Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T03:43:39.577Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Historical Inferences from the Linguistic Geography of the Nigerian Middle Belt

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2012

J. A. Ballard
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

This paper examines the distribution of languages in the Nigerian Middle Belt, draws certain historical inferences from the patterns of distribution, and assesses non-linguistic evidence tending to confirm or refute these inferences. The Middle Belt is taken as an area roughly inscribed by the Hausa-speaking area to the north, and the Yoruba, Edo, and Ibo-speaking areas to the south. Geographically it is an area which has a certain climatic coherence, falling between the sahel to the north and the forest to the south (Pullan, 1962; Buchanan, 1953). It is also an area of much more strikingly broken terrain than those to the north or south, with not only the complex relief of the Jos Plateau, but also many ranges of hills, particularly along its northern frontier and in its eastern half. This terrain appears to have militated against the establishment of large coherent political systems in the past and it is only in the plains of the Niger and Benue valleys that there is a record of extensive state systems in recent history, those of the Nupe and Jukun. On the other hand, archaeological evidence indicates that the Nok culture extended over a very large area of the Middle Belt, not by any means confined to the plains (Fagg, 1959, 1969), and there is evidence of a certain measure of cultural unity today (Murdock, 1959).

Résumé

CONCLUSIONS HISTORIQUES TIRÉES DE LA GÉOGRAPHIE LINGUISTIQUE DU MIDDLE BELT NIGÉRIEN

La géographie linguistique complexe du Middle Belt nigérien offre plusieurs exemples d'un modèle particulier de distribution des langues. II s'agit d'un groupe linguistiquement homogène occupant une vaste région ayant une seule frontière contiguë géographiquement avec des peuples parlant des langues apparentées à la sienne. Dans cette situation, une hypothèse de travail peut être élaborée, celle de la migration du groupe homogène loin de cette zone de contiguïté. Cette hypothèse est renforcée lorsque le groupe homogène sépare des peuples parlant des langues apparentées relevant d'un autre groupe linguistique.

Divers exemples de ce modèle dans le Middle Belt permettent de supposer l'existence d'une migration des Tiv et des Igbirra, migration qui est largement confirmée par latradition orale. Le même modèle se retrouve pour les Gwandara, Jarawan Bantu, le groupe apparenté des Angas et les Birom, mais pour chacun d'eux lcs conclusions apportées par la géographie linguistique sont moins évidentes.

Les groupes que l'on rencontre le plus souvent à la périphérie de ces migrations — résidant pour la plupart sur les collines ou dans les zones de terrain accidenté — sont ceux parlant les langues très différenciées des ethnies du ‘ groupe du Plateau ’ décrit par Greenberg. Ils semblent avoir été les premiers habitants de la partie centrale du Middle Belt. Les preuves concernant la résidence sur les collines et dans les plaines de cette zone donnent a penser que les gens parlant la langue du Plateau ont longtemps été des habitants des collines et que les plaines étaient relativement vides jusqu'à leur occupation par des groupes d'immigrants.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 41 , Issue 4 , October 1971 , pp. 294 - 305
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akiga, Sai B. 1954. ‘ The “ Descent ” of the Tiv from Ibenda Hill’, Africa, xxiv. 301–15.Google Scholar
Alexandre, P. 1965. ‘ Proto-histoire du groupe beti-bulu-fang: essai de synthèse provisoire ’, Cahiers d'Études Africaines, v. 503–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Armstrong, R. G. 1955. ‘ The Idoma-Speaking Peoples ’, in D. Forde et al., Peoples of the Niger-Benue Confluence, London.Google Scholar
Armstrong, R. G. 1964. ‘ The Use of Linguistic and Ethnographic Data in the Study of Idoma and Yoruba History ’, in Vansina, J., Mauny, R., and Thomas, L. V., eds., The Historian in Tropical Africa. London.Google Scholar
Baker, T. M. 1954. ‘ The Social Organisation of the Birom. ’ Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of London.Google Scholar
Ballard, J. A. [A] ‘ Plateau Languages and Jarawa in Koelle ’, African Language Review. (Forthcoming.)Google Scholar
Bohannan, L. and P., 1953. The Tiv of Central Nigeria. London.Google Scholar
Bohannan, P. 1954. ‘ The Migration and Expansion of the Tiv ’, Africa, xxiv. 2–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bohannan, P. and L., 1966. A Source Notebook in Tiv History and Political Organisation. New Haven.Google Scholar
Brown, Paula. 1955. ‘ The Igbira ’, in D. Forde et al., Peoples of the Niger-Benue Confluence. London.Google Scholar
Buchanan, Keith. 1953. ‘ The Northern Region of Nigeria: the Geographical Background of its Political Duality ’, Geographical Review, xliii. 451–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conant, F. P. 1963. ‘ The Manipulation of Ritual among Plateau Nigerians ’, Africa, xxxiii. 227–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalby, David, 1970. ‘ Reflections on the Classification of African Languages with Special Reference to the Work of Sigismund Wilhelm Koelle and Malcolm Guthrie ’, African Language Studies, xi. 147–71.Google Scholar
Dalby, David, 1971. ‘ A Referential Approach to the Classification of African Languages ’, in Kim, C., ed., Papers in African Linguistics. Urbana.Google Scholar
Dyen, Isidore. 1956. ‘ Language Distribution and Migration Theory ’, Language, xxxii. 611–26.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fagg, B. E. B. 1959. ‘ The Nok Culture in Prehistory ’, Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, i. 288–93.Google Scholar
Fagg, B. E. B. 1969. ‘ Recent Work in West Africa: New Light on the Nok Culture ’, World Archaeology, i. 41–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gerhardt, Ludwig. 1969. ‘ Über sprachliche Beziehungen auf dem Zentralnigerianischen Plateau ’, Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, 1079–91.Google Scholar
Greenberg, J. H. 1959. ‘ Africa as a Linguistic Area’, in W. R. Bascom and M. J. Herskovits, Continuity and Change in African Cultures. Chicago.Google Scholar
Greenberg, J. H. 1963. Languages of Africa. Bloomington.Google Scholar
Greenberg, J. H. 1964. ‘ Historical Inferences from Linguistic Research in Sub-Saharan Africa ’, in Butler, Jeffrey, ed., Boston University Papers in African History, vol. i. Boston.Google Scholar
Groom, A. H. 1910. ‘ The Main Characteristics of the “ Inland ” Igbirras in Kabba Province, Northern Nigeria ’, Journal of the African Society, ix. 176–83.Google Scholar
Gunn, H. D. 1953. Peoples of the Plateau Area of Northern Nigeria. London.Google Scholar
Gunn, H. D. 1956. Pagan Peoples of the Central Area of Northern Nigeria. London.Google Scholar
Gunn, H. D. and Conant, F. P. 1960. Peoples of the Middle Niger Region, Northern Nigeria. London.Google Scholar
Guthrie, Malcolm. 1970. ‘ Contributions from Comparative Bantu Studies to the Prehistory of Africa ’, in Dalby, David, ed., Language and History in Africa. London.Google Scholar
Hoffmann, Carl. 1971. ‘ Provisional Check List of Chadic Languages ’ in West African Linguistic Society Chadic Working Group, Chadic Newsletter, Special Issue (January).Google Scholar
Jacquot, A., and Richardson, I. 1956. ‘ Report of Western Team: Atlantic Coast to Oubangui ’, in Linguistic Survey of the Northern Bantu Borderland, vol. i, 1956.Google Scholar
Jungraithmayr, Hermann. 1970. Die Ron-Sprachen: Tschadohamitische Studien in Nordnigerien. Afrikanistische Forschungen III. Hamburg-Gluckstadt.Google Scholar
Kirk-Greene, A. H. M. 1967. ‘ The Linguistic Statistics of Northern Nigeria: A Tentative Presentation ’, African Language Review, vi. 75–101.Google Scholar
Koelle, S. W. 1854. Polyglotta Africana, London (reprinted 1963).Google Scholar
Mafiamba, P. C. 1966. ‘ The Ekot Mgba of Mamfe Division ’, Abbia, xiv-xv. 89–97.Google Scholar
Mason, Michael. 1969. ‘Population Density and “ Slave Raiding ”: the Case of the Middle Belt of Nigeria ’, Journal of African History, x. 551–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murdock, G. P. 1959. Africa: Its Peoples and their Culture History. New York.Google Scholar
Netting, R. Mc.C. 1968. Hill Farmers of Nigeria: Cultural Ecology of the Kofyar of the Jos Plateau. Seattle and London.Google Scholar
Newman, Paul. 1969/1970. ‘ Linguistic Relationship, Language Shifting, and Historical Inference ’, Afrika und Übersee, liii. 217–23.Google Scholar
Newman, Paul. and Ma, Roxana. 1966. ‘ Comparative Chadic: Phonology and Lexicon ’, Journal of African Languages, v. 218–51.Google Scholar
Obayemi, H. M. A. 1968. ‘ The Early History of Northeast Yoruba. ’Paper presented to the Historical Society of Nigeria Annual Conference.Google Scholar
Parsons, F. W. 1970. ‘ Is Hausa Really a Chadic Language? Some Problems of Comparative Phonology ’ African Language Studies, xi. 272–88.Google Scholar
Pullan, R. A. 1962. ‘ The Concept of the Middle Belt in Nigeria: an Attempt at a Climatic Definition ’, Nigerian Geographic Journal, v. 39–52.Google Scholar
Rouse, I. 1958. ‘ The Inference of Migrations from Anthropological Evidence ’ in Thompson, R. H., ed., Migrations in New World Cultural History, University of Arizona Social Science Bulletin No. 27.Google Scholar
Sahlins, M. D. 1961. ‘ The Segmentary Lineage: An Organisation of Predatory Expansion ’, American Anthropologist, lxiii. 322–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sapir, E. 1916. ‘ Time Perspective in Aboriginal American Culture: A Study in Method ’, reprinted in Mandelbaum, D. G., ed., Selected Writings by Edward Sapir in Language, Culture and Personality, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1949, pp. 389–462.Google Scholar
Struck, Bernhard. 1912. ‘ Linguistic Bibliography of Northern Nigeria ’, Journal of the African Society, xi. 47–61, 213–30.Google Scholar
Temple, O. and C. L., 1919. Notes on the Tribes, Provinces, Emirates and States of the Northern Provinces of Nigeria. Lagos (reprinted 1965).Google Scholar
Thomas, N. W. 1925. ‘ The Languages ’, in C. K. Meek, The Northern Tribes of Nigeria, ii. 132–47. London.Google Scholar
Thomas, N. W. 1927. ‘ The Bantu Languages of Nigeria ’, in Festschrift Meinhof, pp. 65–72. Hamburg.Google Scholar
Tremearne, A. J. N. 1912. The Tailed Head-Hunters of Nigeria: An Account of an Official's Seven Years' Experiences in the Northern Nigerian Pagan Belt. London.Google Scholar
Williamson, Kay. [A] ‘ The Benue-Congo Languages and Ijo ’, in Sebeock, Thomas, ed., Current Trends in Linguistics, vol. vii. Bloomington. (Forthcoming.)Google Scholar
Williamson, Kay. and Shimizu, Kiyoshi, 1968. Benue-Congo Comparative Wordlist, vol. i. Ibadan.Google Scholar