Nilo-Saharan languages

The Nilo-Saharan languages ​​(also called short Nilo-Saharan ) form an African language family of about 200 languages ​​and a total of about 35 million speakers. They are mainly spoken in the upper reaches of the River Chari ( Chari ) and the Nile, including the history of Nubia. Its distribution extends over 18 states in North Africa: Algeria and Mali in the northwest; Benin, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan and DR Congo in the south, and from Egypt to Kenya and Tanzania in the east. The largest part of their important branch can be found in present-day Sudan and South Sudan. As is evident from the name, Nilo-Saharan language family is one that is common in the landlocked African country, including the larger Nile basin and its tributaries as well as in the central Saharan desert.

Nilo-Saharan as a unit, and structure

General

The name goes back to efforts by the linguist Joseph Greenberg, detect all until then a genetic classification deprivation African languages ​​as a genetic language family Belonging. Greenberg developed the Nilo-Saharan language family from the eastern branch of the postulated by Diedrich Westermann and Carl Meinhof Sudan languages ​​whose unit did not stand up to scrutiny.

The Nilo-Saharan is by the specialists of the area ( Lionel Bender and Christopher Ehret ) regarded as secured unit, the proto-language is to reconstruct the main features (see literature Bender 1997 and especially Ehret 2001). Based on this work and that of other researchers, the concept of the Nilo-Saharan languages ​​is widely accepted as a genetic unit in the African studies. In particular, the core of the Nilo-Saharan - the ostsudanischen languages ​​( including the Nilotic and Nubian languages), the zentralsudanischen languages ​​and several smaller groups - broadly accepted as a genetic unit. With few membership of the Kunama languages ​​, Berta and fur and the Maba group is doubted ( spoken in Chad, the Central African Republic and Sudan ) to the Nilo-Saharan. Stronger doubt apply to the " outlier groups " Saharanisch, Kuliak ( Rub ) and Songhai, whose membership is denied to the Nilo-Saharan by several researchers.

Thus, results in the following basic concept:

Before, you ( esp. Greenberg) and the ostsudanischen zentralsudanischen languages ​​and Kunama and Berta among Obegriff the Chari - Nile languages ​​( Chari- Nile languages) together. However, Chari - Nile languages ​​do not represent spoke genetically related subgroup of the Nilo-Saharan languages ​​, which is why the term is only of geographical importance. However, the so-called Chari - Nile languages ​​form the core of the Nilo-Saharan languages ​​secured.

Extremely controversial is the classification of Shabo language. Ethnologue, Anbessa Tefera and Peter Unseth expect Shabo to the Nilo-Saharan languages. Christopher Ehret holds for Shabo isolated. Often Shabo is classified as unclassified.

Some linguists, including Roger Blench, keep the Kadu languages ​​( also called Kadugli or Tumtum ) for the Nilo-Saharan belonging, while other linguists following Greenberg and qualify the Kadu languages ​​as Kordofanian (Niger- Congo languages ​​). Ehret holds the Kadu languages ​​other hand, for isolated.

Occasionally it has been suggested that the Mande languages ​​, which are classified usually among Niger - Congo languages ​​, Nilo-Saharan family mainly included in the account of their remarkable similarities with the Songhai languages. This proposal is rejected by the prevailing opinion.

The Meroitic language of ancient Kush was sometimes mistaken for a suspected member of the Nilo-Saharan; However, we know too little about this extinct language in order to classify them believable. The same is true for the extinct Oropom language in Uganda (if they ever existed ) were indicated by the connections with Kuliak or the Nilotic languages.

Approaches for a non-family relationship of the Nilo-Saharan depend usually on the Niger - Congo languages ​​. Gregersen (1972 ) summarized both language families together as Congo Saharanisch, whereas Blench (1995 ) proposed that Niger - Congo could be a branch of the Nilo- Saharan, who had equally with Zentralsudanisch. However, such theories by most linguists are treated with restraint.

Classification of Bender ( 2000)

  • Songhai languages
  • Saharan African languages
  • Kuliak languages
  • Main group (the first five groups are summarized by Bender as satellites): Maba languages
  • Zentralsudanische languages
  • Berta
  • Kunama
  • Core: Ostsudanische languages Nubian languages
  • Nera
  • Nyima languages
  • Tama languages
  • Surmische languages
  • Jebel and Eastern Jebel languages
  • Tema languages
  • Daju languages
  • Nilotic languages

Classification according to Ehret (2001)

See Ehret (2001 ), pp. 88 f

  • Coma
  • Sudanese Central Sudanese
  • Northern Sudanese Kunama
  • Saharo - Sahelisch Saharanisch
  • Trans - Sahel West Sahelisch Songhay
  • Maba

Classification by Ethnologue

This classification is somewhat obsolete in view of the recent accounts of Bender ( 1997) and (2000) and Ehret (2001):

  • Berta
  • Zentralsudanische languages
  • Ostsudanische languages Eastern group: Eastern Jebel languages
  • Nara
  • Nubian languages
  • Surmische languages
  • Daju languages
  • Nyimang languages
  • Tama languages
  • Tema languages
  • Kanga, Keiga, Krongo, Tumtum, Katcha - Kadugli - Tulishi and Miri ( = Kadu languages)
  • Shabo

Major languages

Genetic relationship (linguistics) Languages of Africa Lionel Bender (linguist) Eastern Sudanic languages Berta language Songhay languages SIL International Oropom people Surmic languages Ingessana language Temein languages Koman languages Kanuri language Kanuri people Dinka language Dinka people Lango dialect Nuer language Nuer people Acholi dialect Acholi people Timbuktu Fur people Bernd Heine
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