Longuda language
Niger–Congo language of Nigeria
title: "Longuda language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["languages-of-nigeria", "bambukic-languages"] description: "Niger–Congo language of Nigeria" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longuda_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Niger–Congo language of Nigeria ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Lunguda |
| nativename | Nyà Núngúrá |
| states | Nigeria |
| region | Adamawa State, Gombe State |
| ethnicity | Lunguda people |
| speakers | 40,000 |
| date | 1973 |
| ref | e18 |
| familycolor | Niger-Congo |
| fam2 | Atlantic–Congo |
| fam3 | ? Bambukic |
| iso3 | lnu |
| glotto | long1389 |
| glottorefname | Lunguda |
| :: |
| name = Lunguda | nativename = Nyà Núngúrá | states = Nigeria | region = Adamawa State, Gombe State | ethnicity = Lunguda people | speakers = 40,000 | date = 1973 | ref = e18 | familycolor = Niger-Congo | fam2 = Atlantic–Congo | fam3 = ? Bambukic | dia1 = | dia2 = | iso3 = lnu | glotto = long1389 | glottorefname = Lunguda Lunguda (Nʋngʋra) is a Niger–Congo language spoken in Nigeria. They settle in the western part of Gongola mainly in and around the hills of the volcanic Lunguda Plateau, Adamawa state. Joseph Greenberg counted it as a distinct branch, G10, within the Adamawa family. When Blench (2008) broke up Adamawa, Lunguda was made a branch of the Bambukic languages.
According to the Ethnologue, the current number of speakers is based on an SIL figure of 45,000 from 1973. But recent studies has shown 50,000 in the 2006 census.
Variants of the name Longuda include Languda, Longura, Nunguda, Nungura, Nunguraba.
Dialects
In the Adamawa Languages Project website, Kleinewillinghöfer (2014) lists five dialects in the Longuda dialect cluster.
- Longuda/Lunguda of Guyuk and Wala Lunguda (Though one is in Adamawa and the other Gombe, they share the same dialect and it is believed that the ancestral home of the Lungudas was Wala Lunguda in Gombe State.)
- Nʋngʋra(ma) of Cerii, Banjiram
- Longura(ma) of Thaarʋ (Koola)
- Nʋngʋra(ma) of Gwaanda (Nyuwar)
- Nʋngʋra(ma) of Deele (Jessu)
Partly due to word taboo customs, there is considerable lexical diversity among Longuda dialects.
Geography
The Lunguda settle in the northeastern part of Nigeria, mostly in Guyuk, Adamawa state in Guyuk LGA, Balanga LGA of Gombe state and some parts of Borno. They have approximately 504,000 according to 2006 population census.
Names and locations
Below is a list of language names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).
::data[format=table]
| Language | Branch | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Speakers | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longuda | Longuda | Nya Guyuwa (Guyuk plains), Nya Ceriya (Banjiram=Cirimba/Chikila Cerembe 'rookie place'), Nya Tariya (Kola=Taraba), Nya Dele (Jessu=Delebe), Nya Gwanda (Nyuar=Gwandaba) | Lunguda, Nunguda, Nungura, Nunguraba | nyà núngúrá Guyuk, Nungurama Nyuar | Núngúráyábá Guyuk, Nùngùrábà Jessu, Lungúrábá Kola | 13,700 (1952: Numan Division); 32,000 (1973 SIL) | Adamawa State, Guyuk LGA; Gombe State, Balanga LGA |
| :: |
The largest ward is Chikila ward.
References
References
- "Longuda Group – Nʋngʋra Cluster {{!}} ADAMAWA LANGUAGE PROJECTS".
- Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich. 2014. [https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-adamawa/adamawa-languages/longuda-group/ Longuda group]. Adamawa Languages Project.
- Güldemann, Tom. (2018). "The Languages and Linguistics of Africa". De Gruyter Mouton.
- Blench, Roger. (2019). "An Atlas of Nigerian Languages". Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
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