The classification used here results from the identification of regular changes in the consonantal phonemes amongst groups of Central Chadic languages. Full evidence is given in the dissertation. The summary classification is as follows (dialects are in parentheses; languages not cited in the data are in italics):
Bata group: Bachama, Bata, Fali, Gude, Gudu, Holma, Jimi, Ngwaba, Nzanyi, Sharwa, Tsuvan, Zizilivakan
Daba group: Buwal, Daba, Gavar, Mazagway, Mbudum, Mina
Mafa group: Cuvok, Mafa, Mefele
Tera group: Boga, Ga'anda, Hwana, Jara, Tera (Nyimatli)
Sukur group: Sukur
Hurza group: Mbuko, Vame
Margi group: Bura, Cibak, Kilba, Kofa, Margi, Margi South, Nggwahyi, Putai
Mandara group: Cineni, Dghwede, Glavda, Guduf, Gvoko, Mandara (Malgwa), Matal, Podoko
Mofu group: Dugwor, Mada, Merey, Mofu-gudur, Mofu North, Moloko, Muyang, Ouldeme, Zulgo (Gemzek)
Maroua group: Giziga Marva, Giziga Moutourwa, Mbazla
Lamang group: Hdi, Lamang, Mabas
Higi group: Bana, Hya, Kamwe (Futu, Nkafa), Kirya, Psikye
Kotoko Island group: Buduma
Kotoko North group: Afade, Malgbe, Maltan, Mpade
Kotoko Centre group: Lagwan, Mser
Kotoko South group: Mazera, Zina
Musgum group: Mbara, Musgum (Mulwi, Munjuk, Vulum), Muskum
Gidar group: Gidar
In some cases, comparative data is given from languages of wider communication, such as Adamawa Fulfulde, Kanuri and Hausa.
Not all of the reconstructions given can be attributed to Proto-Central Chadic. The data includes several alternate isoglosses for common roots, and also several widespread loan words that entered into Central Chadic at an early stage in its history. The commentary on each entry will indicate how the reconstruction should be treated if it is not attributable to Proto-Central Chadic.
For some nouns, the gender is included. Gender is a feature in a minority of Central Chadic languages, but when the gender of a noun is consistent across these languages, that gender is given as the gender of the reconstructed form. These attributions cannot be treated as reliable.
The data sources cited are as follows:
Language [code] |
Group |
Source |
Type |
Afade [aal] |
Kotoko North |
(Allison n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Bachama [bcy] |
Bata |
(Seibert n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Bana [bcw] |
Higi |
(Lienhard and Giger 1989) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Bata [bta] |
Bata |
(Boyd 2005) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
|
|
(Pweddon and Skinner 2001) |
Dictionary |
Boga [bvw] |
Tera |
none |
|
Buduma [bdm] |
Kotoko Island |
(McKone 2009) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Bura [bwr] |
Margi |
(Blench 2009a) |
Dictionary (unpublished) |
|
|
(Schuh n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Buwal [bhs] |
Daba |
(Viljoen and Viljoen in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Cibak [ckl] |
Margi |
(Hoffmann 1955) |
Linguistic article |
Cineni [cie] |
Mandara |
none |
|
Cuvok [cuv] |
Mafa |
(Ndokobaï in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Daba [dbq] |
Daba |
(Lienhard and Giger 1982) |
Dictionary |
Dghwede [dgh] |
Mandara |
(Frick 1977) |
Linguistic article |
Dugwor [dme] |
Mofu |
(Gravina and Jubumna 2004) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Fali [fli] |
Bata |
none |
|
Ga’anda [gqa] |
Tera |
(Newman 1978) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Gavar [gou] |
Daba |
(Viljoen and Viljoen in progress) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Gemzek [gnd] |
Mofu |
(Gravina, Sabathaï, and Gwala-Madang n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Gidar [gid] |
Gidar |
(Schuh 1982) |
Word list |
|
|
(Hungerford n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
|
|
(Noukeu 2002) |
Linguistic article |
Giziga North [gis] |
Maroua |
(Gravina 2004) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Giziga South [giz] |
Maroua |
(Michielan and Jaouen in progress) |
Dictionary (unpublished) |
Glavda [glw] |
Mandara |
(Rapp and Benzing 1968; Rapp and Muehle 1969) |
Dictionary |
|
|
(Owens n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
|
|
(Nghagyiva n.d.) |
Database |
Gude [gde] |
Bata |
(Hoskison 1983) |
PhD Thesis |
|
|
(Schuh n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Gudu [gdu] |
Bata |
none |
|
Guduf-Gava [gdf] |
Mandara |
none |
|
Gvoko [ngs] |
Mandara |
none |
|
Hdi [xed] |
Lamang |
(Bramlett 1996) |
Lexicon |
|
|
(Eguchi 1971) |
Lexicon |
Higi [hig] |
Higi |
(Mohrlang 1972) |
Phonology |
Holma [hod] |
Bata |
none |
|
Hwana [hwo] |
Tera |
(Harley n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Hya [hya] |
Higi |
none |
|
Jara [jaf] |
Tera |
none |
|
Jilbe [jie] |
Kotoko |
none |
|
Jimi [jim] |
Bata |
(Djibi n.d.) |
Dictionary (locally published) |
Kamwe Futu [hig] |
Higi |
(Harley 2009a) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Kamwe Nkafa [hig] |
Higi |
(Harley 2009b) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Kilba [hbb] |
Margi |
(Schuh n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Kirya [hig] |
Higi |
(Blench and Ndamsai 2009a) |
Dictionary (unpublished) |
Kofa [kso] |
Margi |
none |
|
Lagwan [kot] |
Kotoko Centre |
(Shryock n.d.) |
Database |
Lamang [hia] |
Lamang |
(Wolff n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Mabas [vem] |
Lamang |
none |
|
Mada [mxu] |
Mofu |
(Barreteau and Brunet 2000) |
Dictionary |
|
|
(Nkoumou and Telemnke 2003) |
Dictionary |
Mafa [maf] |
Mafa |
(Barreteau and le Bléis 1990) |
Dictionary |
Malgbe [mxf] |
Kotoko North |
(Allison n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Malgwa [mfi] |
Mandara |
(Löhr 2005) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Maltam [msv] |
Kotoko North |
(Allison n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Mandara [mfi] |
Mandara |
(Fluckiger and Whaley n.d.) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Margi [mrt] |
Margi |
(Hoffmann 1963) |
Grammar |
Margi South [mfm] |
Margi |
(Harley n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Matal [mfh] |
Mandara |
(Branger in progress) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Mazagway [dkx] |
Daba |
(Noussi n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Mazera [xmj] |
Kotoko South |
(Allison n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Mbara [mpk] |
Musgum |
(Tourneux, Seignobos, and Lafarge 1986) |
Word list |
Mbazla [bdn] |
Maroua |
(Seignobos and Tourneux 1984; Tourneux 1987) |
Word list |
Mbudum [xmd] |
Daba |
(Ndokobaï in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Mbuko [mqb] |
Hurza |
(Gravina in progress) |
Dictionary (unpublished) |
Mefele [mfj] |
Mafa |
none |
|
Merey [meq] |
Mofu |
(Gravina and Doumok in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Mina [hna] |
Daba |
(Frajzyngier, Johnston, and Edwards 2005) |
Grammar |
Mofu North [mfk] |
Mofu |
(Barreteau and Hollingsworth 1990) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Mofu-Gudur [mif] |
Mofu |
(Barreteau 1988) |
Dictionary |
|
|
(Hollingsworth and Hollingsworth 2009) |
Dictionary |
Moloko [mlw] |
Mofu |
(Friesen and Starr n.d.) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Mpade [mpi] |
Kotoko North |
(Allison n.d.) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Mser [kqx] |
Kotoko North |
(Allison n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Mulwi [mug] |
Musgum |
(Tourneux 1978a) |
Linguistic article |
Munjuk [mug] |
Musgum |
(Tourneux 1991) |
Dictionary |
Muskum [mje] |
Musgum |
(Tourneux 1977) |
Linguistic article |
Muyang [muy] |
Mofu |
(Smith forthcoming) |
Dictionary |
Nggwahyi [ngx] |
Margi |
none |
|
Ngwaba [ngw] |
Bata |
none |
|
Nzanyi [nja] |
Bata |
none |
|
Ouldeme [udl] |
Mofu |
(Kinnaird in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Podoko [pbi] |
Mandara |
(Zagba, Jarvis, and Siddi 1986) |
Lexicon |
Psikye [kvj] |
Higi |
(Mazzucci 2006) |
Locally published description |
Putai [mfl] |
Margi |
none |
|
Sharwa [swq] |
Bata |
(Gravina n.d.) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Sukur [syk] |
Sukur |
(David 1996) |
Word lists |
|
|
(Thomas in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Tera [ttr] |
Tera |
(Newman 1964) |
Word list |
Tsuvan [tsh] |
Bata |
(Johnston n.d.) |
Word list (unpublished) |
Vame [mlr] |
Hurza |
(Kinnaird in progress) |
Lexicon (unpublished) |
Zina [jia] |
Kotoko South |
(Schmidt, Odden, and Holmberg 2002) |
Word list |
Zizilivakan [ziz] |
Bata |
none |
|
Zulgo [gnd] |
Mofu |
(Haller 1986) |
Lexicon |