Bete language
Encyclopedia
The Bete language of Nigeria
is a nearly extinct language spoken by a small minority of the 3,000 inhabitants of Bete Town, Takum Local Government Authority, Taraba
State; its speakers have mostly shifted to Jukun Takum
. It is reported to have been close to Lufu
and Bibi. It belongs in the Jukunoid
subfamily of Niger–Congo
, according to the Vienna Yukuben Project and the Ethnologue
(15th ed.), though the latter formerly listed it as unclassified.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
is a nearly extinct language spoken by a small minority of the 3,000 inhabitants of Bete Town, Takum Local Government Authority, Taraba
Taraba
Taraba can refer to:* Taraba State* Taraba River* Taraba, the genus of the Great Antshrike...
State; its speakers have mostly shifted to Jukun Takum
Jukun Takum language
Jukun , or more precisely Jukun Takum, is a Jukunoid language of Cameroon used as a trade language in Nigeria. Though there are only a few thousand native speakers, and only a dozen in Nigeria , it is spoken as a second language in Nigeria by tens of thousands .The name Jukun is a cover term for...
. It is reported to have been close to Lufu
Lufu language
The Lufu language of Nigeria is a language still spoken mostly by older adults among the Lufu people of the Takum Local Government Authority, Taraba State; its speakers have mostly shifted to Jukun. It is reported to have been close to Bete and Bibi...
and Bibi. It belongs in the Jukunoid
Jukunoid languages
The score of Jukunoid languages are spoken by the Jukun and related peoples of Nigeria and Cameroon.-Languages:Per Ethnologue 15, the internal classification of the languages is:*Bete, perhaps Lufu*Yukuben–Kuteb: Akum, Beezen, Kapya, Kuteb, Yukuben...
subfamily of Niger–Congo
Niger–Congo languages
The Niger–Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa's largest in terms of geographical area, number of speakers, and number of distinct languages. They may constitute the world's largest language family in terms of distinct languages, although this question...
, according to the Vienna Yukuben Project and the Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
(15th ed.), though the latter formerly listed it as unclassified.