| (North) Akoko | |
| Nativename: | Arigidi |
| States: | Nigeria |
| Region: | Ondo State, Kogi State, Ekiti State, Edo State [1] |
| Speakers: | 48,000 |
| Date: | 1992 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Volta–Niger |
| Fam4: | |
| Iso3: | aqg |
| Glotto: | arig1246 |
| Glottorefname: | Arigidi |
North Akoko, usually abbreviated as Akoko and also known as Arigidi, is a dialect cluster spoken in Nigeria. It is a branch of the YEAI ("Yoruba–Edo–Akoko–Igbo") group of the Niger–Congo languages.[2] It is spoken in the Akoko Edo, and the LGAs of Akoko North East, Akoko North West, Ekiti East, and Ijumu (Ethnologue).
Akokoid varieties include Arigidi, Erúṣú, Oyín, Ìgáṣí Eṣé, Urò, Ọ̀jọ̀, Àfá, Ògè, Ìdò, and Àjè.[3]
Below is a list of Arigidi language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[4]
| Language | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Speakers | Location(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arigidi cluster | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA; Kwara State, Kogi LGA | ||||||
| Afa | Ọ̀wọ̀n Àfá | Àfá | Oke–Agbe | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Oke–Agbe town, Affa section | |||
| Arigidi | Arìgìdí | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Arigidi town | |||||
| Eruṣu | Erusu, Erushu | Erúṣú | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Eruṣu town | ||||
| Ese | Ọ̀wọ̀n Èsé | Èsé | Aje, Oke–Agbe | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Oke–Agbe town, Ese section | |||
| Igaṣi | Igashi, Igasi | Ọ̀wọ̀n Ìgáṣí | Ìgàshí | 45,000 (1986) | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Igaṣi town | ||
| Oge | Ọ̀wọ̀ Ògè | Òge | Oke–Agbe | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Oke–Agbe town, Oge section | |||
| Ọjọ | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Ajọwa town | ||||||
| Oyin | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Oyin–Akoko town | ||||||
| Udo | Ido | Ọ̀wọ̀n Ùdò | Oke–Agbe | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Oke–Agbe town, Udo section | |||
| Uro | 3,000 (1986) | Ondo State, Akoko North LGA, Uro–Ajọwa town |
The internal classification of Akokoid language varieties is given by Fadoro (2010) as:[5]
Arigidi and Erushu are mutually intelligible with each other; varieties spoken in Oke Agbe with each other; and varieties spoken outside Oke Agbe with each other. However, these three groups are not mutually intelligible with each other.
The following list of Proto-Akokoid reconstructions is from Blench (n.d.).[6]
| Gloss | Proto-Akokoid | |
|---|---|---|
| head |
| |
| hair |
| |
| eye |
| |
| ear |
| |
| nose |
| |
| mouth |
| |
| tooth |
| |
| tongue |
| |
| jaw |
| |
| chin |
| |
| beard |
| |
| neck |
| |
| breast |
| |
| heart |
| |
| belly |
| |
| stomach | ||
| navel |
| |
| back |
| |
| arm, hand |
| |
| nail |
| |
| buttocks |
| |
| penis |
| |
| vagina | ||
| thigh |
| |
| leg |
| |
| knee |
| |
| body |
| |
| skin |
| |
| bone |
|