Goemai
Goemai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Nigeria, by about 347 thousand people. Glottolog rates it threatened.
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Goemai (also Ankwe) is an Afro-Asiatic (Chadic, West Chadic A) language spoken in the Great Muri Plains region of Plateau State in central Nigeria, between the Jos Plateau and Benue River. Goemai is also the name of the ethnic group of speakers of the Goemai language. The name 'Ankwe' has been used to refer to the people, especially in older literature and to outsiders. As of 2020, it is estimated that there are around 380,000 Goemai speakers.
Goemai is a predominantly isolating language with the subject–verb–object constituent order.
The language is considered threatened, which means that its adoption is declining, especially among children. Many are learning Hausa as a first language instead, which is used extensively in official and educational settings.
From Wikipedia · Goemai language · CC BY-SA 4.0
Words in Goemai
| Meaning | Word | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| woman | mɑ̀t | |
| person | gurum* | |
| name | sim* | |
| eye | haSit* | |
| ear | kw3m* | |
| nose | goN* | |
| tooth | hoL* | |
| tongue | lis* | |
| blood | tim* | |
| bone | 3s* | |
| skin | Sim* | |
| knee | f3r3m* | |
| breast | yir* | |
| liver | f3l3* | |
| water | hààm | |
| fire | wus* | |
| sun | p3s* | |
| star | SimSar* | |
| stone | p3n* | |
| mountain | p3ng3fir* | |
| tree | Sip* | |
| leaf | yim* | |
| night | goN* | |
| dog | as* | |
| fish | S3r3p* | |
| louse | nS3m* | |
| one | mEy* | |
| two | v3l* | |
| drink | suwa* | |
| see | na* |
* in the simplified ASJP transcription
Most similar languages
Vocabulary
Grammar
- GidarAfro-Asiatic85% alike
- EsanAtlantic-Congo85% alike
- GadeAtlantic-Congo83% alike
- Lango (Uganda)Nilotic83% alike
- UmotínaBororoan83% alike
- Oko-Eni-OsayenAtlantic-Congo81% alike
Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.
Nearby languages
Elsewhere
Glottolog · goem1240 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · ank