Defaka
Defaka is an Ijoid language spoken in Nigeria. Glottolog rates it moribund.
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Defaka is an endangered and divergent Nigerian language of uncertain classification. It is spoken in the Opobo–Nkoro LGA of Rivers State, in the Defaka or Afakani ward of Nkọrọ town and Ịwọma Nkọrọ. The low number of Defaka speakers, coupled with the fact that other languages dominate the region where Defaka is spoken, edges the language near extinction on a year-to-year basis. It is generally classified in an Ijoid branch of the Niger–Congo family. However, the Ijoid proposal is problematic. Blench (2012) notes that "Defaka has numerous external cognates and might be an isolate or independent branch of Niger–Congo which has come under Ịjọ influence."
From Wikipedia · Defaka language · CC BY-SA 4.0
Words in Defaka
| Meaning | Word | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| person | nom* | |
| name | ita* | |
| eye | oyo* | |
| ear | ɓasi | |
| nose | nini* | |
| tooth | nia* | |
| tongue | mEndou* | |
| hand | ka* | |
| blood | asi* | |
| bone | mbua* | |
| skin | ikpa* | |
| breast | onuo* | |
| water | mbị́á | |
| fire | ayom* | |
| star | ipini* | |
| rain | sɔ̃ĩ | |
| mountain | anaa* | |
| tree | iboti* | |
| leaf | jiriapa* | |
| night | bi* | |
| dog | ebere | |
| fish | tina* | |
| louse | mkpi* | |
| one | bgori* | |
| two | maama* | |
| three | táátó | |
| drink | mbu* | |
| see | EsE* | |
| hear | naa* | |
| die | eze* |
* in the simplified ASJP transcription
Most similar languages
Vocabulary
Grammar
- Konyak NagaSino-Tibetan93% alike
- PrasunIndo-European91% alike
- RabhaSino-Tibetan90% alike
- Lotha NagaSino-Tibetan88% alike
- Rongmei NagaSino-Tibetan88% alike
- Maram NagaSino-Tibetan88% alike
Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.
Nearby languages
Elsewhere
Glottolog · defa1248 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · afn