| Ron | |
| Also Known As: | Ron–Fyer |
| Region: | Mangu LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria |
| Familycolor: | Afro-Asiatic |
| Fam2: | Chadic |
| Fam3: | West Chadic |
| Protoname: | Proto-Ron |
| Child1: | Ron |
| Child2: | Fyer |
| Glotto: | west2716 |
| Glottorefname: | West Chadic A.4 |
| Map: | West Chadic Languages.jpg |
| Mapcaption: | West Chadic per Newman (1977) |
The Ron, Ronic or Ron–Fyer languages, group A.4 of the West Chadic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, are spoken in Plateau State, north-central Nigeria.
The Ron languages have undergone extensive influence from Tarok.[1]
The Ron languages, and their tentative relationships, are:[2]
Blench (2019)[3] groups the following in the (Central) Ron/Run dialect cluster: Bokkos, Mbar, Daffo–Butura, Manguna, Mangar, Sha.
While noting that Ron is in fact a complex linkage, Blench (2003) rejects two of the connections proposed in Seibert (1998) [Sha with Mundat–Karfa and Mangar with Kulere/Richa]:[4]
Below is a comprehensive list of Ron language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).[3]
| Language | Cluster | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Other names (based on location) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fier | 1,500 (1970); 10,000 (Blench 1999) | Plateau State, Mangu LGA | ||||||||
| Shagau | Kerifa | Duhwa | Karfa | Duhwa | Challa | 800 (SIL 1973) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||
| Tof, Richa, Kamwai: the latter includes Marahai (Marhai) | Akande (Kamwaĩ, Àkàndí (Tof), Kande (Richa) | Tof, Richa, Kamwai | Korom Ɓoye | 6,500 (1925 Meek); 4,933 (1943 Ames); 8,000 (1973 SIL) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||||
| Mundat | Ron | Mundat | Mundat | Mundat | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||||
| Shagau | Anguna, Hurti, Ahurum, Ambwash, Gbwendeng, Nzuhwe (Duhwa) | Anguna Shagau | 20,000 (SIL) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | ||||||
| Tembis | 3,000 (SIL) | Plateau State, Pankshin LGA | ||||||||
| Run cluster | Run | Bokkos and Daffo–Mbar-Butura are more closely related than Sha | Ron | Run | Challa, Cala, Chala, Challawa | 13,120 (1934 Ames); 60,000 (1985 UBS) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||
| Run | Bokkos, Baron | Lis ma Run | Bokos | Challa, Cala | ||||||
| Run | Daffa, Mbar, Butura | Ron | Alis I Run | Batura | Mbar-wuh | Challa | ||||
| Run | Manguna, Hurti, Dambwash, Mahurum, Gwande, Karfa(Duhwa) | Ron | Shagau | Anguna, Hurti, Duhwa, Agbwendeng, Ambwash, Ahurum | Anguna Shagau | Challa | 20,000 (SIL) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | ||
| Run | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA | |||||||||
| Run | 500 (SIL); about 1,000 (1970 Jungraithmayr) | Plateau State, Bokkos LGA |
| Proto-Ron | |
| Familycolor: | Afroasiatic |
| Target: | Ron languages |
Since the Ron languages form a diverse linkage, Ron reconstruction is not straightforward due to the lack of neat sound correspondences. There are many borrowings from neighbouring Niger-Congo Plateau languages that Ron had assimilated or been in contact with.[5]
Proto-Ron reconstructions by Roger Blench are as follows.[2]
| No. | English | Proto-Ron | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | person |
| |
| 7. | friend |
| |
| 19. | name |
| |
| 45. | flesh |
| |
| 46. | head |
| |
| 49. | bone |
| |
| 53. | ear |
| |
| 54. | nose |
| |
| 57. | mouth |
| |
| 59. | tongue |
| |
| 61. | tooth |
| |
| 62. | molar |
| |
| 64. | chin |
| |
| 69. | throat |
| |
| 72. | breast (female) |
| |
| 73. | chest |
| |
| 79. | navel |
| |
| 83. | elbow |
| |
| 91. | thigh |
| |
| 107. | saliva, spittle |
| |
| 110. | urine |
| |
| 190. | I |
| |
| 238. | crocodile |
| |
| 1072. | blow (mouth) |
| |
| 1089. | call (summon) |
| |
| 1157. | fall |
| |
| 1218. | land |
| |
| 1241. | meet |
| |
| 1249. | open (door) |
| |
| 1276. | put |
|
Plurals of nouns in Ron languages are typically formed with -a- infixes.[6]