Yobe language

Gur language spoken in Benin and Togo
Miyobe
Soruba
Miyobe
Native toBenin, Togo
EthnicityBiyobe
Native speakers
(22,000 cited 1991–2012)[1]
Language family
Niger–Congo?
  • Atlantic–Congo
    • ? Gur
      • Miyobe
Language codes
ISO 639-3soy
Glottologmiyo1238
ELPMiyobe
[2]
Peoplepiyobe
Languagemiyobe

Miyobe or Soruba is an unclassified Niger-Congo language of Benin and Togo.

Güldemann (2018) notes that Miyobe cannot be securely classified within Gur, and leaves it out as unclassified within Niger-Congo. Unlike the Gur languages, which are SVO, Miyobe has SOV word order like the Senufo, Mande, and Dogon languages.[3]

Geographic distribution

In Togo, Miyobe is spoken in the Solla area of Binah Prefecture.

In Benin, Miyobe is spoken in Atacora Department (Boukoumbé and Kouandé communes) and Donga Department (Copargo commune). Villages are Anandana, Kuhobè, Sétrah, Kantchoko (Kapatcharè), Tchomitchomi, Koubéné-Béné, Koutchamang, and Moupémou villages.[4]

References

  1. ^ Miyobe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Rongier, Jacques. 1996. Aperçu sur le mɔyɔbɛ. Cahiers voltaïques / Gur papers 1: 115-145.
  3. ^ Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 58–444. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9.
  4. ^ Pali, Tchaa. 2011. Description systematique de la langue Miyobe (Togo/Benin). (Doctoral dissertation, Université de Bordeaux III; 575pp.)
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