Zaar Languages

The South Bauchi languages (also called the B.3 West Chadic or Barawa languages) are a branch of West Chadic languages that are spoken in Bauchi State and Plateau State, Nigeria.

An extensive lexical survey of the South Bauchi languages had been carried out by Kiyoshi Shimizu from 1974 to 1975.Shimizu, Kiyoshi. 1978. ''The Southern Bauchi group of Chadic languages: a survey report''. (Africana Marburgensia: Sonderheft, 2.) Marburg/Lahn: Africana Marburgensia. 48pp. Another early survey was that of Gowers (1907), which included 42 languages of Bauchi.

Languages

The South Bauchi languages include:

;South Bauchi languages
*Zaar group: Dass; Geji, Polci (Polchi), Saya, Zari, Zeem
*Guruntum group: Guruntum-Mbaaru, Ju, Tala, Zangwal
*Boghom group: Jimi, Jum; Boghom, Kir-Balar, Mangas

Roger Blench (2020) counted around 38 South Bauchi languages.

Internal classification

Shimizu (1978)

Shimizu (1978) classifies the South Bauchi languages as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in ''italics''.

*South Bauchi
**East branch
***Boghom subgroup
****''Bòghòm (Burrum)''
****Kir cluster
*****''Kiir (Kir)''; ''Laàr (Balàr)''
*****''Mánsi (Mangas)''
***Guruntum subgroup
****Guruntum cluster
*****''Mbaarù''
*****''Gùrùntùm''
****Tala cluster
*****''Sòòr (Zaŋwal); Zaŋwal of Zungur''
*****''Lungu (Tala)''
*****''Shò (Jù); Jimi''
**West branch
***Barawa subgroup
****North Barawa
*****Geji cluster
******''Mɨ̀gang (Booluu), Pelu''; ''Gyaanzi (Gèèjì)''
******''Buu (Zàràndaa)''
*****Polci cluster
******''Zùl''; ''Barang (Baram), Dììr (Baram Dutse)''
******''Bɨ̀lɨ̀ (Bùlì)''; ''Nyámzàx (Laŋas), Lundur''; ''Posɨ (Polci)''
****South Barawa
*****Zeem cluster
******''Zeem''; ''Tule (Tulai)''; ''Chaari''
******''Dokshì (Lushi)''
*****Dass cluster
******''Dɨkshi (Bàraza?)''; ''Bàndas (Dur)''
******''Boòdlɨ (Zumbul)''; ''Wangdày (Wanɗì)''; ''Zòdì (Dwàt)''
*****Saya cluster
******''Zàksɨ̀ (Zàkshì)''; ''Bòòt (Boto)''; ''Zaarɨ (Zari); Sigidi''
******''Zaar of Kàl''; ''Zaar of Gàmbar Lèère''; ''Zaar of Lùsa''

Blench (2021)

Roger Blench (2021) classifies the South Bauchi languages as follows.

*South Bauchi
**Jimi
**Boghom cluster: Mantsi, Boghom, Kir-Balar
**Gurdung cluster: Gurdung, Mbaaru, Ju, Tala, Zangwal
**Zaar branch
***Das cluster: Diksyhi, Dur, Zumbul, Dot, Wangdi
***Polci cluster: Zul, Mbaram, Diir, Buli, Nyamzax, Polci, Luri (†)
***Zeem cluster: Zeem (†), Tuli (†), Caari, Dyarim, Dokshi
***Geji cluster: Megang, Pelu, Geji, Buu

Names and locations

Below is a comprehensive list of South Bauchi language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).

Phonology

;Consonants
Like the other West Chadic languages, South Bauchi languages have a rich consonant inventory. They also generally have the lateral fricatives /ɬ, ɮ/, whereas the West Chadic A languages have not preserved such consonants.

*Stops: p t k b d g ʔ
*Nasals: m n ɲ ŋ
*Implosives: ɓ ɗ
*Fricatives: f v s z (ʃ) (ʒ) ɣ (h)
*Tap: r
*Approximants: l j w
*Lateral fricatives: ɬ ɮ

;Vowels
Blench (2020) proposes that Proto-South Bauchi had a 6-vowel system consisting of /i, ɨ, u, ɛ, ɔ, a/, with length contrast.

;Tones
South Bauchi languages have 2-3 tone levels, with Proto-South Bauchi likely having three tones like the nearby A3 West Chadic languages. Some languages also have contour tones (falling or rising).Blench, Roger. 2020.
The South Bauchi languages of Central Nigeria: a fresh view based on recent fieldwork
'. CALL 50. Leiden University, August 31, 2020.

Morphology

Like the neighbouring A3 West Chadic languages but unlike Hausa, South Bauchi languages do not usually have plural nouns, although certain words for persons such as ‘woman’, ‘child’, and sometimes ‘man/person’ have suppletive nominal forms. Blench (2021) hypothesises that this may be due to contact with Adamawa languages.Blench, Roger. 2021.
The erosion of number marking in West Chadic Roger Blench
'. WOCAL, Leiden.

Stop consonants at the ends of morphemes are underlyingly voiceless.

See also

* South Bauchi word lists (Wiktionary)
* Proto-South Bauchi reconstructions (Wiktionary)

References

Bibliography

*Caron, Bernard 2002. Review of Ɓarawa lexicon: a wordlist of eight South Bauchi (West Chadic) languages: Boghom, Buli, Dott, Geji, Sayanci and Zul by Ronald Cosper, Munich: LINCOM EUROPA, 1999. ''Chadic Newsletter'', 23: 46–80.
*Cosper, Ronald 1999. ''Barawa lexicon: a wordlist of eight South Bauchi (West Chadic) languages''; Boghom, Buli, Dott, Geji, Jimi, Polci, Sayanci and Zul. (LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics, 39.) München: Lincom.
*Kraft, Charles H. 1981. ''Chadic Wordlists: Volume I (Plateau-Sahel)''. Marburger Studien zur Afrika- und Asienkunde: Serie A: Afrika, 23. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer.

External links

Map of South Bauchi languages
by Roger Blench

{{Authority control
West Chadic languages
Languages of Nigeria