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Ijoid languages
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Thematic map of Africa showing the distribution of Niger-Congo language branches. Distinct colors represent language groups such as Atlantic, Mande, Gur, Kwa, Benue-Congo, and Bantu, with Bantu languages covering most of central, eastern, and southern Africa. A numbered key lists prominent languages in each area, and country borders are marked for reference.
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Ijoid languages

Written by
John T. Bendor-Samuel
Executive Director, Summer Institute of Linguistics Ltd., High Wycombe, England. Editor of The Niger-Congo Languages: A Classification and Description of Africa's Largest Language Family.
John T. Bendor-Samuel
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Ijoid languages, the smallest branch of the Niger-Congo language family. It consists of a language cluster, Ijo (Ijaw), comprising seven other language clusters with a total of approximately two million speakers, and Defaka (Afakani), a solitary language spoken by very few. All these languages are found in the relatively narrow coastal Niger River delta region of Nigeria. The Ijo language cluster includes the languages of the Eastern Ijo, namely Kalabari, Okrika, and Ibani; the Brass...

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