Nupe language

Nupe
Native to Nigeria
Region Niger State, Kwara North, Kogi State, Federal Capital Territory
Native speakers
 (800,000 cited 1990)[1]
L2 speakers: 200,000 (1999)
Niger–Congo
Dialects
  • Nupe Tako (Bassa Nge)
Latin, Arabic (in the past[2])
Language codes
ISO 639-3 nup
Glottolog nupe1254[3]

Nupe is a Volta–Niger language of the Nupoid branch spoken primarily by the Nupe people of the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Its geographical distribution is limited to the west-central portion of this region, and it maintains pre-eminence in Niger State.

History

The nupe language is the very traditional and old language related to nigeria and congo

Vocabulary

A a B b C c D d Dz dz E e F f G g Gb gb H h I i J j K k Kp kp L l
/a/ /b/ /t͡ʃ/ /d/ /d͡z/ /e/ /f/ /g/ /ɡ͡b/ /h/ /i/ /d͡ʒ/ /k/ /k͡p/ /l/
M m N n O o P p R r S s Sh sh T t Ts ts U u V v W w Y y Z z Zh zh
/m/ /n/ /o/ /p/ /r/ /s/ /ʃ/ /t/ /t͡s/ /u/ /v/ /w/ /j/ /z/ /ʒ/
An an In in Un un
/ã/ /ĩ/ /ũ/
Indication of tones
High tone (´) acute
Low tone (`) grave
Mid tone unmarked
Falling tone (ˆ) circumflex or (ˇ) caron
Rising tone (ˇ) caron or (ˆ) circumflex

Proverbs

The speeches come in the forms of egankogi (parable), gangba (warning), egancin (idiom), ecingi (riddle/tales) and eganmagan (proverb).[4]

Eganmagan (proverb), and its plural eganmaganzhi, are wise sayings well spoken among the Nupes. These proverbs educate, entertain and teach morality and are didactic. They form part of the oral or unwritten on norms and ethics of the Nupe societies passed from one generation to another through songs, stories, fables, folk tales, myths, legends, incantations, communal discussions, worshiped etc.

Similar to other African proverbs, Nupe proverbs associate or relate peoples action to their immediate environment in order to explain or correct particular situation, norm, issue, problem. They also enlighten, warn and advice or teach the language in other to change perception which in most cases becomes reality.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Nupe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Roger Blench. «Oral literature genres of the Nupe of Central Nigeria». Pages 5—6.
  3. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Nupe-Nupe-Tako". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  4. ↑ Ibrahim, Isyaku Bala (2009) Eganmaganzhi Nupe (Nupe Proverbs), over a thousand (1000) proverbs). Minna: Gandzo Enterprises.
  5. ↑ Ibrahim, Isyaku Bala (2009) Eganmaganzhi Nupe (Nupe Proverbs), over a thousand (1000) proverbs). Minna: Gandzo Enterprises.
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