Eastern Jebel languages
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Jebel languages are a small subfamily belonging to the Eastern Sudanic
subgroup of Nilo-Saharan
. They are spoken in the hills of An Nil al Azraq province in eastern Sudan
(the name "Jebel" is simply Arabic
for "mountain".) The group consists of:
Gaam has some 40–80,000 speakers, whereas the other three are on the verge of extinction. Gaam was believed to be the only member of this group until more information about Aka, Kelo, and Molo was obtained by Bender; the latter three languages have been significantly influenced by Berta
.
Gaam is spoken in a compact area around the towns of Bau, Bobuk, Kukur
, and Sawda in the Tabi Hills, roughly 11°15′–30′ N by 33°55′–34°10′ E. The other three are spoken in isolated pockets to its south: Aka in the Sillok Hills, Kelo in the Tornasi Hills on jebels Tornasi (Kayli village) and Beni Sheko, and Molo at Jebel Malkan near the Ethiopia
n border.
Eastern Sudanic languages
Ehret 2001 [1984]Ehret, published in 2001 but circulating in manuscript form since at least 1984, calls the family "Eastern Sahelian", and idiosyncratically adds the Kuliak languages and Berta, which Bender assigns to higher-level branches of Nilo-Saharan, and reassigns Nyima to the southern branch...
subgroup of Nilo-Saharan
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
. They are spoken in the hills of An Nil al Azraq province in eastern Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
(the name "Jebel" is simply Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
for "mountain".) The group consists of:
- GaamGaam languageThe Gaam language, also known as Ingessana, Tabi, Kamanidi, or Mamedja/Mamidza, is an Eastern Sudanic language spoken by the Ingessana people in the Tabi Hills in eastern Sudan, near Ethiopia. It was considered an isolate within Eastern Sudanic until the other Eastern Jebel languages were...
(also called "Ingassana" or "Tabi") - Aka (Silak)
- Kelo (Tornasi)
- MoloMolo languageMolo is a moribund Nilo-Saharan language spoken by a few of the Molo people of Sudan....
(Malkan).
Gaam has some 40–80,000 speakers, whereas the other three are on the verge of extinction. Gaam was believed to be the only member of this group until more information about Aka, Kelo, and Molo was obtained by Bender; the latter three languages have been significantly influenced by Berta
Berta language
Berta, Wetawit, is spoken by the Berta in Sudan and Ethiopia. It is a language isolate which has been also included as branch of the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family. It has the typical word order subject–verb–object. It is a tonal language. It has significantly influenced some of the...
.
Gaam is spoken in a compact area around the towns of Bau, Bobuk, Kukur
Kukur
Kukur is a municipality in the Gramsh District, Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the villages Snosem, Sojnik, Mukaj, Irmath, Kalaj, Gribe, Vreshtas, Kukur, Rashtan and Grazhdan....
, and Sawda in the Tabi Hills, roughly 11°15′–30′ N by 33°55′–34°10′ E. The other three are spoken in isolated pockets to its south: Aka in the Sillok Hills, Kelo in the Tornasi Hills on jebels Tornasi (Kayli village) and Beni Sheko, and Molo at Jebel Malkan near the Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n border.