Tiv language
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Tiv is a Tivoid language spoken in some states in North Central Nigeria, with some speakers in Cameroon. It had over 5.2 million speakers in 2024. The largest population of Tiv speakers are found in Benue state in Nigeria. The language is also widely spoken in some Nigerian states namely, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Cross River, Adamawa, Kaduna, and Abuja. It is by far the largest of the Tivoid languages, a group of languages belonging to the Southern Bantoid languages.
History and classification[1]
The first reference to the Tiv language (dzwa Tiv) was made by Sigismund Koelle (1854) from liberated slaves from Sierra Leone. Johnston Harry H[2] (1919) classified it as a peculiar language among the Semi-Bantu languages, and Talbot P. Amaury (1926) concurred. Roy Clive Abraham[3][4] (1933), who has made the most complete linguistic study of Tiv, classifies it as Bantu, stating that its vocabulary is more similar to the East African Nyanza group of Bantu languages than to Ekoi or other neighbouring languages. Malherbe (1933) agrees with Abraham that Tiv is essentially Bantu.[5]
All material on Tiv seems to point to a recent expansion, perhaps in the early 15th century.[6]
Geographic distribution
Tiv is widely spoken in the States of Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba, Cross Rivers, Adamawa, Kaduna, and Abuja, Nigeria. Other parts of Nigeria also speak Tiv.
Nigeria
Benue State
Tarkaa, Makurdi, Gwer East, Gwer West, Ukum, Logo, Konshisha, Gboko, Kwande, Vandeikya, Katsina Ala, Guma, Buruku, and Ushongo Local Government Areas.
Nassarawa State
Doma, Nasarawa, Lafia, Obi, Keana, and Awe Local Government Areas
Plateau State
Tiv-speaking populations are found in Langtang South, Shendam, Qua’an-Pan and Wase area councils.
Taraba State
Bali, Donga, Ibi, Gassol, Takum, Gashaka, Kurmi and Wukari Local Government Areas.
Together with thousands of other Tivoid groups like the Batu, Abon, Bitare and Ambo in Sardauna Local government area.
Cross River State
Yala, Bekwarra, Obudu and Obanliku Local Government Areas.
Together with thousands of other tivoid groups like the Utanga, Ceve or Becheve, Evant, Eman etc.
Cameroon
There are 1900 Tiv households with approximately 20,000 people at the south-western border of Cameroon Manyu division, with Mamfe as its capital, which is 74 km away from the south eastern Nigerian border. The paramount ruler is Zaki Abaajul, who has the Tiv and Ulitsi as his subjects. The Cameronian Tiv are well educated and live in Anglophone Cameroon[7] as their ancestral land, while a few others live in the francophone region. They are mostly farmers but others work in the government.[8]
Although some Nigerian tiv people are unaware of some of the Tiv peoples of the Cameroon because of the international border but, these groups always regard themselves as Tiv. Some of them have an additional dialect to the main Tiv language. These Tiv groups are; Bitare, Mesaka, Iyive, Ceve or Becheve, Evant, Eman, Ipulo, Caka etc. They together with the Tiv in Nigeria share the same culture, History, Religion, and Tradition. They are basically the same people.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Dialects
Tiv speakers can understand each other across their territory. Although, the Hyarev people speak some words totally different from others. However, accents (ham) exist.[9]
Phonology
Vowels
- Vowel sounds are phonetically nasalized before nasal consonants.
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Consonants
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- Script error: No such module "IPA". is heard in free variation in word-final positions.
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Tone
Tiv has three main tones (five if rising and falling are counted as separate tones instead of composites of existing tones).[12] They are most importantly used in inflection.[5]
Accents
The accents of Tiv are as follows:
- Ityoisha, spoken in the southeast, noted for its exaggerated palatalisation of vowels;
- Shitile, spoken by most Tiv east of the Katsina Ala River, apparently slower sounding than the other Tiv accents and slurs vowels into their neighbouring consonant;
- Iharev, which gives an exaggerated roll to the phoneme Script error: No such module "IPA".~Script error: No such module "IPA".
- Kparev, spoken in the centre and south-centre;
Vocabulary, particularly plant and tool names, changes from one part of Tiv territory to the other.[13]
Morphology
Tiv has nine noun classes.[5]
See also
- Tiv people
- Ate-u-tiv, a traditional Tiv hut used for reception and gathering
References
- R.C.Abraham, A Dictionary of the Tiv Language, Government of Nigeria 1940, republished by Gregg Press Ltd., Farnborough, Hants., England 1968. Template:ISBN
External links
Religious materials
- Video and audio files, New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures Released and other bible study material in Tiv Language by Jehovah's Witnesses
- The bible in the tiv language
- Gospel
- Jesus film in tiv
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- ↑ https://www.joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15505/CM
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