Eggon language
Spoken in
Niger -Congo
- Atlantic - Congo Benue - Congo Plateau languages
Ego
Eggon ( Egon, Ero, Mo Egon, Mada Mada or Eggon ) is a platoide language, which is spoken in Nigeria.
The language is spoken by 140,000 people in the state of Nassarawa in central Nigeria, in the Local Government Areas of Akwanga, Lafia and Nassarawa - Eggon.
The exact number of Eggon spokesman in 1985 estimated at just less than 200,000. In the 1920s, a total of 41 276 inhabitants still spoke of the British colony of Nigeria Eggon. 1971 now saying that 52,000 people Eggon.
Eggon is divided between 25 among themselves intelligible dialects and a twenty-sixth idiom Madantara, which of course is not (similar between the West German and Austrians in dialects and Swiss German ), without any special learning. The Kagbu is the main dialect. The language ' Madantara ' is spoken by a group of Eggon east of Nassarawa - Eggon and siffizient is different from the other dialects, so that it forms a separate language.
The earliest written material in Eggon dates from 1937. The dialect that has been chosen for the translation of the Bible based on the dialect Wana, even if it is supplemented by forms of other dialects and in a kind of artificial Eggon which is not one on the spoken language particular group is based, was written form. A hymn book, a reading book and a booklet were prepared, and the translation of the New Testament was completed in 1974. The spelling from 1974 is slightly different than the previous releases.
Eggon has long been used in churches, in recent times, however, only in the more secluded areas, as it becomes more and more replaced by the Hausa language, and especially by the official language of English in all establishments along the traffic areas. There is a small movement that wants to revive the language Eggon. Proof of this is the recent publication of new material in Eggon: A book about history and customs as well as a women's magazine, which is intended to appear regularly.
One problem is that there is no established writing system and such publications are not as easy to read as it seems at first glance. Nevertheless, it is possible that Eggon can aspire to an important language for literary development. The Eggon one of the Plateau languages.