Hill Nubian languages explained

Hill Nubian
Also Known As:Kordofan Nubian
States:Sudan
Region:Nuba Hills
Ethnicity:Hill Nubians
Date:1978–2022
Ref:e27
Familycolor:Nilo-Saharan
Fam2:Eastern Sudanic
Fam3:Northern Eastern
Fam4:Nubian
Fam5:Central
Lc1:ghl
Ld1:Ghulfan
Lc2:kdu
Ld2:Kadaru
Lc3:kko
Ld3:Karko
Lc4:wll
Ld4:Wali
Lc5:dil
Ld5:Dilling
Lc6:drb
Ld6:Dair
Lc7:elh
Ld7:El Hugeirat
Glotto:kord1246
Glottorefname:Kordofan Nubian

The Hill Nubian languages, also called Kordofan Nubian,[1] are a dialect continuum of Nubian languages spoken by the Hill Nubians in the northern Nuba Mountains of Sudan.

Classification

The Hill Nubian languages are generally classified as being in the Central branch of the Nubian languages, one of three branches of the Nubian languages, the other two being Northern (Nile), consisting of Nobiin, and Western (Darfur), consisting of Midob. They are grouped together with Kenzi-Dongolawi (not seen to be closely related to Nobiin, despite their proximity) and Birgid, a language of southwestern Sudan extinct since the 1970s.[2] Nubian lies within the Eastern Sudanic family, which is part of the Nilo-Saharan phylum.

Languages

There are seven Hill Nubian languages, according to Ethnologue and Glottolog. Some of the languages have dialects. Their internal classification within Hill Nubian is not well established. Glottolog classifies Hill Nubian (Kordofan Nubian) into two branches: Eastern Kordofan Nubian and Western Kordofan Nubian, containing three and four languages respectively.[3] Ethnologue, however, only groups Kadaru and Ghulfan together, leaving the rest unclassified within Hill Nubian, as follows:[4]

Additionally, one extinct language known only from a word list of 36 words, Haraza, is unclassified within Hill Nubian.

List of Kordofan Nubian (Hill Nubian) language varieties according to Rilly (2010:164-165):[5]

Language variety Speakers Distribution
Dair (Thaminyi) 1,000 Jebel ed-Dair, an isolated escarpment in the northeastern Nuba Mountains
Tagle (Taglena, Kororo, Kururu) Jebel Kururu, in the Kadaro Massif
Kadaro (Kadero, Kadaru, Kodoro, Kodhin, Kodhinniai) 6,000 Kadaro Massif
Koldegi south of the Kadaro Massif
Dabatna (Kaalu) Jebel Dabatna, located to the southwest of the Kadaro Massif
Habila Jebel Habila, an isolated hill between Dilling and the Kadaro Massif
Ghulfan (Gulfan, Wunci, Wuncimbe) 16,384 Ghulfan Massif; Kurgul dialect in the east, and Morung dialect in the west
Debri (Wei) Jebel Debri, located south of the Ghulfan Massif
Kudur (Kwashi) Jebel Kudur, an isolated hill north of Dilling
Dilling (Deleny, Deleñ, Warki) 5,300 Dilling and surroundings
Kasha (Kenimbe) Jebel Kasha, an isolated hill north of Dilling
Karko (Garko, Kargo, Kithonirishe) 13,000 Karko Massif, located west of Dilling; dialects are Dulman and Kundukur
Fanda Jebel Fanda, south of the Karko Massif
Kujuria (Kunak) Kunit or Kujuria Hills, located southwest of the Karko Massif
Wali (Walari, Walarishe) 1,024 Wali Massif, located southwest of Dilling
Tabag Jebel Tabag, an isolated massif in the western Nuba Mountains
Abu-Jinuk Jebel Abu Jinuk, an isolated massif in the western Nuba Mountains
El-Hugeirat 1,024 far western Nuba Mountains

See also

External links

More information on specific linguistic characteristics and/or variations among Hill Nubian languages

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dotawo: A Journal of Nubian Studies: Vol. 1: 2014. Jakobi. Angelika. Ruffini. Giovanni. Oei. Vincent W. J. van Gerven. 2014-06-03. punctum books. 9780692229149. 203. en.
  2. News: Nubian. Ethnologue. 2017-06-24.
  3. Web site: Glottolog 3.0 - Kordofan Nubian. glottolog.org. en. 2017-06-24.
  4. News: Hill. Ethnologue. 2017-06-24.
  5. Rilly, Claude. 2010. Le méroïtique et sa famille linguistique. Leuven: Peeters Publishers.