Niger-Congo language
Language Map Assignment –(Niger-Congo)
I will be able to “read” a language map and identify divergence and convergence.
Choose a LARGE language family or group from ONE of the following maps in the text:
Africa, India, China
Family: Niger-Congo family (Atlantic Subfamily, Voltaic Subfamily, Guinea Subfamily, Hausa Subfamily, Bantu Subfamily)
Group: Niger- Congo group Languages: Niger-Congo language
a) Location:
Niger-Congo language group is in the West Africa (Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal Gambia, Guinea and etc.) and it extends to the east and south of Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and etc.).
b) Origins (most divergence):
The origins or the language family seem to be in the west of Africa (Guinea, Senegal Gambia, etc.), because it seems it diverges the most there, and we can find all four subfamilies of Niger-Congo family in the west of Africa on the map of page 121 and Bantu subfamily covers lots of land in the east and south of Africa, which means the languages in the west exist longer and later Bantu converges the east and south of Africa.
c) Political Isolation (borders):
The borders in Africa do not follow the language divisions quite well.
In the west, Voltaic, Guinea, and Atlantic and Bantu subfamily are mixing inside the countries, which means the borders have moved last few centuries.
Mali, the country’s large area is in Sahara Desert, is mixed with Atlantic subfamily and Afro-Asiatic Family.
The countries contain Sahara Desert in the west of Africa(Sudan, Niger) also have a small part mixing with Afro-Asiatic and Niger-Congo family. In the north of Nigeria, Saharan family enters the border stay in a small part of the country. In the Middle and the east of Africa, Bantu are spoken by lots of countries and Sudanic family enters the borders of Cameroon, DRC, Tanzania.
In the south of Africa, we could see Bantu subfamily and Khoisan family are mixing
I will be able to “read” a language map and identify divergence and convergence.
Choose a LARGE language family or group from ONE of the following maps in the text:
Africa, India, China
Family: Niger-Congo family (Atlantic Subfamily, Voltaic Subfamily, Guinea Subfamily, Hausa Subfamily, Bantu Subfamily)
Group: Niger- Congo group Languages: Niger-Congo language
a) Location:
Niger-Congo language group is in the West Africa (Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Senegal Gambia, Guinea and etc.) and it extends to the east and south of Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and etc.).
b) Origins (most divergence):
The origins or the language family seem to be in the west of Africa (Guinea, Senegal Gambia, etc.), because it seems it diverges the most there, and we can find all four subfamilies of Niger-Congo family in the west of Africa on the map of page 121 and Bantu subfamily covers lots of land in the east and south of Africa, which means the languages in the west exist longer and later Bantu converges the east and south of Africa.
c) Political Isolation (borders):
The borders in Africa do not follow the language divisions quite well.
In the west, Voltaic, Guinea, and Atlantic and Bantu subfamily are mixing inside the countries, which means the borders have moved last few centuries.
Mali, the country’s large area is in Sahara Desert, is mixed with Atlantic subfamily and Afro-Asiatic Family.
The countries contain Sahara Desert in the west of Africa(Sudan, Niger) also have a small part mixing with Afro-Asiatic and Niger-Congo family. In the north of Nigeria, Saharan family enters the border stay in a small part of the country. In the Middle and the east of Africa, Bantu are spoken by lots of countries and Sudanic family enters the borders of Cameroon, DRC, Tanzania.
In the south of Africa, we could see Bantu subfamily and Khoisan family are mixing