Nigeria’s languages and dialects, where they are spoken and how they are written, taught and preserved.
Languages
Akpa
Akpa, also called Akweya, is the language of the Akweya people around Otukpo in Benue State. It is an Idomoid language; its ISO 639-3 code…
Basa-Makurdi
Basa-Makurdi is a little-documented language spoken in several villages on the north bank of the Benue River, north-west of Makurdi…
Etulo
Etulo is the language of the Etulo people of Benue and Taraba states. It is an Idomoid language, closely related to Idoma; its ISO 639-3…
Idoma
Idoma is the language of the Idoma people of southern Benue State, also spoken in Nasarawa State. It is an Idomoid language of the…
Igede
Igede is the language of the Igede people, spoken in Benue State, mainly in Oju LGA, and in Cross River State. It is an Idomoid language…
Iyive
Iyive (Uive, Yiive) is a small Tivoid language spoken near Turan in Kwande LGA of Benue State and in Cameroon. Its ISO 639-3 code is uiv.
Nyifon
Nyifon, also called Iordaa, is the little-documented language of the Nyifon people of Buruku LGA, Benue State. It is thought to be Jukunoid.
Oring
Oring (Korring) is a cluster of Upper Cross River languages spoken in Benue and Ebonyi states. In Benue it is represented by Ufia, the…
Otank
Otank (Utanga) is a Tivoid language closely related to Tiv, spoken on the Benue–Cross River border and in Cameroon. Its ISO 639-3 code is…
Tiv
Tiv is the language of the Tiv people, spoken mainly in central Nigeria and also in Cameroon. It belongs to the Tivoid group of the…
Wannu
Wannu, also called Abinsi after the place where it is spoken, is the Jukunoid language of the Jukun community at Abinsi in Benue State. Its…
Language families
Idomoid
Idomoid is a group of languages within the Benue–Congo branch of Niger–Congo. It includes Idoma, Igede, Etulo and Akpa, the main languages…
Jukunoid
Jukunoid is a group of languages within the Benue–Congo branch of Niger–Congo, named after the Jukun. In Benue State it includes Wannu…
Tivoid
Tivoid is a group of languages within the Southern Bantoid branch of Benue–Congo (Niger–Congo). Tiv is its best-known member.
Every record in the Nigeria Heritage Archive lists its sources and an evidence status. Oral traditions are kept as cultural records, and planned or announced events are kept apart from what has happened.