Miyobe or Soruba is an unclassified Niger-Congo language 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

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 ...

. 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 SVO, Miyobe has SOV word order like the Senufo,

Mande Mande may refer to: * Mandé peoples of western Africa * Mande languages * Manding, a term covering a subgroup of Mande peoples, and sometimes used for one of them, Mandinka * Garo people of northeastern India and northern Bangladesh * Mande River ...

, and Dogon languages.

Geographic distribution

In Togo, Miyobe is spoken in the

Solla Solla is a village in the Binah Prefecture in the Kara Region of north-eastern Togo. The Miyobe language Miyobe or Soruba is an unclassified Niger-Congo language of Benin and Togo. Güldemann (2018) notes that Miyobe cannot be securely cl ...

area of

Binah Prefecture Bimah or Binah is a prefecture located in the Kara Region of Togo. The prefecture seat is located in Pagouda. The cantons (or subdivisions) of Bimah include Pagouda, Kétao, Pessaré, Lama-Dessi, Boufalé, Solla, Sirka, Kémérida, and Pitikita. ...

. In Benin, Miyobe is spoken in

Atacora Atakora is the northwesternmost department of Benin. Externally it borders Togo to the west and Burkina Faso to the north; internally it borders the departments of Alibori, Borgou and Donga. Major towns in the Atakora include Natitingou and Tan ...

Department (

Boukoumbé Boukoumbé or Boukombé is a town, arrondissement and commune in north western Benin on the border with Togo. It is known for its market, its whipping ceremony and for its tradition of pipe making. Mount Kousso-Kovangou, the highest point in Ben ...

and Kouandé communes) and Donga Department (

Copargo Copargo is a town, arrondissement, and commune in the Donga Department of western Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in We ...

commune). Villages are Anandana, Kuhobè, Sétrah, Kantchoko (Kapatcharè), Tchomitchomi, Koubéné-Béné, Koutchamang, and Moupémou villages.Pali, Tchaa. 2011. Description systematique de la langue Miyobe (Togo/Benin). (Doctoral dissertation, Université de Bordeaux III; 575pp.)

References

{{Niger-Congo branches Gurma languages Languages of Benin Languages of Togo