| Lower Cross River | |
| Also Known As: | Lower Cross, Ibibioid |
| Region: | Nigeria
|
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam4: | Cross River |
| Child1: | Obolo |
| Child2: | Lower Cross proper (Ibibioid) |
| Glotto: | obol1242 |
| Glottorefname: | Lower Cross |
The Lower Cross River languages form a branch of the Cross River languages of Cross River State, Nigeria. They consist of the divergent Obolo language (or Andoni, 200,000 speakers), and the core of the branch, which includes the 4 million speakers of the Efik-Ibibio cluster.[1]
Additionally, Ethnologue lists several more languages within the Efik-Ibibio cluster. (See Ibibio-Efik languages.)
Forde and Jones (1950) considered Ibino and Oro to be Efik-Ibibio.
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[2]
| Language | Branch | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebughu | Ebughu | Oron | more than 5,000 (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo and Oron LGAs | ||||||||
| Enwang | Enwang | Oron (incorrectly) | estimated 50,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA | ||||||||
| Iko | Obolo (incorrectly included within Obolo) | Three villages: 5,000+ (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA[3] | |||||||||
| Idua | Ilue | 5,000 (1988); diminishing | Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA | |||||||||
| 11,200 (1945 F&J); 50,000 | Akwa Ibom State, Okobo LGA | |||||||||||
| Uda | 10,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA | ||||||||||
| Cross River State, Akampka LGA | ||||||||||||
| Usakade(t) | Usaghade | Isangele | Cross River State, Odukpani LGA; mainly in Cameroon, Isangele sub–division | |||||||||
| Idere | more than 5,000 (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Itu LGA | no data | |||||||||
| Efai | Effiat (from Efik) | >5,000 (1988 est.) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA; Cameroon, Isangele sub–division | |||||||||
| Oron | Ọrọ (Oro) | Ọrọ (Oro) | 319,000 (1963 per Kuperus) | Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA | ||||||||
| Ito | 5,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Akamkpa LGA | no data | |||||||||
| Eki | 5000 plus (1988) | no data | ||||||||||
| Central | Etebi | Oron (incorrectly); Ekit (incorrectly) | estimate 15,000 (1989) | Akwa Ibom State, Uquo Ibeno LGA | ||||||||
| Central | Itu Mbuzo | Itu Mbon Uzo | 5,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Ikono LGA | ||||||||
| Central | Abak, Ikot Ekpene, Ukanafun | Annang, Anang, Anaŋ | 246,000 (F&J 1944-5): estimated 1,000,000 (1990) | Akwa Ibom State, Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim, Abak, Ukanafun and Oruk–Anam LGAs | ||||||||
| Central | Calabar | 26,300 (1950 F&J),[4] 10,000 in Cameroon; 360,000 first language speakers; spoken as a second language by 1.3 million (UN 1960), 3.5 million (1986 UBS) diminishing | ||||||||||
| Central | Ekid, Eket | 22,000 (1952 W&B); estimated 200,000 (1989) | Akwa Ibom State, Eket and Uquo Ibeno LGAs | |||||||||
| Central | Nkari, Enyong, Central, Itak, Nsit etc. roughly according to clans | Ibibyo | 800,000 (1952) (may include Efik); 283,000 (1945 F&J); 2 million (1973 census); estimated 2.5 million (Ibibio proper 1990) | Akwa Ibom State, Ikono, Itu, Uyo, Etinan, Ekpe–Atai, Uruan, Nsit–Ubium, Onna, Mkpat Enin and Abasi LGAs | ||||||||
| Central | Ibuoro | 5,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Itu and Ikono LGAs | |||||||||
| West | From West to East: Ataba, Unyeada, Ngo, Okoroete, Ibot Obolo | Òbólò | Andoni | 22,400 (1944 F&J); 90,000 (1983 Aaron); 100,000 (Faraclas 1989) | Rivers State, Andoni LGA: western dialects; Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA: eastern dialects[5] | |||||||
| West | Ibuno, Ibeno | 10,000 (Faraclas (1989) | Akwa Ibom State, Ibeno LGA[6] |
Proto-Lower Cross River has been reconstructed by Connell (n.d.)[7]