| Lower Cross River | |
|---|---|
| Lower Cross, Ibibioid | |
| Geographic distribution | Nigeria; Roughly west of theImo estuary to east of theCross estuary. lowerSouthwest Cameroon |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo?
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | obol1242 |
TheLower Cross River languages form a branch of theCross River languages ofCross River State,Nigeria. They consist of the divergentObolo language or Andoni, (200,000 speakers), and the core of the branch, which includes the 4 million speakers of theEfik-Ibibio cluster.[1]
Additionally,Ethnologue lists several more languages within the Efik-Ibibio cluster. (SeeIbibio-Efik languages.)
Forde and Jones (1950) consideredIbino andOro 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 | Ebughu | Oron | more than 5,000 (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo and Oron LGAs | ||||||
| Enwang | Enwang | Enwang | Oron (incorrectly) | estimated 50,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA | ||||||
| Iko | Iko | Obolo (incorrectly included within Obolo) | Three villages: 5,000+ (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Eastern Obolo LGA[3] | |||||||
| Ilue | Idua | Ilue | 5,000 (1988); diminishing | Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA | |||||||
| Ọkọbọ | 11,200 (1945 F&J); 50,000 | Akwa Ibom State, Okobo LGA | |||||||||
| Uda | Uda | 10,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA | ||||||||
| Ukwa | Cross River State, Akampka LGA | ||||||||||
| Usaghade | Usakade(t) | Usaghade | Isangele | estimate 10,000 (1990) although mostly inCameroon | Cross River State, Odukpani LGA; mainly inCameroon, Isangele sub–division | ||||||
| Idere | Idere | more than 5,000 (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Itu LGA | no data | |||||||
| Efai | Efai | Effiat (from Efik) | >5,000 (1988 est.) | Akwa Ibom State, Mbo LGA;Cameroon, Isangele sub–division | |||||||
| Ọrọ | Oron | Ọrọ (Oro) | Ọrọ (Oro) | 319,000 (1963 per Kuperus) | Akwa Ibom State, Oron LGA | ||||||
| Ito | Ito | 5,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Akamkpa LGA | no data | |||||||
| Eki | Eki | 5000 plus (1988) | Cross River State | no data | |||||||
| Etebi | Central | Etebi | Oron (incorrectly); Ekit (incorrectly) | estimate 15,000 (1989) | Akwa Ibom State, Uquo Ibeno LGA | ||||||
| Itu Mbon Uzo | Central | Itu Mbuzo | Itu Mbon Uzo | 5,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Ikono LGA | ||||||
| Anaang | 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 | ||||||
| Efik | Central | Calabar | 26,300 (1950 F&J),[4] 10,000 inCameroon; 360,000 first language speakers; spoken as a second language by 1.3 million (UN 1960), 3.5 million (1986 UBS) diminishing | Cross River State, Calabar municipality, Odukpani and Akamkpa LGAs; and inCameroon | |||||||
| Ekit | Central | Ekid, Eket | 22,000 (1952 W&B); estimated 200,000 (1989) | Akwa Ibom State, Eket and Uquo Ibeno LGAs | |||||||
| Ibibio | 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 | ||||||
| Ibuoro | Central | Ibuoro | 5,000 plus (1988) | Akwa Ibom State, Itu and Ikono LGAs | |||||||
| Obolo | 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] | |||||
| Ibinọ | 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]
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