| Central Delta | |
| Region: | SE Nigeria |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam4: | Cross River |
| Glotto: | cent2028 |
| Glottorefname: | Central Delta |
The Central Delta languages are spoken in Rivers State and Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Ogbia is the most populous, with over 200,000 speakers.
The languages are Abua–Odual, Ogbia, Kugbo, Abureni, Obulom, O’chi’chi’, Ogbogolo, Ogbronuagum.
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[1]
| Language | Cluster | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Abuan, Ẹmughan, Ọtabha (Ọtapha), Okpeḍen | Abuan | Abua | 11,000 (1963): estimated 25,000 (Faraclas 1989) | Rivers State, Ahoada LGA | ||||||||
| Kolo cluster | Kolo | Ọgbia, Ogbinya | 100,000 (1987 UBS) | Rivers State, Brass LGA | ||||||||
| Kolo | Agholo | |||||||||||
| Kolo | ||||||||||||
| Kolo | no data | |||||||||||
| Abuloma | Rivers State, Okrika LGA, Abuloma town | |||||||||||
| Arughaunya, Aḍibom | Ọḍual | Oḍual | Saka | 8,400 (1963); 15,000 (1980 UBS) | Rivers State, Ahoada LGA | (F&J 1940) report 700 speakers, but in the 1970s, Barnwell (p.c.) found only 20 speakers living in a quarter of one town. The Odut are Mbembe speakers, and there is no separate language. | ||||||
| One town only | Rivers State, Ahoada LGA | |||||||||||
| Bukuma | Agum | One town only, north of Buguma | Rivers State, Degema LGA | |||||||||
| Ọchịchị | Ọchịchị | A few speakers; moribund, since speakers have switched to Echie | Rivers State, Etche LGA, towns of Ikwerengwo and Umuebulu | |||||||||
| 2,000 (1973 SIL) | Rivers State, Brass LGA | |||||||||||
| Mini | Mini | 3 villages | Rivers State, Brass LGA | no data |