A Comparative Study of the Mumuye Dialects (Nigeria)

Citation preview

MARBURGER STUDIEN ZUR AFRIKA- UND ASIENKUNDE Herausgeber: H.nJ. Greschat (Religionsgeschichte) - H. Jungraithmayr (Afrikanistik) W. Rau (Indologie)

Serie A: Afrika

Band 14

Kiyoshi Shimizu

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE MUMUYE DIALECTS (Nigeria)

BERLIN 1979 • VERLAG VON DIETRICH REIMER

Alle Rechte vorbehalten Gedruckt mit Untersttitzung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft aus Sondermitteln des Ministeriums fur Forschung und Technologic

Herstellung: Erich Mauersberger, Marburg/Lahn

EDITOR'S PREFACE

This study of Mumuye - 15 "dialects" forming in fact

3 "languages" - is the first that has been carried out on one

of the major languages which in Greenberg’s classification comprise the Adamawa linguistic group. The material on which this investigation is based - in the main 15 wordlists of 100 items each with a deeper and comprehensive analysis of the

most prestigious dialect of Mumuye, that of Zing, whose grammar

is now in preparation - was collected by the author in 1973.

Dr. Kiyoshi Shimizu had been studying and performing research for several years in Nigeria before he came to Marburg - and later to Vienna - University in 1977. In those years he developed a good knowledge of comparative Nigritic linguistics

which certainly contributed to the value of the present study. The main advantage of this kind of research into one single African language or dialect cluster lies in its combined nature

i.e. the linguistic analyses - towards dialectal classification

as well as historical reconstructions - are carried out with practical applications in mind, particularly for non-linguists

who plan to work on the Mumuye and for those people who wish to carry out literacy programmes among the Mumuye people.

The author’s important statements and reflections on the ambiguity and/or instability of such lexical items as "hair",

"big", "path", "that", "cloud", "kill", etc., based on detailed and systematic analyses of Swadesh's 100 word list could give rise to more rethinking on the applicability of this "basic" vocabulary. Dr. Shimizu's thoughts on and discussion of this

problem in Chapter Five - discussions of "important theoretical

bearings on the relationship between lexical changes and the Table of Cognate Distribution" - deserve attention by those wishing to work in the lexicostatistical area in Africa today. Another interesting observation made by the author for Mumuye

is that there is only very little lexical replacement due to

external influences; the data seem to yield only four items: "market", "give", "all" and "small" (sect. 25.8). On the other

hand, however, there are "many other instances of lexical replacements whose causes cannot be traced at the present state

of our knowledge." The most important demonstration that Dr. Shimizu seems to

have been able to present in his study of the Mumuye language

and dialects is probably "that linguistic differences, be they lexical or phonological, should under normal circumstances fall together in support of one and only one classification"

(end'of

sect. 26.2).

Finally, I consider the importance which the author attributes to such a linguistic analysis for practical,

especially literacy programmes to be very high. I think he is right when he states that "once literacy materials bear the

marks of an un-prestigious dialect, they will inevitably be

rejected by the majority of learners." Thus, useful recomm^ln-

dations as to which speech form of a linguistic community should be chosen as a common means of expression and communica­

tion have to be based on careful and scientifically solid analyses.

The editors of the Marburger Studien zur Afrika- und Asienkunde are pleased to include this important and interesting study

of a long neclected-linguistic group in Northeastern Nigeria into this monograph series. Thanks are due to the author for his good

cooperation and especially to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft which generously funded the publication of the book..

Marburg on the Lahn, in December 1978.

H. Jungraithmayr.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

REFERENCES CHAPTER ONE

The Mumuye-speaking area and the Mumuye dialects

1.

The Mumuye-speaking area defined

2.

The number of the Mumuye dialects and their subgrouping

3.

The Zing Group

4.

The Monkin Group

5.

The Kpugbong Group

6.

Rang Mumuye and Pangseng Mumuye

CHAPTER TWO

Phonology

7.

Proto-Mumuye consonant segments

8.

Post-nasalised consonants

9.

Sound correspondences of initial consonants

10.

Final consonants

11 .

Proto-Mumuye vowel segments

12.

Tones

13.

Guidelines for the Mumuye alphabet

CHAPTER THREE

Morphology

14.

Basic morpheme structures

15.

Noun suffixes

16.

Verbs

17.

Numerals

18.

Pronouns

CHAPTER FOUR

Lexicostatistical counts

19.

The wordlist

20.

Categorisation of the 100 items

21 .

The table of Cognate Distribution

22.

The cognate counts

CHAPTER FIVE

A subclassification of the Mumuye dialects

23.

The nature of the subclassification

24.

Evaluation of the lexicostatistical counts

25.

Evaluation of the Table of Cognate Distribution

26.

Evaluation of the phonological differences

CHAPTER SIX

Linguistic and tribal subclassifications compared

27.

C. K. Meek's tribal units and the Zing version

28.

Correspondences between the different classifications

29.

Discrepancies between the different classifications

30.

Causes of discrepancies

CHAPTER SEVEN

Intelligibility, literacy programme and Standard Mumuye

31.

Hausa and Fula in the Mumuye-speaking area

32.

Average Cognate Percentages (ACP)

33.

Literacy programme

34.

Towards Standard Mumuye

CONCLUSION NOTES:

Introduction

Chapter one Chapter two Chapter three Chapter four Chapter five Chapter six

Chapter seven APPENDIX I.

Tentative Proto-Mumuye reconstructions and root­ numbering

Introductory notes A. Nouns (1-58)

B. Verbs (59-75) C. Numerals (76-83) D. Pronouns (84-89)

E. Other miscellaneous items (90-110) APPENDIX II.

Comparative wordlist of 15 Mumuye dialects

Introductory notes A. Nouns (1-58)

B. Verbs (59-75) C. Numerals (76-83) D. Pronouns (84-89)

E. Other miscellaneous items (90-110)

LIST OF MAPS AND TABLES

Maps

Map 1.

The Mumuye-speaking area and the Mumuye dialects

12

Map 2.

Linguistic relationships derived from Table 5

40

Map 3.

Isoglosses drawn on the basis of Table 2

49

Tables Table 1.

The Mumuye dialects subclassified

Table 2.

Correspondences with sound changes among 15 Mumuye dialects

13

23

Table 3.

Distribution of the one root et al items

34

Table 4.

The Table of Cognate Distribution

36

Table 5.

Cognate percentages shared on Swadesh first 100 items

Table 6.

Tribal and linguistic classifications compared

37

51

INTRODUCTION

The language known as Mumuye belongs to the Adamawa branch of 1 the Adamawa-Ubangi subfamily of the Niger-Congo family . It is spoken in Zing, Kwaji, Kpantisaawa and Jaalingo districts of Mu­

ri Division and in Jereng District of Adamawa Division, Gongola 2 State, Nigeria . It consists of a number of fairly divergent

dialects, and the term 'Mumuye' is not used by the speakers of

any of these dialects, it being apparently the name given by 3 outsiders . Instead the speakers of each dialect have their own 4 separate name . This situation has made it difficult to deter­ mine (a) the exact number of Mumuye dialects^ and (b) the area where they are spoken. The purpose of this study

6

is firstly to solve these two

problems on the basis of the survey data and the wordlists of 'Swadesh first 100 basis items' from 15 Mumuye dialects, which I collected in April 1973, whilst visiting most of the Mumuye7 speaking area myself . Secondly the main part of this study is devoted to a linguistic analysis of the 15 wordlists both in

phonology and morphology, including tentative Proto-Mumuye re­

constructions of ever 100 lexical items. Thirdly it is con­ cerned with the subclassification of the Mumuye dialects, based on the foregoing analyses and the lexicostatistical counts. In the fourth part, the linguistic classification thus arrived at

is compared with the traditional tribal subdivisions of the Mumuye. The study then ends with some practical suggestions about the literacy programme and Standard Mumuye.

REFERENCES

GREENBERG, Joseph H. 1966 Languages of Africa. Mouton. The Hague. HOFFMANN, Carl. 1974 'Adamawa-Eastern languages of Nigeria: Adamawa branch'. Mimeograph. Ibadan. HYMAN, Larry M. and Daniel J. Magaji. 1971 Essentials of Gwari grammar. Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.

KRUISE, P. and Mrs. P. Kruise. 1974 (1) Ru beh la (A reading primer). Nos. 1., 2. (2) Rugmagma (Folk stories). Both in the Lankaviri dialect of Mumuye. MEEK, C. K. 1931

SAMARIN. 1971

'The Mumuye and neighbouring tribes'. Tribal stu­ dies in Northern Nigeria. Vol. 1. London. 'The Adamawa-Eastern'. In: Sebeck, T. A. (ed.) Current trends in linguistics: Vol. 7, Linguistics in Sub-Saharan Africa. Mouton, The Hague.

SHIMIZU, Kiyoshi. 1971 Comparative Jukunoid. Ph. D. Thesis, University of Ibadan.

1975

(1) 'A method of cognate counts for the phylogene­ tic classification of languages', a paper read at the West African Linguistic Seminar (April 9-23, 1975), Institute of Linguistics, Jos. (2) 'A lexicostatistical study of Plateau languages and Jukun'. Anthropological linguistics.Vol.17, No.8.

SWADESH, Morris. 1955 'Towards greater accuracy in lexicostatistic dating'. IJAL 21. 121 - 27.

WESTERMANN, D., and M. A. Bryan. 1952 Languages of West Africa. 0. U. P.

WILLIAMSON, Kay (ed.). 1973 Benue-Congo comparative wordlist, Vol. 2. Ibadan.

11

CHAPTER ONE The Mumuye-speaking area and the Mumuye dialects

1. The Mumuye-speaking area defined The Mumuye-speaking area can be tentatively defined as an area of approximately rectangular shape, about 60 kilometers

(east-west) by 40 kilometers (north-south), as shown in Map 1 Its southern boundary runs roughly along the latitude 8°4O' i North , and its northern boundary between 5 and 10 kilometers to the north of the Jeleng-Lankaviri road. Its eastern boun­

dary coincides more or less with the Belwa River and its wes2 tern boundary with the Lankaviri-Jaalingo road .

2. The number of the Mumuye dialects and their subgrouping

Within this general area there are spoken at least fifteen, and probably as many as twenty, distinct dialects of Mumuye.

The names of these twenty dialects are set out in Table 1 in a classificatory scheme, and their locations and boundaries in

Map 1. Those fifteen dialects among them for which we have 3 collected reliable linguistic data , fall into three groups:

(I) Mumuye Proper, comprising 13 dialects, plus two isolated dialects (II) Rang Mumuye and (III) Pangseng Mumuye. The latter

two are so divergent from the first and from each other that we can call each of them a separate language rather than a dialect. The first group, or Mumuye Proper, can be further subclassified into smaller and smaller groups at three diffe­

rent levels. Thus at the highest level it falls into two major subdivisions:

(A) North-East Mumuye and (B) South-West Mumuye.

Then at the next level the latter can be divided into two,

giving three distinct dialect groups: (ii) the Monkin

(i) the Zing Group,

Group, and (iii) the Kpugbong Group. At the

lowest level the first of these three groups falls into four

smaller groups, and the second and the third into two each, giving a total of eight ultimate groups,

(a) to (h).

Concerning Mumuye Proper, the three dialect groups at the

11°30

R. Benue

,

12 Map 1. The Mumuye-speaking area and the Mumuye dialects

R. Kunini Lau Yoti Afawa" oBanga

Yoti

I PANGSENG KWAJI Jmlari

Minda

©Sanga Yendang R. Belwa Bajama

LANKAVIRr Laifkaviri

9°00’----

Gomla

p?. Saawa SAAWA

Minda0

Jeleng=;

Zing

Kona

S GNOORE

ZING Yakoko

Nyaaja° \ NYAAJA

(21 Jaalingo JAALINGO R

B. Dutse

Lamurde

Jamtari

Lam,ia

A

JENG

/VRANG T|| Lama

/ Kasaa

/ K A S' A A o'Yoro Y Q *R

V\SAGBEE

Kutin

0 8°40'

10

SCALE: Kilometers

I-

0

10

I—I

20

30

I

I

Boundaries of the Mumuye-speaking area

Boundaries of RANG and PANGSENG Boundaries between the Zing, Monkin and Kpugbong groups of dialects

Dialect boundaries Rivers

Roads

0,0 Kona etc.

Settlements

JAALINGO etc.

Dialect names

8

KUGONG

9

SHAARI

Yendang etc.

Surrounding languages

13

Table 1.

The Mumuye dialects subclassified

Major Division

Language

Dialect group

Dialect 'a.

ZA. North-East Mumuye - i. Zing Group

I. Mumuye Proper