Futop language explained

Efutop
States:	Nigeria
Region:	Cross River State
Speakers:	10,000
Date:	1973
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Niger-Congo
Fam2:	Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:	Volta-Congo
Fam4:	Benue–Congo
Fam5:	Bantoid
Fam6:	Southern Bantoid
Fam7:	Ekoid
Fam8:	Efutop–Ekajuk
Iso3:	ofu
Glotto:	efut1242
Glottorefname:	Efutop

The Futop language, Efutop (Ofutop), is an Ekoid language of Nigeria. The E- in Efutop represents the class prefix for "language", analogous to the Bantu ki- in KiSwahili.

One of a number of similar but distinct languages spoken in the Cross River region, its area includes the town of Abaragba as well as Ekpokpa, Mkpura, Ndim, Okanga-Nkpansi, Okanga-Njimowan, and Okosura. The vocabulary for David W. Crabb's item in Ekoid Bantu Languages of Ogoja was from Mr. Anthony A. Eyam of Abaragba.^[1]

Vocabulary

Some vocabulary (in a simplified orthography, without tone markings):

• nhnham - animal (low tone-low tone) nh is palatal
• nggurɛgbɛ - antelope (low-low-low-low) ng is syllabic
• obuɔ - arm, hand
• ngkuɔn - bee
• mmuɔn - child
• ofuu - day (low-high)
• nim - do (low)
• yum - dry (high tone)
• yinə - forget (high-low).^[2]

External links

• Efutop basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database

Notes and References

1. David W. Crabb, Ekoid Bantu Languages of Ogoja, Cambridge University Press, 1965.
2. David W. Crabb, Ekoid Bantu Languages of Ogoja, Cambridge University Press, 1965.