Kru languages
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kru | |
---|---|
Geographic distribution: |
Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Burkina Faso |
Genetic classification: |
Niger-Congo Atlantic-Congo Volta-Congo Kru |
Subdivisions: |
Aizi
Eastern Kru
Kuwaa
Siamou
Western Kru
|
The Kru languages belong to the Niger-Congo language family and are spoken in the area ranging from the south-east of Liberia to the east of Côte d'Ivoire. The name Kru is of unknown origin and is according to Westermann (1952) 'used by Europeans to denote a number of tribes speaking related dialects, and the dialects as a whole'; Marchese (1989) notes that the term might be derived from the fact that many of these peoples were recruited as 'crew' by European seafarers.
The classification of Kru languages is as follows:
- Aizi
- Eastern Kru
- Kuwaa
- Siamou
- Western Kru
[edit] References
- Westerman, Diedrich Hermann (1952) Languages of West Africa (Part II). London/New York/Toronto: Oxford University Press.