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How were Kadu languages reclassified from Niger-Congo to Nilo-Saharan?
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Nilo-Saharan languages
Distribution of the Nilo-Saharan languages.
The Kadu languages, spoken in the Nuba Hills of Sudan, were originally classified by Joseph H. Greenberg in his 1963 study as a branch of the Kordofanian group within the Niger-Congo family.12
However, this initial classification was noted for its significant divergence from other Kordofanian languages. As linguistic knowledge improved through further comparative and descriptive work, scholars recognized that the Kadu group did not fit well within Niger-Congo. Consequently, the languages were reclassified as a subgroup within the Nilo-Saharan family, an affiliation that is now widely accepted by linguists.21