Mada is a regionally important language spoken in

Nasarawa Nasarawa is a Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Nasarawa, located at 8°32'N 7°42'E, with a population of 30,949 (as of 2016). The local government area has an area of 5,704 km and a populat ...

and southern

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern Nige ...

States of

Middle Belt The Middle Belt (also spelt Middle-Belt or Central Nigeria) is a term used in human geography to designate a belt region stretching across central Nigeria longitudinally and forming a transition zone between Northern and Southern Nigeria. It is ...

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 ...

, with many dialects. It is a highly tonal language. A translation of the New Testament into the language was finished in 1999. The Nunku dialect has been identified to be a dialect of Mada rather than of Gbantu. The Mada people are the second most populated tribe in Nasarawa state, mostly populating

Akwanga Akwanga is a Local Government Area in Nasarawa State Nasarawa State is a state in the North Central region of Nigeria, bordered to the east by the states of Taraba and Plateau, to the north by Kaduna State, to the south by the states of Kogi ...

and

Kokona Kokona is a Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Garaku. It has an area of 1,844 km and a population of 109,749 at the 2006 census. The postal code A postal code (also known locally in ...

local governments. Possible archaeological history suggests that they may be descendants of the Nok civilization. They are closely related to the

Ninzo people Ninzo people (also Gbhu and Ninzam), are an ethnic group in the Middle Belt who speak the Ninzo language, a western Plateau language of Nigeria. The speakers of the Sambe language, a now presumed extinct language spoken in a village with same ...

, as well as to the Gbantu people. Their languages are believed to be descended from the Proto-Plateau language.

References

Languages of Nigeria Tonal languages Ninzic languages {{plateau-lang-stub