part of the Kamuku group of

West Kainji The Kainji languages are a group of about 60 related languages spoken in west-central Nigeria. They form part of the Central Nigerian (Platoid) branch of Benue–Congo. Demographics Four of the most widely spoken Kainji languages are Tsuvadi ( ...

along with Eastern Acipa. However more detailed studies have shown this to be unlikely.

Alternative names

The ''

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...

'' currently lists Cipu as 'Western Acipa'. However the name 'Western Acipa' is no longer used outside the ''Ethnologue'', and a request has been made to change the entry. In Hausa, the language is referred to as ''Acipanci'' and the people as ''Acipawa''.

Geographic distribution

Cicipu is spoken in Nigeria by approximately 20,000 people, split between Sakaba Local Government Area, Kebbi State and Kontagora Local Government Area, Niger State.

Dialects/Varieties

The Acipu themselves recognise seven distinct varieties of Cicipu. The dialect names are as follows (with the corresponding Hausa names in parentheses): *Tirisino (Karishen) *Tidipo (Kadonho) *Tizoriyo (Mazarko) *Tidodimo (Kadedan) *Tikula (Maburya) *Ticuhun (Kakihum) *Tikumbasi (Kumbashi)

Phonology

The most common

syllable A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "bu ...

type in Cicipu is CV, although there are fairly strong arguments for N and CVN. A small number of noun and verb roots begin with a V syllable. Lexical tone contrasts are found in nouns e.g. ''káayá'' ‘house’ and ''káayà'' ‘bean’, but not in verbs (although grammatical tone is important for verbs).

Vowels

Cicipu has an asymmetric six- vowel system. All vowels can be long or short, and all have nasalised counterparts. There are four diphthongs: /ei/, /eu/, /ai/ and /au/.

Consonants

Consonant length is contrastive in Cicipu, e.g. ''yuwo'' 'fall' vs. ''yuwwo'' 'turn around'. Any consonant may be lengthened.

Vocabulary

A large number of Cicipu words are borrowings from the lingua franca Hausa. The pronunciation of many of these loanwords has changed to fit in with Cicipu phonology, in particular with respect to vowel harmony.

Writing system

Cicipu is not currently written, although a preliminary orthography proposal has been made, and a small number of trial books has been circulated.McGill, Stuart (ined). Some orthographic challenges for Cicipu. West Kainji Language Workshop, Safara Motel, Kontagora, 10 -12 March 2008, pp. 2-3.

References

External links

Cicipu language website
{{Languages of Nigeria Languages of Nigeria Kambari languages