Undated
Nile Valley, Sahara, Sudan, and parts of West and East Africa
Nilo-Saharan is described as a major African language family generally spoken north and east of Niger-Congo territories, with a concentration in the upper Nile valley and the eastern Sahara and Sudan. Its branches include Songhay, Saharan, Maban, Furian, Chari-Nile, and Koman. Chari-Nile contains Eastern Sudanic and Central Sudanic groupings, including Nilotic languages, Nubian, and several other regional groups.
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The Story
Nilo-Saharan is presented as one of the principal language stocks of Africa. Its main distribution lies north and east of Niger-Congo, especially in the upper Nile valley and the eastern Sahara and Sudan, although Songhay forms a western outlier in the Niger valley. The family is described as internally diverse, with Chari-Nile containing the majority of its languages.
The branches are listed in an approximate west-to-east order: Songhay, Saharan, Maban, Furian, Chari-Nile, and Koman. Chari-Nile includes Eastern Sudanic and Central Sudanic, as well as the individual languages Berta and Kunama. Eastern Sudanic encompasses Nubian, several groups identified by regional names, and three Nilotic divisions: Western, Eastern, and Southern Nilotic.
The classification of Eastern and Southern Nilotic is presented as controversial. Earlier scholars variously described languages such as Masai as Hamitic or Nilo-Hamitic, while later proposals moved them closer to Nilotic or called them Paranilotic. The passage thus records a history of competing interpretations rather than a settled account of the family’s internal structure.
Undated
Nile Valley, Sahara, Sudan, and parts of West and East Africa
Nilo-Saharan is described as a major African language family generally spoken north and east of Niger-Congo territories, with a concentration in the upper Nile valley and the eastern Sahara and Sudan. Its branches include Songhay, Saharan, Maban, Furian, Chari-Nile, and Koman. Chari-Nile contains Eastern Sudanic and Central Sudanic groupings, including Nilotic languages, Nubian, and several other regional groups.
Continue exploring
The Story
Nilo-Saharan is presented as one of the principal language stocks of Africa. Its main distribution lies north and east of Niger-Congo, especially in the upper Nile valley and the eastern Sahara and Sudan, although Songhay forms a western outlier in the Niger valley. The family is described as internally diverse, with Chari-Nile containing the majority of its languages.
The branches are listed in an approximate west-to-east order: Songhay, Saharan, Maban, Furian, Chari-Nile, and Koman. Chari-Nile includes Eastern Sudanic and Central Sudanic, as well as the individual languages Berta and Kunama. Eastern Sudanic encompasses Nubian, several groups identified by regional names, and three Nilotic divisions: Western, Eastern, and Southern Nilotic.
The classification of Eastern and Southern Nilotic is presented as controversial. Earlier scholars variously described languages such as Masai as Hamitic or Nilo-Hamitic, while later proposals moved them closer to Nilotic or called them Paranilotic. The passage thus records a history of competing interpretations rather than a settled account of the family’s internal structure.
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