Miship language explained
Miship, or Chip, is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. Doka is a dialect. Blench lists the two dialects Longmaar and Jiɓaam.[1]
The Chip people are found in Pankshin LGA.[2]
People
The traditional occupation of Miship people is farming. The people call themselves as well as their abode, Miship while outsiders wrongly call them and also their abode, Chip.
Oral tradition states that they migrated from Kanem-Bornu to their present homeland with other tribes, Ngas, Mupun, and Mwaghavul.[3]
Most Miship names are unisex, so in order to differentiate a man from a woman, the contracted form is used i.e. the prefix Na is added to the root word of the woman's name and Da is added to the root word of the man's. For example, for a man and a woman both sharing:
- Nandi, the man would be Danan, and the woman Nanan.
- Denlong, the man would be Daden, and the woman Naden.
- Shakaham = Dasha/Nasha.
Words
- God - Naan / Nan
- Father - Nda
- Child - La
- Girl - Larep
- Boy - La/La wu mis
- Wash - Vwang
- Person - Gurum
- Rain - Fuan/Fwan
- Children - Jep
- Food - Sih/ Gwom/Gom/Mun
- Rice - Kapa
- Acha - Kihzuk
- Soup - Tok
- Chicken - Koo
- Dog - As
- Goat - Ih
- Meat - Lu
- King - Long
- Animal - Long/Lu
- Wild animal - Lu dhem
Lu can be used to refer to meat from animals. For example, 'chicken' would be Lu Koo. It can also be used to refer to animal. For example, 'Lu' in the following statement stands for animal: 'Mme a lu dhe mme a gurum ma' = One (of the two) is not an animal while the other is human (direct translation).
Phrases
- What is your name - Sihm gih a weeh? (male); Sihm yi a weeh? (female)
- Good night - Naan yaghal kih mun/Mu foghot bhit/Naan ep mun
- Bye - Dhang mu kaat
- Good morning - Teer (shaghap) ah?/Yaghal gwe ah?
- Thank you - Plangbhwer
- I am hungry - Neen laa nnan
Numbers
- 1)One - Kihme
- 2)Two - Vihl
- 3)Three - Kun
- 4)Four - Feer
- 5)Five - Paat
- 6)Six - Peme
- 7)Seven - Poghovihl
- 8)Eight - Poghokun
- 9)Nine - Poghofaar
- 10)Ten - Sar
- 11)Eleven - Sarpo-kihme/Sarka-kihme
- 20)Twenty - Yagurum
- 21)Twenty-one - Yagurum kih kihme
- 30)Thirty - Yagurum kih sar
- 31)Thirty-one -Yagurum kih sarpo-kihme/Yagurum kih sarka-kihme
- 40)Forty - Yakgurum vihl
- 41)Forty-one -Yakgurum vihl kih kihme
- 50)Fifty - Yakgurum vihl kih sar
- 60)Sixty - Yakgurum kun
- 70)Seventy -Yakgurum kun kih sar
- 71)Seventy-one - Yakgurum kun kih sarpo-kihme/sarka-kihme
- 80)Eighty - Yakgurum feer
- 81)Eighty-one -Yakgurum feer kih kihme
- 90)Ninety -Yakgurum feer kih sar
- 91)Ninety-one - Yakgurum feer kih sarpo-kihme/sarka-kihme
- 100)One hundred - Yakgurum paat/Dha kihme/Dhali kihme
- 200)Two hundred - Ndaam kihme/dha vihl/dhali vihl/yakgurum sar
Notes and References
- Blench, Roger. 2017. Current research on the A3 West Chadic languages.
- Web site: Official Website of Plateau State. www.plateaustate.gov.ng. 2016-12-26.
- Web site: The Miship: People, language, and dialects. Mohammed. Aminu Muazu. Katwal. Permark Isah. California Linguistic Notes. 2010.
