The Edoid languages are some two-to-three dozen languages spoken in Southern Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, predominantly in the former Bendel State. The Edoid group belongs to Volta–Niger branch of Niger–Congo; the name of the group derives from its most widely spoken member, Edo

Edo language

Edo is a Volta–Niger language spoken primarily in Edo State, Nigeria. It was and remains the primary language of the Edo people of Igodomigodo. The Igodomigodo kingdom was renamed Edo by Oba Eweka, after which the Edos refer to themselves as Oviedo 'child of Edo'...

 (5 million native and secondary speakers). Edoid can be divided into four subfamilies: Delta, North-Central, Northwestern, and Southwestern:

• Delta: Degema
  Degema language
  Degema is a Delta Edoid language of Nigeria. It is spoken in two autonomous communities on the Degema Island by about 22,000 people, going by the 1991 population census figures...
  
  , Epie
  Epie language
  -Further reading:* Thomas, Elaine and Kay Williamson. 1967. "Wordlists of delta Edo: Epie, Engenni, Degema." In Occasional Papers 8, p. 105. Accra: Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan....
  
  , Ẹgẹnẹ (Engenni)
• North-Central (includes Edo
  Edo language
  Edo is a Volta–Niger language spoken primarily in Edo State, Nigeria. It was and remains the primary language of the Edo people of Igodomigodo. The Igodomigodo kingdom was renamed Edo by Oba Eweka, after which the Edos refer to themselves as Oviedo 'child of Edo'...
  
  , the language of Benin City
  Benin City
  Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
  
  )
  • Edo
    Edo language
    Edo is a Volta–Niger language spoken primarily in Edo State, Nigeria. It was and remains the primary language of the Edo people of Igodomigodo. The Igodomigodo kingdom was renamed Edo by Oba Eweka, after which the Edos refer to themselves as Oviedo 'child of Edo'...
    
     (Bini), Ivbiosakon
    Ivbiosakon language
    Ivbiosakon is an Edoid language of Edo State, Nigeria. The dialect names Ora and Emai are also used for the language....
    
     (Ora, Emai, Iuleha), Esan
    Esan language
    Esan is a tonal Edoid language of Nigeria. Dictionaries and grammar texts of the Esan language are being produced, which may help the Esan appreciate their written language. There is a high level of illiteracy among the Esan, and a large number of dialects, including Ẹkpoma, Ewohimi, Ẹkpọn, and...
    
     (Ishan)
  • Ghotuo
    Ghotuo language
    Ghotuo is an Edoid language spoken in Edo State, mostly in the Owan and Akoko-Edo areas of Edo state, Nigeria....
    
    , Yekhee
    Yekhee language
    Yekhee is an Edoid language spoken in Edo State, Nigeria. Not all speakers recognize the name "Yekhee"; some use the district name Etsako....
    
    , Enwan, Igwe, Ikpeshi, Okpela (Ivbie North, Arhe), Ososo, Sasaru, Uneme
  • ?Ihievbe
  • ?Uokha
• Northwestern:
  • Osse River: Ehuẹun, Iyayu
    Iyayu language
    Iyayu is an Edoid language of Ondo State, Nigeria. It is sometimes considered the same language as Uhami....
    
    , Uhami, Ukue
  • Southern Northwestern: Okpamheri
    Okpamheri language
    Okpamheri is an Edoid language of Nigeria. The number of speakers is not known; there were 30,000 in 1973....
    
    , Akuku, Idesa, Okpe, Oloma
  • ?Aduge
• Southwestern: Isoko
  Isoko language
  The Isoko language is spoken in the Isoko region, Nigeria, by the Isoko people. It is linguistically similar to the neighboring Urhobo language, Epie atissa language of Bayelsa state and Engenni language of Rivers state.Michael A...
  
  , Urhobo
  Urhobo language
  Urhobo is one of the Edoid languages and is spoken by the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria.-Phonology:Urhobo has a conservative consonant inventory for an Edoid language...
  
  , Eruwa, Okpe, Uvbie

Phonology

Proto-Edoid is reconstructed as having a contrast between oral and nasal consonants and oral and nasal vowel

Nasal vowel

A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the velum so that air escapes both through nose as well as the mouth. By contrast, oral vowels are ordinary vowels without this nasalisation...

s typical for the region. However, in some Edoid languages nasal vowels have been reanalyzed as allophones of oral vowels after nasal consonants, and in others nasal consonants have been reanalyzed as allophones of oral consonants before nasal vowels, reducing the number of phonemically nasal consonants. Urhobo

Urhobo language

Urhobo is one of the Edoid languages and is spoken by the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria.-Phonology:Urhobo has a conservative consonant inventory for an Edoid language...

 retains three nasals, /m, n, ɲ/, and has five oral consonants with nasal allophones, /ɺ, l, ʋ, j, w/; in Edo

Edo language

Edo is a Volta–Niger language spoken primarily in Edo State, Nigeria. It was and remains the primary language of the Edo people of Igodomigodo. The Igodomigodo kingdom was renamed Edo by Oba Eweka, after which the Edos refer to themselves as Oviedo 'child of Edo'...

 this is reduced to one phonemic nasal, /m/, but eight additional consonants with nasal allophones, /p, b, t, d, k, ɡ, kp, ɡb/; and in Ukue there are no phonemic nasals and only two consonants with nasal allophones, /l, β/.