The Koman languages are a small, close-knit family of languages located along the Ethiopia–Sudan border with about 50,000 speakers. They are conventionally classified as part of the Nilo-Saharan family. However, due to the paucity of evidence, many scholars treat it as an independent language family. Among scholars who do accept its inclusion within Nilo-Saharan, opinions vary as to their position within it.

Koman languages in Ethiopia are in close contact with the Omotic Mao languages. In Ethiopia, some Koman-speaking groups also consider themselves to be ethnically Mao.

Internal classification

The Koman languages are:

  • Koman
  • Uduk, or T’wampa, (formerly in South Sudan) — about 20,000 speakers, most at a large refugee camp at Bonga, near Gambela
  • Kwama (Ethiopia) — about 15,000 speakers, mainly in Benishangul-Gumuz
  • Komo (Sudan) — about 12,000 speakers mainly in An Nil al Azraq
  • Opuuo (Opo), or Shita (Ethiopia) — spoken in 5 villages north of the Nuer by about 5,000 people
  • Dana, a newly discovered language located near Opo
  • ?Gule (Sudan) — extinct

The poorly known Shabo language (600 speakers) shows strong Koman influence, and it has been suggested (on little evidence) that it may be a Koman language. Gule is generally classified as Koman, but the evidence is as yet insufficient.

Otero (2019)

Otero's (2019: 28) internal classification of Koman: and Otero (2019).

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Language !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10

|-

| Komo (1) || ɗɛ́ || sʊ || dìʃ || dɔɡɔ̀n || bùsʼ || káná ɡɪ ɗɛ́ (? + 1) || káná á sʊ (? + 2) || káná á dìʃ (? + 3) || káná á dɔɡɔ̀n (? + 4) || kʼɔ́ʃ kʼɔ̀lɔ̀

|-

| Komo (2) || ɗe(d) / ɗɛʔ (SIL) || suʔin / sʊʔ (SIL) || dícin / dǐʃǐn (SIL) || dōɡɔne(n) / dɔ̄ɣɔ́n (SIL) || busín / bʊ̀sʼín (SIL) || kɛnɡɪɗe / kàːnaɡǐɗɛ́ (SIL) || kɛnnɛsɔ / kàːnàsʊʔ (SIL) || kɛnnɛdiʃ / kàːnàdɪʃ (SIL) || kɛnnɛdɔɡɔn / káːndɔ̀ɡɔ̀n (SIL) || kɔʃinkwolo / kʼɔ́ʃkʼɔ̀lɔ̀ (SIL)

|-

| Gwama (Kwama) (1) || sóndò /sɛ́ːnɛ́ /sɛ́ːsʼkìn || sùjá || twásɛ̀n || béːsʼìn || kúːmùtʼ || kúbà-sèːn ('takes/lends/brings one') || kúbá-sùjá ('takes/lends/brings two') || kúbà-twásɛ̄n ('takes/lends/br. three') || kúb-béːsʼín ('takes/lends/brings four') || kʼúːzí (lit: 'fingers')

|-

| Gwama (Kwama) (2) || sɛ́ɛ́kʼín || swíjá || twàsɛ́n || béésʼín || kómòtʼ || kúpà-sɛ́n (litː ? + 1) || kúpà-swíjá (litː ? + 2) || kúpà-twàsɛ̄n (litː ? + 3) || kúpà-béésʼín (litː ? + 4) || kʼoosʼi

|-

| Kwama (Asosa) (3) || seːko ~ se:ndo / ʔāˈsɛ́n~ ʔāsɛ́l (SIL) || siːya / ˈsíjá (SIL) || twazan ~ twasan / ˈtʷāsán (SIL) || mbisiːna ~ beːsen / bēːsīn (SIL) || kʷʊmbut ~ kombɔt / ˈkʰūːmùt (SIL) || kʊmpasɛnde / ˈkōbāsín (SIL) || kʊmpa-siːya / kōbə̄ˈsìa (SIL) || kʊmpa-twasən / kōbə̄ˈtʷàsɪn (SIL) || kʊmpa-n-beːsina / kōˈbeːéːsīn (SIL) || kʊʃʊmbiːt ~kwuːzia / ˈkūːzi (SIL)

|-

| Opuuo (Tʼapo) (3) || ɗɛ̄n~dɛ̄ (contraction) || sʊ̄kʼá || tùsù || ʍàn || mùtá-kʼʊ̄j (litː 'be.full-hand') || kān-ɪ́-ɗɛ̄, contraction, (lit: five-ASC-one / five-ASC-one) || kān-ɪ́-sʊ̄kʼá (litː' five-ASC-two') || kān-ɪ́-tùsù (litː' five-ASC-three') || kān-ɪ́-ʍàn (litː' five-ASC-four') || kʼʊ̄j-ā-sʊ̄kʼ-ɛ́n (litː 'hand-LOC-two- 3N.POSS')

|-

| Opuuo (Shita) (4) || ɗán / ɗíán || sùkʼá || tùsú || hwán || mùtá-kʼʷèj (litː 'one hand') || kánè-ɗéé || kánè-sùkʼá || kánè-tùsú || kánè-hʷán || mútá-kʼʷùjá-sùkʼén ('two hands')

|-

| Opuuo (Shita) (5) || diʃeɗe || ʃuka / cuka || tuʃu / tusu || hwan / ŋwan || mutaːkwei (one hand) ? || kane-ɗe || kane-ʃuka || kane-tūʃū || kane-hwān || muta-kweya-ʃuka-yen (two hands) ?

|-

| Uduk (Twampa) (1) || ɗéʔ || súʔ || kʷārā || dòŋ(ɡ)òn || múd̻èɗ (lit: 'hand closed') || múd̻èɗ pé ɗéʔ (5+ 1) || múd̻èɗ pé súʔ (5+ 2) || múd̻èɗ pé(ŋ) kʷārā (5+ 3) || múd̻èɗ pé dòŋ(ɡ)òn (5+ 4) || ʼkúmèɗ

|-

| Uduk (2) || ɗe || suʔ || kwara || doŋon || mudheɗ (lit: hand closed) || (mudheɗ) peɗe (5+ 1) || (mudheɗ) pesuʔ (5+ 2) || (mudheɗ) pekwara (5+ 3) || (mudheɗ) pedoŋon (5+ 4) || kumeɗ

|}

See also

  • List of Proto-Koman reconstructions (Wiktionary)

References

  • Colleen Ahland, 2010. "The Classification of Gumuz and Koman Languages" presented at the Language Isolates in Africa workshop, Lyons, December 4, 2010
  • Lionel Bender, 2000. "Nilo-Saharan". In Bernd Heine and Derek Nurse, eds., African Languages: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
  • Gerrit Dimmendaal, 2008. "Language Ecology and Linguistic Diversity on the African Continent", Language and Linguistics Compass 2/5:842.