| Volta–Congo | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | West Africa |
| Linguistic classification | ?Niger–Congo
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| Subdivisions |
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| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | volt1241 |
 The Volta–Congo languages shown within the Niger–Congo language family. Non-Volta–Congo languages are greyscale. | |
Volta–Congo is a major branch of theAtlantic–Congo family. It includes all Atlantic–Congo except the families of the erstwhileAtlantic andKordofanian branches and possiblySenufo.
In the infobox at the right, the languages which appear to be the most divergent (including the dubiousSenufo) are placed at the top, whereas those closer to the core (the similar "Benue–Kwa" branches ofKwa,Volta–Niger andBenue–Congo) are near the bottom.[1] If the Kwa or Savannas branches prove to be invalid, the tree will be even more crowded.
Comparative linguistic research by John M. Stewart in the sixties and seventies helped establish thegenetic unity of Volta–Congo and shed light on its internal structure, but the results remain tentative. Williamson and Blench (2000) note that in many cases it is difficult to draw clear lines between the branches of Volta–Congo and suggest that this might indicate the diversification of adialect continuum rather than a clear separation of families. This had been suggested before by Bennet (1983 as cited in Williamson and Blench 2000:17) in the case of theGur andAdamawa–Ubangi languages, which apart fromUbangian are now linked together asSavannas. Other branches areKwa andBenue–Congo, which includes the well-known and particularly numerousBantu group. The relationship of Kwa to Benue–Congo (namedBenue–Kwa), and the eastern and western branches of Benue–Congo to each other, remain obscure.
The vowel systems of Volta–Congo languages have been the subject of much historical comparative linguistic debate. Casali (1995) defends the hypothesis that Proto-Volta–Congo had a nine- or ten-vowel system employingvowel harmony and that this set has been reduced to a seven vowel-system in many Volta–Congo languages. TheGhana–Togo Mountain languages are examples of languages where nine- or ten-vowel systems are still found.