Duru languages
title: "Duru languages" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["duru-languages", "leko–nimbari-languages", "languages-of-nigeria", "languages-of-cameroon"] topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duru_languages" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox language family"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Duru |
| region | northern Cameroon, eastern Nigeria |
| familycolor | Niger-Congo |
| fam2 | Atlantic–Congo |
| fam3 | Savannas |
| fam4 | Leko–Nimbari |
| child1 | Duli |
| child2 | Dii |
| child3 | Voko–Dowayo |
| glotto | samb1323 |
| glottorefname | Samba Duru |
| :: |
|name=Duru |region=northern Cameroon, eastern Nigeria |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=Atlantic–Congo |fam3=Savannas |fam4=Leko–Nimbari |child1=Duli |child2=Dii |child3=Voko–Dowayo |glotto=samb1323 |glottorefname=Samba Duru
The Duru languages are a group of Savanna languages spoken in northern Cameroon and eastern Nigeria. They were labeled "G4" in Joseph Greenberg's Adamawa language-family proposal.
Kleinewillinghöfer (2012) also observes many morphological similarities between the Samba-Duru and Central Gur languages.
Languages
- Duli (extinct)
- Dii: Duupa, Dugun (Panõ), Dii (Mambe’, Mamna’a, Goom, Boow, Ngbang, Sagzee, Vaazin, Home, Nyok)
- Peere (Kutin)
- Longto (Voko)
- Vere–Dowayo
However, Guldemann (2018) casts doubt on the coherence of Samba–Duru as a unified group.
Classification
In the Adamawa Languages Project site, Kleinewillinghöfer (2015) classifies the Samba-Duru group as follows (see also Leko languages).
;Samba-Duru
- Vere (Verre)
- Jango (Mom Jango)
- Vere cluster (Momi, Vere Kaadam)
- Wɔmmu (Wongi, Wɔŋgi)
- Nissim-Eilim
- Kobom, Karum (Vere Kari), Danum
- Vɔmnəm (Koma Vomni)
- Gəunəm cluster: Yarəm, Lim, Gbaŋrɨm, Baidəm, Zanəm, Ləələm, etc.
- Damtəm (Koma Damti), etc.
- Gəmme (Gimme) (Koma)
- Gəmnəm (Gəmnime, Gimnime): Beiya, Gindoo; Riitime
- Gəmme (Kompana, Panme): Yəgme, Dehnime; Baanime
- Doyayo (Dooya̰a̰yɔ): Markɛ; Tɛ̰ɛ̰rɛ (of Poli); Tɛ̰ɛ̰rɛ (of the mountains)
- Duru
- Samba (Samba Leeko, Leko)
Names and locations
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).
::data[format=table]
| Language | Cluster | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Speakers | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mom Jango | Mom Jango | Vere (see also Momĩ, Were, Verre, Kobo (in Cameroon) | 20,000 total (including Momĩ, 4,000 in Cameroon (1982 SIL) | Adamawa State, Fufore LGA | ||||
| Momi | Ziri | Vere (this also includes Mom Jango, q.v.), Were, Verre, Kobo (in Cameroon) | 20,000 total (including Mom Jango), 4,000 in Cameroon (1982 SIL) | Adamawa State, Yola and Fufore LGAs; and in Cameroon | ||||
| Koma cluster | Koma | The correspondences between the Cameroonian and Nigerian names are uncertain | Kuma, Koma (a Fulfulde cover term for Gomme, Gomnome, Ndera; ALCAM treats them as separate though closely related languages) | 3,000 (1982 SIL); majority in Cameroon | Adamawa State, Ganye and Fufore LGAs, in the Alantika Mountains; also in Cameroon | |||
| Gomme | Koma | Gәmme | Damti, Koma Kampana, Panbe | |||||
| Gomnome | Koma | Gọmnọme | Mbeya, Gimbe, Koma Kadam, Laame, Youtubo | |||||
| Ndera | Koma | Vomni, Doome, Doobe | ||||||
| :: |
Footnotes
References
- Roger Blench, 2004. List of Adamawa languages (ms)
References
- Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich (2012). Correlations of the Noun Class Systems of Central Adamawa and Proto Central Gur.
- Güldemann, Tom. (2018). "The Languages and Linguistics of Africa". De Gruyter Mouton.
- Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich. 2015. [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/adamawa-languages/samba-duru-group/ Samba-Duru group]. Adamawa Languages Project.
- (2015). "VERE Language Group".
- Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich (2015). [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/adamawa-languages/samba-duru-group/mom-jango/ Notes on Jango (Mom Jango)].
- Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich (2015). [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/files/2015/06/Gimme-Vere-Doyayo.pdf Gimme-Vere and Doyayo: Comparative Wordlists].
- Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich (2015). [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/adamawa-languages/samba-duru-group/doyayo/ Doyayo].
- Littig, Sabine (2017). [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/adamawa-languages/samba-duru-group/samba-duru-languages/kolbila/ Kolbila: Geography and history].
- Blench, Roger. (2019). "An Atlas of Nigerian Languages". Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
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